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The Enemy's Plot

¹ Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there was no breach left in it, ^(C1)although at that time I had not set up doors in the gates,² Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of ^(C1)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 to come down to meet with you?"⁴ They sent word to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same way.⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.⁶ In it was written, "It is reported among the neighboring nations, and Gashmu is saying that ^(C1)you and the Jews are planning to revolt, and that is the reason you are rebuilding the wall. And according to these reports, you are to be their king.⁷ "Also it is reported that you have appointed prophets to make a proclamation concerning you in Jerusalem, saying, 'There is a king in Judah!' And now these things will be reported to the Persian king. So come now, and let us consult together."⁸ I sent a message to him, saying, "Such things as you are saying have not been done; you are ^(C1)inventing them in your own mind."⁹ For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done." But now, O God, ^(C1)strengthen my hands.

¹⁰ When I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, ^(C1)who was ^(F1)confined at home, he said, "Let us meet and take refuge together in the house of God, ^(F2)within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple, because they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night."¹¹ But I said, "^(C1)Should a man like me flee in fear and hide? Should ^(F1)someone like me enter the temple for sanctuary to save his life? I will not go."¹² Then I realized that God had not sent him, but he spoke this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.¹³ He was hired for this reason, ^(C1)that I would be frightened and do as he said and sin, so that they would have grounds to make a malicious report in order to censure and disgrace me.^14 (C1)Remember, O My God, Tobiah and Sanballat in regard to these actions of theirs, and also remember ^(C2)the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵ So ^(C1)the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.^16 (C1)When all our enemies heard about it, and all the Gentile nations around us saw it, ^(F1)they lost their confidence; for ^(C2)they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.¹⁷ Moreover, in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.¹⁸ For ^(F1)many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.¹⁹ Also, they were speaking about Tobiah's good deeds in my presence, and reporting to him what I said. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.