1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he flew into a rage and was furious, and he ridiculed the Jews.
2 In front of his associates and the army of Samaria he said, "What are these pathetic Jews up to? Will they restore their wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish it in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of burned rubble?"
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, standing beside him, said, "Whatever they are building, if a fox climbed up on it, it would knock their stone wall down!"
4 Listen, our God, for we are scorned. Bring their insults back on their own heads, and hand them over to be plundered in a land where they are captives.
5 Do not cover over their guilt, and do not wipe their sin from your sight, for they have provoked you in front of the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall until the whole of it was joined together to half its height, because the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the repair of Jerusalem's walls was moving ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious.
8 All of them plotted together to come and attack Jerusalem and throw it into confusion.
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to protect ourselves from them.
10 Meanwhile the people of Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."
11 And our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right among them, and we will kill them and put an end to the work."
12 The Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "From every place where you turn, they will be upon us."
13 So I posted people in the lowest places behind the wall, in the open places, stationing 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, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and fearsome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives, and your homes."
15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plot and that God had foiled it, all of us went back to the wall, each to his own work.
16 From that day on, half my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and body armor. The officers stood behind all the people of Judah
17 who were building the wall. Those who carried loads did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other.
18 Each of the builders worked with his sword fastened at his side, and the trumpeter stayed beside me.
19 I told the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "The work is large and spread out, and we are scattered along the wall, far apart from one another.
20 Wherever you hear the trumpet sound, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!"
21 So we kept at the work, with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn until the stars came out.
22 At that time I also told the people, "Every man and his servant should spend the night inside Jerusalem, so they can serve as guards by night and workers by day."
23 Neither I, my brothers, my men, nor the guards with me ever took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at hand, even for water.