| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He mocked the Jews | 1 Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, |
| 2before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria, and said, "What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?" | 2saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” |
| 3Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, "Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall!" | 3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” |
| 4Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. | 4Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! |
| 5Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from Your sight, because they have provoked the builders. | 5Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.” |
| 6So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working. | 6At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm. |
| 7When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious. | 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. |
| 8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion. | 8They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. |
| 9So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night. | 9But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves. |
| 10In Judah, it was said: The strength of the laborer fails, since there is so much rubble. We will never be able to rebuild the wall. | 10Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.” |
| 11And our enemies said, "They won't know or see anything until we're among them and can kill them and stop the work." | 11Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.” |
| 12When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, "Everywhere you turn, they attack us." | 12The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!” |
| 13So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. | 13So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. |
| 14After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes." | 14Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” |
| 15When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. | 15When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. |
| 16From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah, | 16But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah |
| 17who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. | 17who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. |
| 18Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the trumpeter was beside me. | 18All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm. |
| 19Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: "The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall. | 19Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. |
| 20Wherever you hear the trumpet sound, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!" | 20When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!” |
| 21So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out. | 21We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. |
| 22At that time, I also said to the people, "Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day." | 22I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day. |
| 23And I, my brothers, my men, and the guards with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing. | 23During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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