1
Now it
came about that
when Sanballat heard that we were
rebuilding the
wall, he
became furious and
very angry and
mocked the
Jews.
~yinw{b .Wn.x;n]a -yiK j;L;b.n;s [;m'v r,v]a;K yih.y;w ? ge[.l;Y;w heB.r;h s;[.kiY;w w{l r;xiY;w h'mw{x;h -t,a ? ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l;[
2
He
spoke in the
presence of his
brothers and the
wealthy men of
Samaria and
said,
"What are these
feeble Jews doing? Are they going to
restore it for themselves? Can they
offer sacrifices? Can they
finish in a
day? Can they
revive the
stones from the
dusty rubble even the
burned ones?"
r,ma{Y;w !w{r.m{v lyex.w wy'x,a yen.pil r,ma{Y;w ? .Wb.z;[;y]h ~yif{[ ~yil'lem]a'h ~yid.Wh.Y;h h'm ? ~yin'b]a'h -t,a .WY;x.y;h ~w{Y;b .WL;k.y;h .Wx'B.zIy]h ~,h'l ? tw{p.Wr.f h'Meh.w r'p'[,h tw{mer][em
3
Now
Tobiah the
Ammonite was
near him and he
said,
"Even what they are
building -if a
fox should
jump on it, he would
break their
stone wall down!"
~eh -r,v]a ~;G r,ma{Y;w w{l.c,a yin{M;['h h'Yibw{j.w ? ~,hyen.b;a t;mw{x #;r'p.W l'[.Wv h,l][;y -mia ~yinw{B
4
Hear, O our
God,
how we are
despised!
Return their
reproach on their own
heads and
give them up for
plunder in a
land of
captivity.
bev'h.w h'z.Wb .WnyIy'h -yiK .Wnyeh{l/a [;m.v ? h'y.biv #,r,a.B h'Zib.l ~en.t.W ~'va{r -l,a ~'t'P.r,x
5
Do not
forgive their
iniquity and let not their
sin be
blotted out
before * You, for they have
demoralized * the
builders.
'$y,n'p.Lim ~'ta'J;x.w ~'n{w][ -l;[ s;k.T -l;a.w ? ~yinw{B;h d,g,n.l .Wsyi[.kih yiK h,x'MiT -l;a
6
So we
built the
wall and the
whole wall was
joined together to
half its height, for the
people had a
mind to
work.
h'mw{x;h -l'K rev'QiT;w h'mw{x;h -t,a h,n.biN;w ? tw{f][;l ~'['l bel yih.y;w H'y.c,x -d;[
7
Now
when Sanballat,
Tobiah, the
Arabs, the
Ammonites and the
Ashdodites heard that the
repair of the
walls of
Jerusalem went on, and that the
breaches began to be
closed, they were
very angry.
~yib.r;['h.w h'Yibw{j.w j;L;b.n;s [;m'v r,v]a;k yih.y;w ? h'k.Wr]a h't.l'[ -yiK ~yidw{D.v;a'h.w ~yin{M;['h.w ? ~et'Sih.l ~yicUr.P;h .WLexeh -yiK ~i;l'v.Wr.y tw{m{x.l ? d{a.m ~,h'l r;xiY;w
8
All of them
conspired together to
come and
fight against
Jerusalem and to
cause a
disturbance in it.
~i'l'v.WryiB ~ex'Lih.l aw{b'l w'D.x;y ~'LUk .Wr.v.qiY;w ? h'[w{T w{l tw{f][;l.w
9
But we
prayed to our
God, and
because of them we
set up a
guard against them
day and
night.
~,hyel][ r'm.vim dyim][;N;w .Wnyeh{l/a -l,a leL;P.tiN;w ? ~,hyen.Pim h'l.y;l'w ~'mw{y
10
Thus in
Judah it was
said, "The
strength of the
burden bearers is
failing, Yet there is
much rubbish; And we
ourselves are
unable * To
rebuild the
wall."
heB.r;h r'p'[,h.w l'B;S;h ;x{K l;v'K h'd.Wh.y r,ma{Y;w ? h'mw{x;B tw{n.bil l;k.Wn a{l .Wn.x;n]a;w
11
Our
enemies said, "They will not
know or
see until * we
come among * them,
kill them and
put a
stop to the
work."
d;[ .Wa.rIy a{l.w .W[.dey a{l .Wnyer'c .Wr.ma{Y;w ? .Wn.t;B.vih.w ~.Wn.g;r]h;w ~'kw{T -l,a aw{b'n -r,v]a ? h'ka'l.M;h -t,a
12
When the
Jews who
lived near them
came and
told us
ten times, "They will come up
against us from
every place where you may
turn,"
~'l.c,a ~yib.v{Y;h ~yid.Wh.Y;h .Wa'B -r,v]a;K yih.y;w ? tw{m{q.M;h -l'Kim ~yim'[.P r,f,[ .Wn'l .Wr.ma{Y;w ? .Wnyel'[ .Wb.Wv'T -r,v]a
13
then I
stationed men in the
lowest parts of the
space behind the
wall, the
exposed places, and I
stationed the
people in
families with their
swords,
spears and
bows.
h'mw{x;l yer]x;aem ~w{q'M;l tw{YiT.x;Tim dyim][;a'w ? tw{x'P.vim.l ~'['h -t,a dyim][;a'w ~yiYixix.C;B ? ~,hyet{t.V;q.w ~,hyex.m'r ~,hyet{b.r;x -mi[
14
When I
saw their fear, I
rose and
spoke to the
nobles, the
officials and the
rest of the
people: "Do not be
afraid of them;
remember the
Lord who is
great and
awesome, and
fight for your
brothers, your
sons, your
daughters, your
wives and your
houses."
