Nehemiah 4; Nehemiah 5; Nehemiah 6; Acts 2:22-47

1 When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he became angry and raged. He mocked the Jews,

2 saying in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria: "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the piles of rubble, even though they are burned?"

3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, added: "If even a fox climbs on whatever they build, their wall of stones will crumble."

4 Listen, God; we are despised! Turn their insults to us back on their heads and make them like plunder in a captive land.

5 Don't forgive their iniquity or blot out their sins from your sight. They have thrown insults at the builders!

6 We continued to build the wall. All of it was joined together, and it reached half of its intended height because the people were eager to work.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the work on the walls was progressing and the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.

8 They plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it.

9 So we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and night.

10 But in Judah it was said, "The carrier's strength is failing, for there is too much rubble. We are unable to rebuild the wall!"

11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying: "Before they know or see anything, we can be in their midst and start to kill them. We'll stop the work!"

12 Now the Jews who were living near them came and said to us again and again,"You must return to us!"

13 So I took up a position in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall in an open area. Then I stationed the people by families, and they had their swords, spears, and bows.

14 After reviewing this, I stood up and said to the officials, the officers, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them! Remember that the LORD is great and awesome! Fight for your families, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses!"

15 Then our enemies heard that we had found out and that God had spoiled their plans. So we all returned to doing our own work on the wall.

16 But from that day on, only half of my workers continued in the construction, while the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Meanwhile, the leaders positioned themselves behind the whole house of Judah,

17 who were building the wall. The carriers did their work with a load in one hand and a weapon in the other.

18 The builders built with swords fastened in their belts, and the trumpeter stayed by my side.

19 Then I said to the officials, the officers, and the rest of the people, "The work is very spread out, and we are far apart from each other along the wall.

20 When you hear the trumpet sound, come and gather where we are. Our God will fight for us!"

21 So we continued the work, with half of them holding spears from dawn until dusk.

22 I also said to the people at that time, "Let every man and his servant spend the night in Jerusalem so that we can guard during the night and work during the day."

23 Neither I nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor my bodyguards took off our clothes, even when they sent for water.

1 Then there was a great protest of the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.

2 Some said, "With our sons and daughters we are many, and we all need grain to eat and stay alive."

3 Others said, "We have to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our houses in order to get grain during the famine."

4 Still others said, "We have had to borrow money against our fields and vineyards in order to pay the king's tax."

5 "We are of the same flesh and blood as our kin, and our children are the same as theirs. Yet we are just about to force our sons and daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters are already slaves! There is nothing we can do since our fields and vineyards now belong to others."

6 I was very angry when I heard their protest and these complaints.

7 After thinking it over, I brought charges against the officials and the officers. I told them, "You are all taking interest from your own people!" I also called for a large assembly in order to deal with them.

8 "To the best of our ability," I said to them, "we have bought back our Jewish kin who had been sold to other nations. But now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us!" At this they were silent, unable to offer a response.

9 So I continued, "What you are doing isn't good! Why don't you walk in the fear of our God? This will prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies!

10 I myself, along with my family and my servants, am lending them money and grain. But let's stop charging this interest!

11 Give it back to them, right now. Return their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses. And give back the interest on money, grain, wine, and oil that you are charging them."

12 They replied, "We'll return everything, and we won't charge anything else. We'll do what you've asked." So I called the priests and made them swear to do what they had promised.

13 I also shook out the fold of my robe, saying, "So may God shake out everyone from their house and property if they don't keep this promise. So may they be shaken out and emptied!" The whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

14 In addition, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah (that is, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes for a total of twelve years), neither I nor my family ate from the governor's food allowance.

15 The earlier governors who had come before me laid heavy burdens on the people. They took food and wine from them as well as forty shekels of silver. Even their servants oppressed the people. But because I was God-fearing, I didn't behave in this way.

16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. We acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

17 One hundred fifty Jews and officials, along with those who came to us from the surrounding nations, gathered around my table.

18 One ox, six choice sheep, and birds were prepared each day. Every ten days there was a large amount of wine. Yet even with this I didn't ask for the governor's food allowance because of the heavy burden the people had to carry.

19 Remember in my favor, my God, all that I've done for this people!

1 Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no gaps left in it (although I hadn't yet hung the doors in the gates),

2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let's meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they wanted to harm me,

3 so I sent messengers to tell them, "I'm doing important work, so I can't come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?"

4 They sent me a message like this four times, and every time I gave them a similar reply.

5 But the fifth time, Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way, except that now he carried an open letter.

6 It stated: It is reported among the nations and confirmed by Geshem that you and the Jews intend to rebel. This is why you are rebuilding the wall. According to these reports, you intend to become their king.

7 You have also appointed prophets to make this announcement about you in Jerusalem: There is a king in Judah! Now, the king will hear of these reports, so come; let's talk together.

8 So I sent him this reply: "Nothing that you say has happened. You are simply inventing this."

9 All of them were trying to make us afraid, saying, "They will be discouraged, and the work won't get finished." But now, God, strengthen me!

10 Later I went to see Shemaiah, Delaiah's son and Mehetabel's grandson, who was confined to his house, and he said: "Let's meet together in God's house, inside the temple itself. Let's shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; they are coming to kill you tonight!"

11 But I replied, "Should someone like me run away? Who like me would go into the temple to save his life? I won't go in!"

12 Then I realized that God hadn't sent him at all but that he spoke this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 He was hired to frighten me and to make me sin by acting in this way. Then they could give me a bad name and discredit me.

14 My God, remember these deeds of Tobiah and Sanballat! Also remember Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to frighten me.

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. It took fifty-two days.

16 When our enemies heard about this, all of the nations around us were afraid and their confidence was greatly shaken. They knew that this work was completed with the help of our God.

17 In addition, in those days the officials of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters were coming to them.

18 Many in Judah were bound to him by solemn pledge because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, Arah's son, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, Berechiah's son.

19 They also kept talking about his good deeds in my presence and then reported back to him what I said. In addition, Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.

23 In accordance with God's established plan and foreknowledge, he was betrayed. You, with the help of wicked men, had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross.

24 God raised him up! God freed him from death's dreadful grip, since it was impossible for death to hang on to him.

25 David says about him, I foresaw that the Lord was always with me; because he is at my right hand I won't be shaken.

26 Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my body will live in hope,

27 because you won't abandon me to the grave, nor permit your holy one to experience decay.

28 You have shown me the paths of life; your presence will fill me with happiness.

29 “Brothers and sisters, I can speak confidently about the patriarch David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this very day.

30 Because he was a prophet, he knew that God promised him with a solemn pledge to seat one of his descendants on his throne.

31 Having seen this beforehand, David spoke about the resurrection of Christ, that he wasn't abandoned to the grave, nor did his body experience decay.

32 This Jesus, God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact.

33 He was exalted to God's right side and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit, and you are seeing and hearing the results of his having done so.

34 David didn't ascend into heaven. Yet he says, The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side,

35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'

36 "Therefore, let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37 When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites."

40 With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

41 Those who accepted Peter's message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day.

42 The believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.

43 A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.

44 All the believers were united and shared everything.

45 They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them.

46 Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity.

47 They praised God and demonstrated God's goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.