1 当参巴拉听见我们正在重建城墙， 就很忿怒， 非常恼恨， 并且讥讽犹大人。 2 在他的兄弟和撒玛利亚的军队面前， 说： "这些软弱的犹大人在作什么呢？想自己修筑城墙吗？想要献祭吗？想要在一天之内完成吗？想要使废土堆中被火烧过的石头复活吗？" 3 亚扪人多比雅在参巴拉旁边说： "这些人建造的， 只要一只狐狸走上去， 石墙就崩塌。" 4 "我们的 神啊， 求你垂听， 我们被藐视， 求你使他们的毁谤归到他们头上， 使他们在被掳之地成为掠物。 5 不要遮蔽他们的罪孽， 也不要从你面前涂抹他们的罪恶， 因为他们在这些建造的人面前惹你发怒。" 6 这样， 我们重建城墙， 把全部城墙连接起来， 城墙达到一半的高度， 因为众人都全心作工。（本章第1-6节在《马索拉抄本》为3:33-38） 7 当参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人、亚实突人听见耶路撒冷城墙重修工程仍然进行， 已经堵塞城墙的缺口， 就非常忿怒。（本节在《马索拉抄本》为4:1） 8 他们就一同计划阴谋要来攻击耶路撒冷， 制造混乱。 9 所以我们向我们的 神祷告， 又因他们的缘故， 设立守卫， 日夜防备他们。 10 因为有些犹大人说： "搬运的人气力已经衰弱， 但瓦砾仍多， 我们不能再建城墙了！ " 11 同时我们的敌人说： "趁着他们不知道， 还未看见之前， 我们就进入他们中间， 杀死他们， 使那工程停止。" 12 住在他们附近的一些犹大人， 也曾十次前来通知我们说： "他们将从各方上来攻击你们。"（或译： "他们十次从各方来对我们说： ‘你们来到我们这里吧！ ’"本节颇残缺， 意义难确定。） 13 所以我分派众人站岗， 在低洼或高处， 在城墙后隐蔽处或空旷的地方， 叫他们按着家族， 带着刀、枪和弓。 14 我巡视之后， 就起来， 对贵族、官长和其余的人民说： "不要怕他们， 要记得主是伟大可畏的， 要为你们的兄弟、儿女、妻子和你们的家争战。" 15 我们的仇敌既然听见我们知道了这阴谋， 神也破坏了他们的计谋， 就不敢来了。我们全都回到城墙那里， 各人回到原来的工作岗位。 16 从那天起， 我的仆人一半工作， 一半紧握着枪、盾牌、弓和盔甲。众领袖都站在犹大全家的后面。 17 那些在城墙建造城墙， 搬运重物的， 都是一只手作工， 一只手紧握兵器。 18 建造的人， 都腰间佩着刀来建造； 吹号角的人在我旁边。 19 我对贵族、官长和其余的人民说： "这工程浩大， 范围广阔； 我们在城墙上彼此相隔很远。 20 所以你们无论在什么地方， 一听见号角声， 就要集合到我们那里来。我们的 神必为我们争战。" 21 我们就这样作工； 一半人紧握着枪， 从黎明直到星宿出现的时候。 22 那时， 我又对众人说： "各人和他的仆人都要在耶路撒冷城中过夜， 这样他们可以在夜间作我们的守卫， 日间工作。" 23 这样， 我与我的兄弟、我的仆人和跟随我的人， 都不脱衣服， 各人时常右手拿着自己的兵器（原文残缺， 传统有译作"各人只有在沐浴时才脱衣服"， 或"各人打水的时候， 都手里拿着自己的兵器"）。

1 And it cometh to pass, when Sanballat hath heard that we are building the wall, that it is displeasing to him, and he is very angry and mocketh at the Jews,2 and saith before his brethren and the force of Samaria, yea, he saith, `What [are] the weak Jews doing? are they left to themselves? do they sacrifice? do they complete in a day? do they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish? -- and they burnt!`3 And Tobiah the Ammonite [is] by him and saith, `Also, that which they are building -- if a fox doth go up, then it hath broken down their stone wall.`4 Hear, O our God, for we have been despised; and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them for a spoil in a land of captivity;5 and do not cover over their iniquity, and their sin from before Thee let not be blotted out, for they have provoked to anger -- over-against those building.6 And we build the wall, and all the wall is joined -- unto its half, and the people have a heart to work.7 And it cometh to pass, when Sanballat hath heard, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, that lengthening hath gone up to the walls of Jerusalem, that the breeches have begun to be stopped, then it is very displeasing to them,8 and they conspire, all of them together, to come in to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.9 And we pray unto our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.10 And Judah saith, `The power of the burden-bearers hath become feeble, and the rubbish [is] abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.`11 And our adversaries say, `They do not know, nor see, till that we come in to their midst, and have slain them, and caused the work to cease.`12 And it cometh to pass, when the Jews have come who are dwelling near them, that they say to us ten times from all the places whither ye return -- [they are] against us.13 And I appoint at the lowest of the places, at the back of the wall, in the clear places, yea, I appoint the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.14 And I see, and rise up, and say unto the freemen, and unto the prefects, and unto the rest of the people, `Be not afraid of them; the Lord, the great and the fearful, remember ye, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.`15 And it cometh to pass, when our enemies have heard that it hath been known to us, and God doth frustrate their counsel, and we turn back, all of us, unto the wall, each unto his work;16 yea, it cometh to pass, from that day, half of my servants are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the heads [are] behind all the house of Judah.17 The builders on the wall, and the bearers of the burden, those lading, [each] with one of his hands is working in the business, and one is laying hold of the missile.18 And the builders [are] each with his sword, girded on his loins, and building, and he who is blowing with a trumpet [is] beside me.19 And I say unto the freemen, and unto the prefects, and unto the rest of the people, `The work is abundant, and large, and we are separated on the wall, far off one from another;20 in the place that ye hear the voice of the trumpet thither ye are gathered unto us; our God doth fight for us.`21 And we are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of the spears, from the going up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.22 Also, at that time I said to the people, `Let each with his servant lodge in the midst of Jerusalem, and they have been to us by night a guard, and by day [for] the work:`23 and there are none -- I and my brethren and my servants, the men of the guard who [are] after me -- there are none of us putting off our garments, each [hath] his vessel of water.