| English Standard Version | International Standard Version |
| 1Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. | 1 When Sanballat heard that we were reconstructing the wall, he flew into a rage, became indignant, and mocked the Jews. |
| 2And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” | 2He addressed his allies and the Samaritan officials, saying "What are these pathetic Jews doing? Are they intending to rebuild it by themselves? Do they intend to offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a single day? Can they make stones from this burned out rubble?" |
| 3Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” | 3Tobiah the Ammonite stood to the side, commenting, "If a fox were to jump onto what they're building, it would collapse their stone wall!" |
| 4Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. | 4"Listen, our God, because we are being mocked. Let their insults fall back on them, and let them be dragged away as captives into exile. |
| 5Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. | 5Don't atone their iniquity, and don't let their sin be blotted out from before you, because they have demoralized the builders." |
| 6So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. | 6So we rebuilt the wall, completing it halfway up, because the people were committed to working. |
| 7But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. | 7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair work on the Jerusalem wall was progressing and that its breaches were being repaired, they flew into a rage. |
| 8And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. | 8So they all conspired together to invade and fight against Jerusalem, creating confusion there. |
| 9And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. | 9But we prayed to our God. We also set up guards day and night because of them. |
| 10In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” | 10Meanwhile, the people of Judah said, "The builders are tired and there's so much rubble that we can't reconstruct the wall!" |
| 11And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” | 11Our enemies said, "Before they notice or see us, we'll penetrate their midst, kill them, and stop the work!" |
| 12At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” | 12The Jews who lived near them kept coming to us, reporting at least ten times, "They'll attack us from every direction." |
| 13So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. | 13So I stationed the people by families behind the wall in the lower exposed areas, equipping them with their swords, spears, and bows. |
| 14And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” | 14Looking things over, I stood up and spoke to the officials, the military leaders, and the rest of the people: "Don't fear them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes." |
| 15When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. | 15Our opponents heard that we had learned about them, that God had brought their plans to failure, and that each and every one of us had come to work on the wall. |
| 16From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, | 16From that day on, half of my helpers engaged in the work while the other half kept spears, shields, bows, and armor ready. The senior officials backed all of the Judeans |
| 17who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. | 17who worked on the wall. Those who carried building materials worked with one hand, carrying a spear in the other. |
| 18And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. | 18Each builder worked with a sword strapped to his side, while a trumpeter remained beside me to sound an alarm. |
| 19And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. | 19I told the officials, rulers, and the rest of the people, "The project is large and extensive, and we are separated from each other on the wall, |
| 20In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” | 20so wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, come over to us, and our God will fight for us!" |
| 21So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. | 21So we worked hard, half of us holding spears from dawn to dusk. |
| 22I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” | 22At the same time I told the people, "Let's have everyone sleep at night inside Jerusalem with their servants, so they can guard us at night and work during the day. |
| 23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand. | 23No one—neither I, my allies, my servants, nor the bodyguards who accompanied me—changed clothes. Everyone carried a weapon even while going for water. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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