Nehemiah 4

1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the city wall, he was very angry. He was enraged/furious. He made fun of us Jews.

And it was just when he heard Sanballat that we [were] rebuilding the wall and it burned to him and he was angry greatly and he mocked the Jews.

2 While his colleagues and officials of the army troops who had come from Samaria were listening, he said, “What do these feeble/pathetic Jews [think they] are doing? Do they think that if they offer enough/many sacrifices, [their gods will hear them and enable] them to finish building the wall in one day? The stones [that were in the wall previously have been weakened by] being burned in a fire. Those stones that they are pulling out of the rubbish/garbage heaps—do they think that they can make them strong again?” [RHQ]

And he said - before brothers his and [the] army of Samaria and he said what? [are] the Jews feeble doing ¿ will they restore for themselves ¿ will they offer sacrifices ¿ will they finish in the day ¿ will they restore the stones from [the] heaps of debris and they [are] burned.

3 Tobiah was [standing] beside Sanballat. He said, “That stone wall [that they are building] is very weak; so if even a fox climbed up on it, the wall would fall down!”

And Tobiah the Ammonite [was] beside him and he said also [that] which they [are] building if it will go up a fox and it will break down [the] wall of stones their.

4 Then I prayed. I said, “Our God, hear us, because they are ridiculing us! Cause the words of their insults to fall back on them! Allow their enemies to come and capture them and force them to go to a foreign land!

Hear O God our for we are contempt and return reproach their to own head their and give them to plunder in a land of captivity.

5 They are guilty; they have [said things that] caused you to be angry while the people here who are building the wall are listening; so punish them!”

And may not you cover over iniquity their and sin their from to before you may not it be wiped out for they have provoked to anger to before the builders.

6 But after some time, we finished building the wall around the whole city, up to half as high as the first wall had been. We were able to do that because we worked very hard.

And we rebuilt the wall and it was joined together all the wall to middle its and it belonged a heart to the people to work.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the men from Arabia, the people from the Ammon [people-group] and from Ashdod [city] heard that the work on the wall was continuing and that we were filling in the gaps in the wall, they became very angry.

And it was just when he heard Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites that it had gone up [the] repair of [the] walls of Jerusalem that they had begun the broken down [parts] to be closed and it burned to them exceedingly.

8 They all planned to come and fight against the people of Jerusalem [MTY] and to cause trouble.

And they conspired all of them together to come to wage war against Jerusalem and to make for it confusion.

9 But we prayed to our God [to protect us], and we put men [around the walls] to guard [the city] day and night.

And we prayed to God our and we stationed a guard on them by day and night because of them.

10 Then the people of [MTY] Judah started to say, “The men who are working [on the wall] are becoming very tired. There is a lot of [heavy] rubble that we must remove; we ourselves cannot finish the work.

And it said Judah it has failed [the] strength of the burden-bearer[s] and the debris [is] much and we not we will be able to rebuild the wall.

11 “Besides, our enemies are saying, ‘Before the Jews see us, we will swoop down on them and kill them and stop their work [on the wall]!’”

And they said opponents our not they will know and not they will see until that we will come into [the] midst of them and we will kill them and we will put an end to the work.

12 The Jews who were living near our enemies came and told us many times, “You should leave the city and go to other places, in order that your enemies will not attack you!”

And it was just when they came the Jews who were dwelling beside them and they said to us ten times from all the places which you will turn to us.

13 So I put guards at the places where the wall was not very high yet and at places where there were gaps in the wall. I put guards to protect each of their family groups. I gave the guards daggers, spears, and bows [and arrows].

And I stationed from [the] lower parts of the place from behind of the wall (in the open places *QK) and I stationed the people to clans with swords their spears their and bows their.

14 Then after I inspected everything, I summoned the leaders and [other] officials and [many of] the other people, and I said to them, “Do not be afraid of our enemies! Think about [what] Yahweh, who is great and glorious, [can do]! And fight to protect your friends, your families, and your homes!”

And I saw and I arose and I said to the nobles and to the officials and to [the] rest of the people may not you be afraid of them [the] Lord great and awesome remember and fight on brothers your sons your and daughters your wives your and houses your.

15 Our enemies heard that we knew what they were planning to do and that God had (spoiled their plans/prevented them from doing what they planned). [But we were sure that God would defend us, ] so we all started to work on the wall again.

And it was just when they heard enemies our that it was known to us and he had frustrated God purpose their (and we returned *Qk) all of us to the wall each one to work his.

16 But after that, only half of the men who were working for me worked on the wall. The others stood there on guard, holding their spears, shields, bows [and arrows], and [wearing their] coats made of metal plates. [To encourage the people] were building the wall, their leaders stood behind them.

And it was - from the day that half of young men my [were] doing the work and half of them [were] holding and the spears the shields and the bows and the body armor and the commanders [were] behind all [the] house of Judah.

17 Those who carried [baskets of supplies on their heads/shoulders] and those who built the wall did their work with one hand, and held a weapon with the other hand.

Who were rebuilding the wall and the [ones who] were carrying in burden [were] carrying [it] with [the] one hand his doing the work and one [hand] [was] holding the weapon.

18 All those who were building [the wall] had a dagger fastened to their side. The man who would blow the trumpet [if our enemies attacked] was standing at my side.

And the builders each one sword his [were] girded on hips his and [were] building and the [one who] gave a blast on the ram's horn [was] beside me.

19 Then I said to the officials, the other important men, and the other people, “This wall is very long, and we are far apart from each other along the wall.

And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to [the] rest of the people the work [is] much and extensive and we [are] separate on the wall distant each from brother his.

20 If you hear the man blowing the trumpet, gather around us at that place. [Remember that] our God will fight for us!”

In [the] place where you will hear [the] sound of the ram's horn there towards you will assemble to us God our he will fight for us.

21 So we continued to work. Half of the men continued to hold their spears all day, from when the sun rose [in the morning] until the stars appeared [at night].

And we [were] doing the work and half of them [were] keeping hold on spears from when came up the dawn until came out the stars.

22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Tell every worker and his helper that they must stay inside Jerusalem at night. By doing that, they can guard us at night, and they can work [on the wall] during the daytime.”

Also at the time that I said to the people each one and servant his let them spend [the] night in [the] midst of Jerusalem and they will be for us the night a guard and the day work.

23 During that time, none of us ever took off our clothes (OR, we wore our clothes all the time)—I and my relatives and my workers and the guards who were with me. And we had our weapons with us, in our hands.

And not I and brothers my and servants my and [the] men of the guard who [were] behind me not we [were] stripping off clothes our each one weapon his the water.