1 ولما سمع سنبلط اننا آخذون في بناء السور غضب واغتاظ كثيرا وهزأ باليهود2 وتكلم امام اخوته وجيش السامرة وقال ماذا يعمل اليهود الضعفاء. هل يتركونهم. هل يذبحون. هل يكملون في يوم. هل يحيون الحجارة من كوم التراب وهي محرقة.3 وكان طوبيا العموني بجانبه فقال ان ما يبنونه اذا صعد ثعلب فانه يهدم حجارة حائطهم.4 اسمع يا الهنا لاننا قد صرنا احتقارا ورد تعييرهم على رؤوسهم واجعلهم نهبا في ارض السبي5 ولا تستر ذنوبهم ولا تمح خطيتهم من امامك لانهم اغضبوك امام البانين.6 فبنينا السور واتّصل كل السور الى نصفه وكان للشعب قلب في العمل7 ولما سمع سنبلّط وطوبيا والعرب والعمونيون والاشدوديون ان اسوار اورشليم قد رممت والثغر ابتدأت تسد غضبوا جدا.8 وتآمروا جميعهم معا ان ياتوا ويحاربوا اورشليم ويعملوا بها ضررا.9 فصلّينا الى الهنا واقمنا حراسا ضدهم نهارا وليلا بسببهم.10 وقال يهوذا قد ضعفت قوة الحمالين والتراب كثير ونحن لا نقدر ان نبني السور.11 وقال اعداؤنا لا يعلمون ولا يرون حتى ندخل الى وسطهم ونقتلهم ونوقف العمل.12 ولما جاء اليهود الساكنون بجانبهم قالوا لنا عشر مرات من جميع الاماكن التي منها رجعوا الينا.13 فاوقفت الشعب من اسفل الموضع وراء السور وعلى القمم اوقفتهم حسب عشائرهم بسيوفهم ورماحهم وقسيهم.14 ونظرت وقمت وقلت للعظماء والولاة ولبقية الشعب لا تخافوهم بل اذكروا السيد العظيم المرهوب وحاربوا من اجل اخوتكم وبنيكم وبناتكم ونسائكم وبيوتكم15 ولما سمع اعداؤنا اننا قد عرفنا وابطل الله مشورتهم رجعنا كلنا الى السور كل واحد الى شغله.16 ومن ذلك اليوم كان نصف غلماني يشتغلون في العمل ونصفهم يمسكون الرماح والاتراس والقسي والدروع. والرؤساء وراء كل بيت يهوذا.17 البانون على السور بنوا وحاملو الاحمال حملوا. باليد الواحدة يعملون العمل وبالاخرى يمسكون السلاح.18 وكان البانون يبنون وسيف كل واحد مربوط على جنبه وكان النافخ بالبوق بجانبي.19 فقلت للعظماء والولاة ولبقية الشعب العمل كثير ومتسع ونحن متفرقون على السور وبعيدون بعضنا عن بعض.20 فالمكان الذي تسمعون منه صوت البوق هناك تجتمعون الينا. الهنا يحارب عنا.21 فكنا نحن نعمل العمل وكان نصفهم يمسكون الرماح من طلوع الفجر الى ظهور النجوم.22 وقلت في ذلك الوقت ايضا للشعب ليبت كل واحد مع غلامه في وسط اورشليم ليكونوا لنا حراسا في الليل وللعمل في النهار.23 ولم اكن انا ولا اخوتي ولا غلماني ولا الحراس الذين ورائي نخلع ثيابنا. كان كل واحد يذهب بسلاحه الى الماء

1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.2 And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach on their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before you: for they have provoked you to anger before the builders.6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the middle among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelled by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places from where you shall return to us they will be on you.13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.14 And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not you afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants worked in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.17 They which built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands worked in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.19 And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.20 In what place therefore you hear the sound of the trumpet, resort you thither to us: our God shall fight for us.21 So we labored in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.22 Likewise at the same time said I to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor on the day.23 So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.