1 Sanbalate, Tobias, Gesem o árabe, e o resto dos nossos inimigos, ao constatarem que estávamos praticamente a terminar esta obra de restauro - ainda que não tivéssemos colocado todas as portas das entradas - enviaram-me uma mensagem pedindo-me para me encontrar com eles numa das localidades da planície de Ono.

3 Mas eu vi bem que a intenção deles era de me fazer mal, por isso respondi-lhes assim: Estou a fazer uma grande obra; não posso largá-la! Porque é que havíamos de parar enquanto eu me encontrasse convosco?

4 Quatro vezes me enviaram a mesma mensagem, e de cada vez lhes respondi o mesmo.

8 Foi esta a minha resposta: Sabes bem que tudo isso é mentira. Não há em toda essa história uma ponta de verdade.

10 Uns dias mais tarde fui visitar Semaías (filho de Delaías e neto de Meetabel) pois tinham dito que estava a receber uma mensagem do Senhor. Vamo-nos já esconder no templo e tranquemo-nos lá dentro, exclamou ele, porque virão esta noite para te matar.

11 Respondi-lhe: Então eu, o governador, ia fugir a um perigo? E não sendo eu sacerdote, como poderia eu entrar no templo sem perder a vida? Não, nunca faria uma coisa dessas!

12 Vi logo que não era Deus quem lhe falara; tinha sido Sanbalate e Tobias que o tinham subornado para me aterrorizar e para me levar a pecar, fugindo para o templo. Teriam assim razão para me acusarem.

14 Ó meu Deus, orei eu, não te esqueças de todo o pecado de Tobias, de Sanbalate e também de Noadias, a profetisa, assim como de todos os outros profetas que tentaram desencorajar-me.

15 A muralha ficou acabada finalmente nos primeiros dias de Setembro - precisamente cinquenta e dois dias após terem começado os trabalhos!

16 Ouvindo isto, os nossos inimigos e os povos à volta encheram-se de um respeito temeroso e de humilhação; deram-se bem conta de que aquela obra tinha sido realizada com a ajuda de Deus.

17 Durante esses cinquenta e dois dias muita correspondência foi trocada entre Tobias e os administradores de Judá. Porque muitos em Judá lhe tinham prestado juramento, visto que era genro de Secanias (filho de Ará) e porque o seu filho, Joanã, casara com a filha de Mesulão (filho de Berequias). Todos eles diziam que Tobias era um excelente homem, e depois iam contar-lhe tudo o que eu dizia. Assim foi que Tobias me mandou muitas cartas ameaçadoras, para me meter medo.

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 writtenAmong 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.