1And it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, that he was incensed and greatly provoked, and he mocked the Jews.2And he said before his brothers and the army of Samaria, "What are the weak Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of dust, though they are burned?"3And Tobijah the Meunite was beside him, and he said, "Also what they are building—if a fox goes up, he will break through their stone wall."4Hear, O our God, for we have become a contempt, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for plunder in a land of captivity.5And do not cover their iniquity, and let not their sin be wiped away from before your face; for they have provoked the builders.6So we built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height, and the people had a heart to work.7And it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobijah and the Arabians and the Meunites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem had gone up, for the breaches had begun to be closed, that they were very incensed.8And they all conspired together to come to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion to it.9But we prayed to our God, and we set a guard over them day and night because of them.10And Judah said, "The strength of the burden-bearers has failed, and there is much rubble, and we are not able to build the wall."11And our enemies said, "They will not know and they will not see until we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease."12And it came to pass, when the Jews who dwelt beside them came, that they said to us ten times from all the places, "You must return to us."13So I stationed them from the lowest parts of the place behind the wall on the bare heights; and I stationed the people by families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.14And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, the great and the awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."15And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their counsel, that we all returned to the wall, each one to his work.16And it came to pass from that day onward that half of my servants were doing the work, while half of them were holding the spears, the shields, the bows, and the armor; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.17Those who were building the wall and those who were carrying burdens loaded with one hand did the work, while the other hand held a weapon.18And each of the builders had his sword bound upon his side while he built, and the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.19And I said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated upon the wall, far from one another."20In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there to us; our God will fight for us.21So we were doing the work, while half of them were holding the spears from the rising of the dawn until the stars came out.22Also at that time I said to the people, "Let each man and his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may do the work by day."23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who were behind me took off our clothes; each one kept his weapon at the water.