Sanballat’s Conspiracy
1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left— though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages6:2 Or in Kephirim on the plain6:2 Or in the valley of Ono."
But they were planning to harm me.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?"
4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
5 The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter 6 that read:
"It is reported among the nations— and Geshem6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem; see verse 1. agrees— that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,
10 Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said:
"Let us meet at the house of God
inside the temple.
Let us shut the temple doors
because they are coming to kill you —
by night they are coming to kill you!"
11 But I replied, "Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!"
12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.