Nehemiah 6

1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and there were no gaps left—though at that time I still had not put the doors into the gates—

Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, an Arab, and our other enemies, had heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no interruption remaining in it, (even though, at that time, I had not set up the double doors at the gates, )

2 they sent a message to me, saying, “Come on, let's meet in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they intended to kill me.

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying: “Come, and let us strike a pact together in the villages, on the plain of Ono.” But they were thinking that they would do me harm.

3 So I sent messengers to tell them, “I'm busy with important work and I can't come down. Why should I stop what I'm doing and leave it to come and see you?”

Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying: “I am doing a great work, and I cannot descend, lest perhaps it may be neglected when I go out and descend to you.”

4 They sent me the same message four times, and every time my reply was the same.

Then they sent to me, with this same word, four times. And I responded to them with the same word as before.

5 Sanballat sent me the same message the fifth time by his servant, who brought in his hand an open letter.

And Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time, with the former word, and he had a letter in his hand written in this manner:

6 The letter read: “People around are saying, and Geshem confirms it, that you and the Jews are planning a rebellion, and that's why you're building the wall. You also plan to become their king, so they say,

“It has been heard among the Gentiles, and Geshem has said it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, and because of this, you are building the wall and thinking to raise yourself as a king over them. For this reason,

7 and you have even arranged for prophets in Jerusalem to announce for you, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ The king will soon get to hear about this. So come, and let's talk this over.”

you also have stationed prophets, who preach about you in Jerusalem, saying: ‘There is a king in Judea!’ But the king will hear about these words. Therefore, come now, so that we may go to counsel together.”

8 I replied, telling him, “Nothing's happening like you're saying! In fact you're just making it all up!”

And I sent to them, saying: “There has been nothing done according to these words, which you have spoken. For you are inventing these things from your own heart.”

9 They were all just trying to scare us, telling themselves, “They won't have the strength to work so it won't ever get finished.” But I prayed, now make me strong!

For all these men wished to frighten us, thinking that our hands would cease from the work, and that we would cease. For this reason, I strengthened my hands all the more.

10 Later on, I went to Shemaiah's house (he was the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel) who had shut himself in his house. He said: “Come and meet me at the house of God inside the Temple. Then we can bolt the Temple doors shut because they are coming to kill you! They're coming to kill you tonight!”

And I entered into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, in secret. And he said: “Let us consult together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple. And let us close the doors of the temple. For they will come to kill you, and they will arrive in the night to put you to death.”

11 I replied, “Should someone like me run away? Should someone like me go and hide in the Temple so I can survive? I'm not going!”

And I said: “How could anyone like me flee? And who like me should enter the temple, so that he may live? I will not enter.”

12 I thought about it and saw that God hadn't sent him, but that he had spoken this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

And I understood that God had not sent him, but he had spoken to me as if he were prophesying, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 They'd hired him thinking I'd be scared into doing something wrong. Then they'd be able to point the finger and ruin my reputation.

For he had accepted money, so that I would be afraid, and would sin, and so that they would have some evil with which to rebuke me.

14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for doing this, and Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets too who tried to frighten me.

Remember me, O Lord, because of Tobiah and Sanballat, because of their works of this kind. Then, too, Noadiah, a prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, would have made me afraid.

15 The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. It took fifty-two days.

Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 When all our enemies found out they were frightened; all the nations around were very discouraged, for they recognized that this had been done by our God.

Then it happened that, when all our enemies had heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they were downcast within themselves. For they knew that this work had been accomplished by God.

17 At that time the nobles of Judah were exchanging many letters with Tobiah,

But also, in those days, many letters were being sent by the nobles of the Jews to Tobiah, and were arriving from Tobiah to them.

18 because many people in Judah had sworn an oath of loyalty to him as he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah.

For there were many in Judea who had sworn an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and because Jehohanan, his son, had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.

19 They kept on telling me all the good things Tobiah was doing, and they reported to him what I said. Tobiah also sent letters to try and scare me.

Moreover, they praised him before me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters, so that he might make me afraid.