Nehemiah 6:13

13 He had been hired to scare me off - trick me - a layman, into desecrating The Temple and ruining my good reputation so they could accuse me.

Nehemiah 6:13 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 6:13

Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so,
and sin
By distrusting the power and providence of God to protect him, and by going into such a part of the temple, which he, being no priest, had no right to go into:

and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might
reproach me;
as a rebel and traitor against the king, which had been reported of him, and which would be strengthened by such a step.

Nehemiah 6:13 In-Context

11 I said, "Why would a man like me run for cover? And why would a man like me use The Temple as a hideout? I won't do it."
12 I sensed that God hadn't sent this man. The so-called prophecy he spoke to me was the work of Tobiah and Sanballat; they had hired him.
13 He had been hired to scare me off - trick me - a layman, into desecrating The Temple and ruining my good reputation so they could accuse me.
14 "O my God, don't let Tobiah and Sanballat get by with all the mischief they've done. And the same goes for the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to undermine my confidence."
15 The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. It had taken fifty-two days.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.