the governors that are beyond the river, that they may convey me over, until I come into Judah, 8. And letters unto Assaph the king’s lumberman, that he would give me wood for the beams of the gates of the palace, which are in the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house where I should go in. And the king gave me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

And when I was come to the governors beyond the river, I gave them the king’s letters. And the king sent with me the captains and the horsemen.

And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant of the Ammonites, heard it, it grieved them exceedingly that a man should come seeking good for the children of Israel.

And when I was come to Jerusalem, and had been there three days, 12. I rose up by night, and few men with me: for I told no man what my God had inspired me to do in Jerusalem: and there was no beast with me, except I rode.

And I went out by night unto the valley gate, before the dragon’s fountain, and unto the dung gate: and I was grieved, because the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the gates were consumed with fire.

And I went over to the well gate, and to the king’s pool; and there was not room for my beast to go under me.

And I went up the brook by night, and was sorry to see the walls so: and I turned again, and came home to the valley gate.

And the rulers knew not where I went, or what I did: for I had told nothing therefore unto the Jews, and to the priests, and to the counsellors, and to the rulers, and to the rest that wrought in the work.

And he said unto them: Ye see the evil wherein we are, that Jerusalem lieth desolate, and her gates are burned with fire: come, let us build the walls of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

And I told them the hand of my God, which was good upon me, and the words of the king, which he spake unto me. And they said, Let us therefore be up. And we built, and their hands were strengthened for good.

And when Saneballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Goshem the Arabian, heard it, they mocked us, and despised us, and said: What is this that ye do? Will ye again fall away from the king?

And I answered them, and said, The LORD from heaven will prosper us: for we his servants have risen up and builded; but ye have no part, nor right, nor remembrance in Jerusalem.
(Nehemiah)
Chapter 3
The construction of. Jerusalem goes on.

And Eliasib the high priest arose with his brethren the priests, and built the sheep gate, and sanctified it, and put in the doors thereof, and sanctified it unto the tower of Mea, even unto the tower of Hananeel.

And the men of Jericho built by him; and Shakhur the son of Imri built by him.

But the fish gate the children of Senaah built; they covered it, and put in the doors thereof, locks and bars.

And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakoz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baenah.

Next unto them built those of Thekoa, but their mighty ones brought not their necks to the service of their lords.

And the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Passover, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; and they covered it, and put in the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

And next unto them Melatiah of Gibeon, and Jadon of Merono, men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, built at the seat of the governor on this side the river.

And next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah the goldsmith. And next unto him repaired Hananiah the son of the apothecaries: and they repaired Jerusalem unto the broad wall.

And next unto him repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half quarter of Jerusalem.

And next unto him repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattus the son of Hazabeniah.

And Malchiah the son of Harim, and Hassub the son of Pahathmoab, built two pieces, and the tower by the furnace.

And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Haloheh, the ruler of the half quarter of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

And Hanun and the men of Sanoah built the valley gate, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits of the wall unto the dung gate.

And the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the chief of the four of the husbandmen; and he built it, and put in the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

And Shallum the son of Chal-hoze, the ruler of the four parts of Mizpah, built the gate of the well, and covered it, and put in the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Seloah by the king’s garden, unto the steps that go down from the city of David.

And after him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half quarter of Bethzur, unto the sepulchres of David, and unto the pool of Azuiah, and unto the house of the mighty.

And after him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani; and next unto him repaired Hashabiah the ruler of the half quarter of Keilah in his quarter.

After him repaired their brethren Bavai the son of Henadad, the chief of the half quarter of
Keilah.

And next unto him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, built two pieces on the side toward the house of armour.

And after him in the mount repaired custom the son of Sabbath two pieces from the corner unto the door of Eliasib the high priest.

After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakoz, built two pieces from the door of Eliasib’s house unto the end of Eliasib’s house.

After him built the priests, the men of the regions.

After whom Benjamin built his house over against their house. And after him Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, built over against his house.

And after him repaired Benui the son of Henadad two pieces of the house of Azariah unto the corner, and unto the corner;

Palal the son of Uzai, over against the corner, and against the high tower that looketh out from the king’s house, by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Pareo.

And the Nethinims dwelt at Ophel unto the water gate eastward, where the tower looked out.

And after that the men of Thekoa built two pieces over against the great tower that standeth out, and unto the wall of Ophel.

And from the horse gate the priests built, every man against his own house.

After him repaired Zadok the son of Immer toward his house. And after him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah the porter against the morning.

After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the son of Zalaph, the sixth, two pieces. And after him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah against his coffer.

And after him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the house of the Nethinims and the merchants, toward the gate of the council, and unto the hall of the corner.

And between the hall at the corner of the shaft gate built the goldsmiths and the merchants.
(Nehemiah)
Chapter 4
Construction continues even under the obstacles.

And when Sanballat heard that we built the walls, he was wroth, and very wroth: and he mocked the Jews.

And said before his brethren and the mighty men of Samaria, What do the fainting Jews? Will they be left thus? Will they sacrifice? Will they complete it one day? Will they make alive the stones that are heaps of dust and burned?

And Tobiah the Ammonite said by him, Let them build. If foxes came up, they would break down their stone wall.

Hear, O our God, how despised we are! Bring their shame upon their heads, that thou mayest bring them into contempt in the land of their prison!

Cover not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from before thee: for they have provoked the builders.

But we built the walls, and joined them together unto the half of the height. And the people gained a heart to work.

And when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were shut up, and that they had begun to make an atonement for the breaches, they were very wroth.

And they made a league of them all together, to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to err therein.

And we prayed unto our God, and set our guard against them day and night.

And Judah said, The strength of the beams is too weak, and the dust is too much; we cannot build upon the wall.

And our adversaries thought: They shall not know, nor see, till we come into the midst of them, and choke them, and hinder the work.

And the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us ten times, out of all the places where they dwelt about us,

And I set the people by their families, with their swords, and with their spears, and with their bows, in the lower places behind the wall, in the