trenches.

And when I had looked, I arose, and said unto the counsellors, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Fear them not. Remember the great and terrible LORD, and fight for your brethren, and for your sons, and for your daughters, and for your wives, and for your houses.

And when our enemies heard that it was made known unto us, God destroyed their counsel.
And we returned every man to the wall, every man to his work.

And it came to pass again, that half of the young men did the work, and half of them held spears, and shields, and bows, and armour: and the princes stood behind all the house of Judah,

Who built the wall, and bare the burden of them that laid it upon them: with one hand they did the work, and with the other they held the weapons.

And every one that builded had his sword upon his own. Sword girded on his And he that blew with the trumpet was beside me.
19: And I said unto the rulers, and to the princes, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and wide, and we are scattered abroad upon the wall, far from one another.

Now in what place ye hear the trumpet sound, thither gather yourselves unto us. Our God will fight for us;

So let us work at the work. And her half held the spears from the rising of the dawn, until the stars came forth.

And I said in those days unto the people, Let every man and his child dwell in Jerusalem by night, that we may keep the watch by night, and the work by day.

But I, and my brethren, and my lads, and the men of the guard behind me, did not put off our garments; we left bathing every man.
(Nehemiah)
Chapter 5
Nehemiah dismisses the complaints of the people.

And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

And there were some that said: Our sons and our daughters are many; let us take corn, and eat that we may live.

But some said: Let us move our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, and let us take grain in the harvest.

And some said: Let us lend money at interest unto the king upon our fields and upon our vineyards.

For the body of our brethren is as our body, and their children as our children: otherwise we would subject our sons and our daughters to service, and some of our daughters are already subject, and there is no wealth in our hands; neither would our fields and our vineyards be subject to another.

And when I heard their crying and their words, I was very wroth.

And my heart was in counsel with me, and I rebuked the counsellors and the rulers, and said unto them: Will ye practice usury one upon another? And I brought a great congregation against them.

And said unto them: We have bought our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the Gentiles, according to our ability: and will ye also sell your brethren, whom we have bought unto us? Then they held their peace, and found nothing to answer.

And I said, It is not good that ye do this. Shall ye not walk in the fear of God for the reproach of the heathen our enemies?

I also, and my brethren, and my young men, have given them money, and corn: but we have abated usury.

Restore therefore this day unto them their fields, and their vineyards, and their oliveyards, and their houses, and the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, and of the wine, and of the oil, which ye have multiplied of them.

And they said: We will give it again, and will require nothing of them, and will do as thou
hast said. And I called unto the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do so.

And I shook out my bosom, and said, So let God shake out every man from his house, and from his work, who hath not kept this word, that he may be shaken out, and be empty. And all the congregation said, Amen; and they praised the LORD. And the people did so.

And from the time that I was commanded to be a governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the thirty and second year of Arthahsaxerxes the king, even twelve years, I nourished not myself nor my brethren with the food of the governors.

For the former governors that were before me had afflicted the people, and taken of them bread, and wine, and forty shekels of silver; and their young men had taken the people by force. But I did no such thing for the fear of God.

Neither did I work upon the wall, nor buy any field: and all my lads had to come there to the work in abundance.

And there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, which came unto me out of the heathen that are round about us.

And they made me one bullock that day, and six chosen. And sheep, and fowls, and all manner of wine for ten days in the midst thereof. And I asked not yet the fare of the governors: for the service was heavy upon the people.

Remember me, O my God, for the best of all that I have done to this people.
(Nehemiah)
Chapter 6
Nehemiah, by his prudence, drives back the hindrances at work.

And it came to pass, when Saneballat, and Tobiah, and Gosem the Arabian, and other of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no more breach in it, though I had not at that time hanged the doors within the gates,

And sent Saneballat and Gosem unto me, saying, Come, and let us meet together in the villages, in the plains of Ono. But they thought to do me evil.

And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I have a great work to do, and cannot come down: let the work remain, when I shall put away my hand, and come down unto you.

And they sent unto me four times in this manner, and I answered them in this manner.

And Saneballat sent unto me his lad the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.

In it was written: It is come before the Gentiles, and Gosem hath spoken it, that thou and the Jews intend to fall away, wherefore thou buildest the wall, and wilt be their king in these things;

And thou hast appointed thee prophets, which shall cry out of thee in Jerusalem, saying, He is the king of Judah. Now these things shall come before the king. Now therefore come, and let us reason together.

And I sent unto him, saying, These things which thou sayest have not come to pass; thou hast devised them out of thine own heart.

For they all sought to make us fearful, and thought: Let them put away their hands from business, that they work not. But I strengthened my hand the more.

And I came into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabeel; and he shut himself up, and said, Let us come together in the house of GOD in the midst of the temple, and shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee, and will come by night to slay thee.

And I said, Shall such a man flee? Shall such a man as I be go into the temple, that he may live? I will not go in.

For I perceived that God had not sent him. For he prophesied against me, but Tobiah and Saneballat had given him money.

Therefore he took money, that I might be afraid, and do so, and sin, that they might cry evil, and blaspheme me.

Remember, O my God, Tobiah, and Saneballat, according to these his works; and also Noadiah the prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, which have sought to dissuade me.

And the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two
days.

And when all our enemies heard it, all the heathen that were round about us were afraid, and their courage failed them: for they perceived that this work was of GOD.

Also in those days were many of the princes of Judah, whose letters went to Tobiah, and from Tobiah to them.

For there were many in Judah that were sworn unto him: for he was the brother in law of Zechaniah the son of Arah; and Johanan his son had the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

And they spake good of him before me, and uttered my words unto him. So Tobiah sent letters to dissuade me.
(Nehemiah)
Chapter 7
Guardians of the city. Number and gifts of the people.

And when we had built the wall, I set up the doors, and appointed the porters, and the singers, and the Levites.

And I commanded Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the palace governor of Jerusalem, (for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many others.)

And said unto them: They shall not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun be hot: and when they work yet, they shall shut the doors, and: lock them. And there were appointed watchmen of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every man for his watch, and for his house.

And the city was large and spacious, but the people were few therein, and the houses were not built.

And my God put it into my heart, that I should gather together the counsellors, and the rulers, and the people,