Esther 7

Haman Hanged Instead of Mordecai

1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther.

2 And on the second day,at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “Whatisyour petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And whatisyour request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

3 Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.

4 For we have beensold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold asmale and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”

5 So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

6 And Esther said, “The adversary andenemyisthis wicked Haman!”

So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

7 Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wineandwentinto the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king.

8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen acrossthe couch where Estherwas.Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while Iamin the house?”

# As the word left the king’s mouth, theycovered Haman’s face.

9 NowHarbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look!The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spokegood on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.”

Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

10 Sotheyhanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.

Esther 8

Esther Saves the Jews

1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, theenemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had toldhow hewasrelatedto her.

2 So the king took offhis signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.

3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews.

4 Andthe king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king,

5 and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thingseemsright to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke theletters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews whoarein all the king’s provinces.

6 For how can I endure to seethe evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”

7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed,I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because hetriedtolay his hand on the Jews.

8 You yourselves writeadecreeconcerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and sealitwith the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ringno one can revoke.”

9 So the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, whichisthe month of Sivan, on the twenty-thirdday;and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provincesfrom India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provincesinall,to every provincein its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.

10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealeditwith the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds.

11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews whowerein every city togather together and protect their lives—todestroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them,bothlittle children and women, and to plunder their possessions,

12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenthdayof the twelfth month, whichisthe month of Adar.

13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; andthe city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

16 The Jews hadlight and gladness, joy and honor.

17 And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feastand a holiday. Then many of the people of the landbecame Jews, becausefear of the Jews fell upon them.

Esther 9

The Jews Destroy Their Tormentors

1 Nowin the twelfth month, thatis,the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day,thetimecame for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselvesoverpowered those who hated them.

2 The Jewsgathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those whosought their harm. And no one could withstand them,because fear of them fell upon all people.

3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

4 For Mordecaiwasgreat in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecaibecame increasingly prominent.

5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.

6 And inShushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.

7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha—

10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed;but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

11 On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel was brought to the king.

12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Nowwhatisyour petition? It shall be granted to you. Or whatisyour further request? It shall be done.”

13 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews whoarein Shushan to do again tomorrowaccording to today’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sonsbe hanged on the gallows.”

14 So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

15 And the Jews whowerein Shushangathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan;but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

16 The remainder of the Jews in the king’s provincesgathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies;but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

17 Thiswason the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth ofthemonththey rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

The Feast of Purim

18 But the Jews whowereat Shushan assembled togetheron the thirteenthday,as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth ofthemonththey rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

19 Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adarwithgladness and feasting,as a holiday, and forsending presents to one another.

20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, whowerein all the provinces of King Ahasuerus,

21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,

22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, ofsending presents to one another and gifts to thepoor.

23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them,

24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews,had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (thatis,the lot), to consume them and destroy them;

25 butwhenEsthercame before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot whichHamanhad devised against the Jews shouldreturn on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26 So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words ofthis letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them,

27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who wouldjoin them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the writteninstructionsand according to theprescribedtime,

28 thatthese daysshouldberemembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not failtobeobservedamong the Jews, andthatthe memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther,the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm thissecond letter about Purim.

30 AndMordecaisent letters to all the Jews, tothe one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus,withwords of peace and truth,

31 to confirm these days of Purim at theirappointedtime, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of theirfasting and lamenting.

32 So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

Esther 10

Mordecai’s Advancement

1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land andonthe islands of the sea.

2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai,to which the king advanced him,arethey not written in the book of thechronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?

3 For Mordecai the Jewwassecond to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren,seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.

Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah Prays for His People

1 The words ofNehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

# It came to pass in the month of Chislev,inthetwentieth year, as I was inShushan the citadel,

2 thatHanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in theprovincearethere in great distress andreproach.The wall of Jerusalemisalso broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mournedformanydays; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 And I said: “I pray,LordGod of heaven, O great andawesome God,Youwho keepYourcovenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,

6 please let Your ear be attentive andYour eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, andconfess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and havenot kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying,‘Ifyou are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;

9 butifyou return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them,though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens,yetI will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’

10 Now theseareYour servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.

11 O Lord, I pray, pleaselet Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants whodesire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

# For I was the king’scupbearer.

Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year ofKing Artaxerxes,whenwinewasbefore him, thatI took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.

2 Therefore the king said to me, “Whyisyour face sad, since youarenot sick? Thisisnothing butsorrow of heart.”

So I became dreadfully afraid,

3 and said to the king,“May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, whenthe city, the place of my fathers’ tombs,lieswaste, and its gates are burned withfire?”

4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”

# So Iprayed to the God of heaven.

5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set hima time.

7 Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for thegovernorsoftheregionbeyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah,

8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel whichpertainsto the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king grantedthemto meaccording to the good hand of my God upon me.

9 Then I went to the governorsintheregionbeyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

10 WhenSanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heardofit,they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

Nehemiah Views the Wall of Jerusalem

11 So Icame to Jerusalem and was there three days.

12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode.

13 And I went out by nightthrough the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which werebroken down and its gates which were burned with fire.

