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Nehemiah 4:1-17
Evangelical Heritage Version
Nehemiah 4:1-17
Evangelical Heritage Version
Opposition and Threats to the Building[a]
4 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, it infuriated him, and he became very angry. He ridiculed the Jews 2 and said in front of his allies[b] and the army of Samaria, “What are those pathetic Jews doing? Will they restore[c] it by themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in one day? Will they refurbish the stones that came from the piles of rubble that have been burned?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him. He said, “Whatever they are building, if even a fox climbed on it, it would break apart the wall made from their stones.”
4 Listen, O our God, because we are an object of contempt. Turn their ridicule back on their own heads. Hand them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover over their guilt, and may their sin not be blotted out before you, because they have provoked your anger in the presence of the builders.[d]
6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was completed, up to half its height, because the people were determined to do it.
7 Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the repair of Jerusalem’s walls had progressed and the breaches had begun to be filled, they were infuriated. 8 So all of them conspired to come to attack Jerusalem and to throw it into confusion. 9 However, we prayed to our God, and because of the enemies, we posted a guard over the builders day and night.
10 Then the people of Judah said, “The strength of those bearing the burden is failing. There is so much rubble. We will not be able to build the wall!”
11 Then our adversaries said, “They will not know about it or realize what we are doing, until we come among them and kill them and bring the work to a halt.”
12 When the Jews who lived near them came, they repeatedly told us, “No matter which way you turn, they will be upon us.”[e] 13 So I stationed people behind the wall at the lowest places, at its open spots. I stationed the people by clans with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then I looked and got up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and fearsome. So fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that their plan was known to us and that God had frustrated their strategy, all of us returned to the wall, each man to his own work. 16 From that day on, half of the young men who were serving under me were doing the work, and half of them were holding shields, spears, and bows and wearing armor. The officers were stationed behind the whole house of Judah. 17 The people who were building the wall and those who were carrying the materials for building were doing their work with one hand, while the other hand held a weapon.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 Nehemiah 4:1-6 is 3:33-38 in the Hebrew Bible. Nehemiah 4:7-23 is 4:1-17 in the Hebrew Bible.
- Nehemiah 4:2 Literally brothers
- Nehemiah 4:2 Here the Hebrew word azav, which usually means abandon, seems to mean restore.
- Nehemiah 4:5 -5 Nehemiah frequently interjects prayers into the narration, often without introduction. These prayers are marked by extra indentation.
- Nehemiah 4:12 The Hebrew of the text is difficult. It seems to mean that Jews from the countryside were encouraging those in Jerusalem to abandon the city. By emending the text, some read from all around they will attack us.
Nehemiah 4:1-17
New International Version
Nehemiah 4:1-17
New International Version
Opposition to the Rebuilding
4 [a]When Sanballat(A) heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates(B) and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble(C)—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah(D) the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”(E)
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised.(F) Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt(G) or blot out their sins from your sight,(H) for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah,(I) the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together(J) to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers(K) is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid(L) of them. Remember(M) the Lord, who is great and awesome,(N) and fight(O) for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it,(P) we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon(Q) in the other,
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17.
- Nehemiah 4:5 Or have aroused your anger before
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.