1 But it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it angered him, and he was greatly displeased,and mocked the Jews;2 and spake before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What are, these feeble Jews, doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they bring to life the stones out of the heaps of dust, when, they, have been burned up?3 Now, Tobiah the Ammonite, was beside him,so he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox should go up, he would break down their stone wall!4 Hear, O our God, for we have become a contempt, and turn thou back their reproach upon their own head,and give them up as a prey, in the land of captivity;5 and do not cover their iniquity, and, their sin before thee, let it not be blotted out,for they have caused vexation before them who are building.6 So we built the wall, and all the wall was finished unto the half thereof,-and the people had a mind to work.7 But it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem had gone up, that the breaches began to be stopped, that it angered them exceedingly;8 and they conspired, all of them together, to come, to fight against Jerusalem,and to cause it harm;9 howbeit we prayed unto our God,and set a watch against them, day and night, because of them.10 Then said Judah, The strength of the burden-bearer faileth, and, the rubbish, aboundeth,and, we, are not able to build at the wall;11 and our adversaries have said, They shall not know, neither shall they see, until we come into their midst, and slay them,so shall we cause the work to cease.12 But it came to pass, when the Jews dwelling near them came in, then said they unto us, ten times, From all places whither ye shall turn, upon us!13 So I seton the lower slopes of the place behind the wall in the waste grounds,yea I set the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears and their bows.14 Then I looked and rose up, and saidunto the nobles and unto the deputies and unto the rest of the people, Do not ye fear because of them,the great and fearful Lord, remember ye, so shall ye fight for your brethren, 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 that God had overturned their counsel, then returned we, all of us, unto the wall, every man unto his work.16 And it came to pass, from that day, the half of my young men, were working in the work, and, the half of them, were grasping the spears, the bucklers, and the bows, and the coats of mail,but, the rulers, were behind all the house of Judah.17 They who were building at the wall and they who were carrying burdens, they who were lifting, , with his one hand, was working at the work, and, with the other, was grasping the weapon.18 Even they who were building, every man, had his sword girded upon his loins, and so was building,and, he that sounded the horn, was by my side.19 So I said unto the nobles and unto the deputies, and unto the rest of the people, The work, is great and large,and, we, are separated upon the wall, far away, each man from his brother:20 In what place soever ye shall hear the sound of the horn, thither, gather yourselves unto us,our God, will fight for us.21 So, we, were working at the work,one half of them, grasping the spears, from the uprisings of the dawn, until the coming out of the stars.22 Moreover, at that time, I said to the people, Let, every one with his young man, lodge for the night in the midst of Jerusalem,so shall they serve us, in the night, as a watch, and, the day, for work.23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my young men, nor the men of the watch that followed me, none of us, put off our clothes,every one

1 E sucedeu que, ouvindo Sambalate que edificávamos o muro, ardeu em ira, e se indignou muito, e escarneceu dos judeus. 2 E falou na presença de seus irmãos e do exército de Samaria e disse: Que fazem estes fracos judeus? Permitir-se-lhes-á isso? Sacrificarão? Acabá-lo-ão num só dia? Vivificarão dos montões do pó as pedras que foram queimadas? 3 E estava com ele Tobias, o amonita, e disse: Ainda que edifiquem, vindo uma raposa, derrubará facilmente o seu muro de pedra. 4 Ouve, ó nosso Deus, que somos tão desprezados, e caia o seu opróbrio sobre a sua cabeça, e faze com que sejam um despojo, numa terra de cativeiro. 5 E não cubras a sua iniquidade, e não se risque diante de ti o seu pecado, pois que te irritaram defronte dos edificadores.

6 Assim, edificamos o muro, e todo o muro se cerrou até sua metade; porque o coração do povo se inclinava a trabalhar.

7 E sucedeu que, ouvindo Sambalate, e Tobias, e os arábios, e os amonitas, e os asdoditas que tanto ia crescendo a reparação dos muros de Jerusalém, que já as roturas se começavam a tapar, iraram-se sobremodo. 8 E ligaram-se entre si todos, para virem atacar Jerusalém e para os desviarem do seu intento. 9 Porém nós oramos ao nosso Deus e pusemos uma guarda contra eles, de dia e de noite, por causa deles.

10 Então, disse Judá: Já desfaleceram as forças dos acarretadores, e o pó é muito, e nós não poderemos edificar o muro. 11 Disseram, porém, os nossos inimigos: Nada saberão disso, nem verão, até que entremos no meio deles e os matemos; assim, faremos cessar a obra. 12 E sucedeu que, vindo os judeus que habitavam entre eles, dez vezes nos disseram que, de todos os lugares, tornavam a nós. 13 Pelo que pus guardas nos lugares baixos por detrás do muro e nos altos; e pus o povo, pelas suas famílias, com as suas espadas, com as suas lanças e com os seus arcos. 14 E olhei, e levantei-me, e disse aos nobres, e aos magistrados, e ao resto do povo: Não os temais; lembrai-vos do Senhor, grande e terrível, e pelejai pelos vossos irmãos, vossos filhos, vossas mulheres e vossas casas.

15 E sucedeu que, ouvindo os nossos inimigos que já o sabíamos e que Deus tinha dissipado o conselho deles, todos voltamos ao muro, cada um à sua obra. 16 E sucedeu que, desde aquele dia, metade dos meus moços trabalhava na obra, e a outra metade deles tinha as lanças, os escudos, os arcos e as couraças; e os chefes estavam por detrás de toda a casa de Judá. 17 Os que edificavam o muro, e os que traziam as cargas, e os que carregavam, cada um com uma mão fazia a obra e na outra tinha as armas. 18 E os edificadores cada um trazia a sua espada cingida aos lombos, e edificavam; e o que tocava a trombeta estava junto comigo. 19 E disse eu aos nobres, e aos magistrados, e ao resto do povo: Grande e extensa é a obra, e nós estamos apartados do muro, longe uns dos outros. 20 No lugar onde ouvirdes o som da buzina, ali vos ajuntareis conosco; o nosso Deus pelejará por nós.

21 Assim trabalhávamos na obra; e metade deles tinha as lanças desde a subida da alva até ao sair das estrelas. 22 Também, naquele tempo, disse ao povo: Cada um com o seu moço fique em Jerusalém, para que, de noite, nos sirvam de guarda e, de dia, na obra. 23 E nem eu, nem meus irmãos, nem meus moços, nem os homens da guarda que me seguiam largávamos as nossas vestes; cada um ia com suas armas à água.