14 Then I went on to theFountain Gate and to theKing’s Pool, buttherewasno room for the animal under me to pass.

15 So I went up in the night by thevalley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.

16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that wearein, how Jerusalemlieswaste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer bea reproach.”

18 And I told them ofthe hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.

# So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then theyset their hands tothisgoodwork.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heardofit,they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “Whatisthis thing that you are doing?Will you rebel against the king?”

20 So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build,but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah 3

Rebuilding the Wall

1 ThenEliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priestsand built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They builtas far as the Tower of the Hundred,andconsecrated it, then as far as the Tower ofHananel.

2 Next toEliashibthe men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 Also the sons of Hassenaah builtthe Fish Gate; they laid its beams andhung its doors with its bolts and bars.

4 And next to themMeremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next to themMeshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs.

5 Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders tothe work of their Lord.

6 Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repairedthe Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars.

7 And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, themen of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired theresidence of the governoroftheregionbeyond the River.

8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as theBroad Wall.

9 And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section,as well as the Tower of the Ovens.

12 And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repairedthe Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, andrepaireda thousand cubits of the wall as far asthe Refuse Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district ofBeth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

15 Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repairedthe Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool ofShelah by theKing’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David.

16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far astheplacein front of the tombs of David, to theman-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

17 After him the Levites,underRehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.

18 After him their brethren,underBavai the son of Henadad, leader of theotherhalf of the district of Keilah, made repairs.

19 And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at thebuttress.

20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

21 After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22 And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs.

23 After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house.

24 After himBinnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah tothe buttress, even as far as the corner.

25 Palal the son of Uzaimaderepairsopposite the buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king’s upper house thatwasby thecourt of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Paroshmaderepairs.

26 Moreoverthe Nethinim who dwelt inOphelmaderepairsas far astheplacein front ofthe Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower.

27 After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Beyond theHorse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of hisownhouse.

29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of hisownhouse. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs.

30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his dwelling.

31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner.

32 And between the upper room at the corner, as far as theSheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

Nehemiah 4

The Wall Defended Against Enemies

1 But it so happened,when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stonesthat are burned?”

3 NowTobiah the Ammonitewasbeside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes uponit,he will break down their stone wall.”

4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised;turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity!

5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provokedYouto anger before the builders.

6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half itsheight,for the people had a mind to work.

7 Now it happened,when Sanballat, Tobiah,the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,

8 and all of themconspired together to comeandattack Jerusalem and create confusion.

9 Neverthelesswe made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, andthereisso much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

11 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”

12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn,theywillbeupon us.”

13 Therefore I positionedmenbehind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people,“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord,great and awesome, andfight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

15 And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, andthatGod had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.

16 So it was, from that time on,thathalf of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, andworearmor; and the leaderswerebehind all the house of Judah.

17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.

18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpetwasbeside me.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The workisgreat and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall.

20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.Our God will fight for us.”

21 So we labored in the work, and half ofthemenheld the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.

22 At the same time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.”

23 So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes,exceptthat everyone took them off for washing.

Nehemiah 5

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

1 And there was a greatoutcry of the people and their wives against theirJewish brethren.

2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughtersaremany; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”

3 There were alsosomewho said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”

4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s taxonour lands and vineyards.

5 Yet nowour fleshisas the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed weare forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, andsomeof our daughters have been brought into slavery.Itisnot in our powertoredeemthem,for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them,“Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them.

8 And I said to them, “According to our ability we haveredeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”

Then they were silenced and found nothingtosay.

9 Then I said, “What you are doingisnot good. Should you not walkin the fear of our Godbecause of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

10 I also,withmy brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury!

11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”

12 So they said, “We will restoreit,and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”

# Then I called the priests,and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.

13 ThenI shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”

# And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised theLord.Then the people did according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah

14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth yearuntil the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothersate the governor’s provisions.

15 But the former governors whowerebefore me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, butI did not do so, because of thefear of God.

16 Indeed, I also continued thework on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servantsweregathered there for the work.

17 Andat my tablewereone hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.

18 Nowthatwhich was prepared dailywasone oxandsix choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this Idid not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

19 Remember me, my God, for good,accordingtoall that I have done for this people.

Nehemiah 6

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

1 Now it happenedwhen Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, andthatthere were no breaks left in it(though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates),

2 that Sanballat and Geshemsent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain ofOno.” But theythought to do me harm.

3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “Iamdoing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

4 But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.

6 In itwaswritten:

# It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says,thatyou and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall,that you may be their king.

7 And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “Thereisa king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

9 For they allweretryingtomake us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”

Now therefore,OGod,strengthen my hands.

10 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, whowasa secret informer; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”

11 And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And whoistheresuch as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!”

12 Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but thathe pronouncedthisprophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 For this reason hewashired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, sothatthey might havecausefor an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and theprophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

The Wall Completed

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

16 And it happened,when all our enemies heardofit,and all the nations around us sawthesethings,that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; forthey perceived that this work was done by our God.

17 Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, andthelettersofTobiah came to them.

18 For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was theson-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter ofMeshullam the son of Berechiah.

19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.