~yin'g.S;h -l,a.w ~yir{x;h -l,a r;m{a'w ~.Wq'a'w a,rea'w ? y'n{d]a -t,a ~,hyen.Pim .Wa.ryiT -l;a ~'['h r,t,y -l,a.w ? ~,kyex]a -l;[ .Wm]x'Lih.w .Wr{k.z a'rw{N;h.w lw{d'G;h ? ~,kyeT'b.W ~,kyev.n ~,kyet{n.b.W ~,kyen.B
15
When our
enemies heard that it was
known to us, and that
God had
frustrated their
plan, then
all of us
returned to the
wall,
each one to his
work.
][;dw{n -yiK .Wnyeb.yw{a .W[.m'v -r,v]a;K yih.y;w ? b.Wv'N;w ~'t'c][ -t,a ~yih{l/a'h r,p'Y;w .Wn'l ? w{T.ka;l.m -l,a vyia h'mw{x;h -l,a .Wn'LUK
16
From that
day on,
half of my
servants carried on the
work while
half of them
held the
spears, the
shields, the
bows and the
breastplates; and the
captains were
behind the
whole house of
Judah.
~yif{[ y;r'[.n yic]x a.Wh;h ~w{Y;h -nim yih.y;w ? ~yiNig'M;h ~yix'm.r'h.w ~yiqyiz]x;m ~'y.c,x.w h'ka'l.M;B ? tyeB -l'K yer]x;a ~yir'F;h.w ~yin{y.riV;h.w tw{t'v.Q;h.w ? h'd.Wh.y
17
Those who were
rebuilding the
wall and those who
carried burdens took their
load with
one hand doing the
work and the
other holding a
weapon.
~yif.m{[ l,b,S;B ~yia.f{N;h.w h'mw{x;B ~yinw{B;h ? t,q,z]x;m t;x;a.w h'ka'l.M;b h,f{[ w{d'y t;x;a.B ? x;l'V;h
18
As for the
builders,
each wore his
sword girded at his
side as he
built, while the
trumpeter * stood
near me.
wy'n.t'm -l;[ ~yir.Ws]a w{B.r;x vyia ~yinw{B;h.w ? yil.c,a r'pw{V;B ;[eqw{T;h.w ~yinw{b.W
19
I
said to the
nobles, the
officials and the
rest of the
people, "The
work is
great and
extensive, and we are
separated on the
wall far from
one another.
r,t,y -l,a.w ~yin'g.S;h -l,a.w ~yir{x;h -l,a r;m{a'w ? ~yid'r.pin .Wn.x;n]a;w h'b'x.r.W heB.r;h h'ka'l.M;h ~'['h ? wyix'aem vyia ~yiqw{x.r h'mw{x;h -l;[
20
"At
whatever place you
hear the
sound of the
trumpet,
rally to us
there. Our
God will
fight for us."
h'M'v r'pw{V;h lw{q -t,a .W[.m.viT r,v]a ~w{q.miB ? .Wn'l ~,x'LIy .Wnyeh{l/a .Wnyelea .Wc.b'QiT
21
So we
carried on the
work with
half of them
holding spears from
dawn * until the
stars appeared.
~yiqyiz]x;m ~'y.c,x.w h'ka'l.M;B ~yif{[ .Wn.x;n]a;w ? ~yib'kw{K;h taec d;[ r;x;V;h tw{l][em ~yix'm.r'B
22
At that
time I
also said to the
people, "Let
each man with his
servant spend the
night within Jerusalem so that they may be a
guard for us by
night and a
laborer by
day."
w{r][;n.w vyia ~'['l yiT.r;m'a ayih;h te['B ~;G ? h'l.y;L;h .Wn'l -.Wy'h.w ~i'l'v.Wr.y .$w{t.B .Wnyil'y ? h'ka'l.m ~w{Y;h.w r'm.vim
23
So
neither I, my
brothers, my
servants,
nor the
men of the
guard who followed me,
none of us
removed our
clothes,
each took his
weapon even to the
water.
r'm.viM;h yev.n;a.w y;r'[.n.W y;x;a.w yin]a !yea.w ? .Wnyed'g.B ~yij.v{p .Wn.x;n]a -nyea y;r]x;a r,v]a ? ~Iy'M;h w{x.liv vyia