1Tetapi apabila Sanbalat mendengar bahawa kami sedang membina tembok, murkalah dia, dan sangat marah, lalu mengolok-olok orang Yahudi.
2Dan ia berkata di hadapan saudara-saudaranya dan tentera Samaria, Apakah yang sedang dilakukan oleh orang Yahudi yang lemah ini? Akankah mereka mengukuhkan diri mereka? Akankah mereka mempersembahkan korban? Akankah mereka menamatkannya dalam sehari? Akankah mereka menghidupkan semula batu-batu daripada timbunan puing yang telah terbakar?
3Maka Tobiah orang Amon itu ada di sisinya, lalu ia berkata, Bahkan tembok yang mereka bangun itu, jika seekor rubah naik, dia akan meruntuhkan tembok batu mereka.
4Dengarlah, ya Allah kami; sebab kami dipandang hina: dan palingkanlah cercaan mereka menimpa kepala mereka sendiri, dan serahkanlah mereka sebagai jarahan di tanah tawanan:
5Dan janganlah menutupi kedurjanaan mereka, dan jangan biar dosa mereka dihapuskan dari hadapanmu: sebab mereka telah memprovokasimu kepada kemarahan di hadapan para orang pembina.
6Demikianlah kami membina tembok itu; dan seluruh tembok itu disambung bersama sehingga separuh, sebab umat ada semangat untuk bekerja.
7Tetapi terjadilah, bahawa ketika Sanbalat, dan Tobia, dan orang Arab, dan orang Amon, dan orang Asdod, mendengar bahawa tembok-tembok Yerusalem sedang dinaikkan, dan bahawa lubang-lubang tembok mula tertutup, maka mereka sungguh murka,
8Dan mereka semua bersubahat bersama untuk datang dan melawan Yerusalem, dan untuk menghalang itu.
9Walau bagaimanapun kami berbuat doa kami kepada Allah, dan mengadakan penjagaan terhadap mereka siang dan malam, kerana mereka.
10And 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.
11And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
12And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.From all�: or, That from all places ye must return to us
13Therefore 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.in the�: Heb. from the lower parts of the place, etc
14And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
15And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
16And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought 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.
17They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.by his side: Heb. on his loins
19And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
20In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
21So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
22Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
23So neither I, nor my brethren, 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.saving�: or, every one went with his weapon for water