¹ And it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arabian and to the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and there was left therein no breach,—though, up to that time, the doors, had I not set up in the gates,

² that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come! and let us meet together in the villages, in the valley of Ono,—But, they, were plotting to do me harm.

³ So I sent unto them messengers, saying, A great work, am, I, doing, and cannot come down,—wherefore should the work cease whilst I leave it, and come down unto you?

⁴ Yet they sent unto me, according to this message, four times,—and I replied to them according to this answer.

⁵ Then Sanballat sent unto me, according to this message, a fifth time, by his young man,—with an open letter, in his hand:

⁶ wherein was written—Among the nations, it is reported, and, Gashmu, saith it, that, thou and the Jews, are plotting to rebel, for which cause, thou art building the wall,—and, thou, art to become their king, according to these words.

⁷ Moreover also, prophets, hast thou set up to make proclamation concerning thee in Jerusalem, saying, He hath become king in Judah! Now, therefore, will it he reported to the king, according to these words. Now, therefore, come, and let us take counsel together.

⁸ Then sent I unto him, saying, Nothing hath been done, according to these words, which thou art saying,—but, out of thine own heart, art thou feigning them.

⁹ For, they all, were seeking to put us in fear, saying, Their hands will slacken from the work, and it will not be accomplished. Now, therefore, strengthen thou my hands!

¹⁰ When, I, came into the house of Shemaiah, son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, he, being shut in, he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to slay thee, yea, by night, are they coming to slay thee.

¹¹ Then said I, Should, such a man as I, flee? Who then, being such as I, would enter the temple to save his life? I will not enter.

¹² Then perceived I, that lo! it was, not God, who had sent him,—though, a prophecy, he had spoken concerning me, but, Tobiah and Sanballat, had hired him:

¹³ to this end, hired, he was, to the end that I might be afraid and do so, and might sin,—and it might serve them for an evil report, to the end they might bring reproach upon me.

¹⁴ Have remembrance, O my God, of Tobiah and of Sanballat, according to these their doings,—moreover also, of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets, who would have put me in fear.

¹⁵ So the wall was finished, on the twenty-fifth of Elul,—in fifty-two days.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard, and all the nations that were round about us saw, that they fell greatly in their own eyes, and took knowledge that, from God, had this work been wrought.

¹⁷ Moreover, in those days, were the nobles of Judah busy with their letters which were going unto Tobiah,—and those of Tobiah were coming unto them;

¹⁸ for, many in Judah, had taken an oath to him, because he was in marriage affinity with Shecaniah son of Arah,—and, Jehohanan his son, had taken the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah.

¹⁹ Moreover, his good deeds, were they telling before me, and, my affairs, were they carrying out to him,—letters, did Tobiah send to put me in fear.