1
Now
when it was
reported to
Sanballat,
Tobiah, to
Geshem the
Arab and to the
rest of our
enemies that I had
rebuilt the
wall, and that
no breach remained in it,
although at that
time I had not
set up the
doors in the
gates,
~,v,g.l.W h'Yibw{j.w j;L;b.n;s.l [;m.vin r,v]a;k yih.y;w ? h'mw{x;h -t,a yityin'b yiK .Wnyeb.y{a r,t,y.l.W yib.r;['h ? ayih;h te['h -d;[ ~;G #,r'P H'B r;tw{n -a{l.w ? ~yir'[.V;b<08179)> yiT.d;m/[,h -a{l tw{t'l.D
2
then
Sanballat and
Geshem sent a message to me,
saying,
"Come, let us
meet together at
Chephirim in the
plain of
Ono." But they were
planning to
harm me.
h'd][\Win.w h'k.l r{mael y;lea ~,v,g.w j;L;b.n;s x;l.viY;w ? ~yib.v{x h'Meh.w w{nw{a t;[.qib.B ~yiryip.K;B w'D.x;y ? h'['r yil tw{f][;l
3
So I
sent messengers to them,
saying, "I am
doing a
great work and I
cannot * come down.
Why should the
work stop while I
leave it and
come down to you?"
h'ka'l.m r{mael ~yik'a.l;m ~,hyel][ h'x.l.v,a'w ? h'M'l t,d,r'l l;k.Wa a{l.w h,f{[ yin]a h'lw{d.g ? ~,kyel]a yiT.d;r'y.w 'h,P.r;a r,v]a;K h'ka'l.M;h t;B.vit
4
They
sent messages to me
four times in
this manner, and I
answered them in the
same way.
~yim'[.P [;B.r;a h,Z;h r'b'D;K y;lea .Wx.l.viY;w ? h,Z;h r'b'D;K ~'tw{a byiv'a'w
5
Then
Sanballat sent his
servant to me in the
same manner a
fifth time with an
open letter in his
hand.
tyivyim]x ~;[;P h,Z;h r'b'D;K j;L;b.n;s y;lea x;l.viY;w ? w{d'y.B h'x.Wt.P t,r,Gia.w w{r][;n -t,a
6
In it was
written, "It is
reported among the
nations, and
Gashmu says, that you and the
Jews are
planning to
rebel;
therefore * you are
rebuilding the
wall. And you are to be their
king, according to
these reports.
h'T;a rem{a .Wm.v;g.w ['m.vin ~Iyw{G;B H'B b.Wt'K ? h'T;a !eK -l;[ dw{r.mil ~yib.v{x ~yid.Wh.Y;h.w ? ~yir'b.D;K .$,l,m.l ~,h'l h,w{h h'T;a.w h'mw{x;h h,nw{b ? h,Lea'h
7
"You have
also appointed prophets to
proclaim in
Jerusalem concerning you, 'A
king is in
Judah!' And
now it will be
reported to the
king according to
these reports. So
come now, let us
take counsel together."
~i;l'v.Wryib '$y,l'[ a{r.qil 'T.d;m/[,h ~yiayib.n -m;g.w ? .$,l,M;l [;m'VIy h'T;[.w h'd.WhyiB .$,l,m r{mael ? w'D.x;y h'c][\Win.w h'k.l h'T;[.w h,Lea'h ~yir'b.D;K
8
Then I
sent a message to him
saying,
"Such things as you are
saying have not
been done, but you are
inventing them in your own
mind."
~yir'b.D;K h'y.hin a{l r{mael wy'lea h'x.l.v,a'w ? ]ma'dw{b h'T;a '$.BiLim yiK remw{a h'T;a r,v]a h,Lea'h
9
For
all of them were trying to
frighten us,
thinking, "They will
become * discouraged * with the
work and it will not be
done." But
now, O God,
strengthen my
hands.
.WP.rIy r{mael .Wn'tw{a ~yia.r'y.m ~'LUk yiK ? y'd'y -t,a qeZ;x h'T;[.w h,f'[et a{l.w h'ka'l.M;h -nim ~,hyed.y
10
When I
entered the
house of
Shemaiah the
son of
Delaiah,
son of
Mehetabel,
who was
confined at home, he
said, "Let us
meet together in the
house of
God,
within the
temple, and let us
close the
doors of the
temple, for they are
coming to
kill you, and they are
coming to
kill you at
night."
lea.b;jyeh.m -n,B h'y'l.D -n,b h'y.[;m.v tyeB yita'b -yin]a;w ? ~yih{l/a'h tyeB -l,a de[\Win r,ma{Y;w r.Wc'[ a.Wh.w ? l'kyeh;h tw{t.l;D h'r.G.sin.w l'kyeh;h .$w{T -l,a ? '$,g.r'h.l ~yia'B h'l.y;l.w '$,g.r'h.l ~yia'B yiK
11
But I
said, "Should a
man like me
flee? And could one
such as I
go into the
temple to
save his
life? I will not
go in."
yinw{m'k yim.W x'r.bIy yinw{m'K vyia;h h'r.m{a'w ? aw{b'a a{l y'x'w l'kyeh;h -l,a aw{b'y -r,v]a
12
Then I
perceived that
surely God had not
sent him, but he
uttered his
prophecy against me because
Tobiah and
Sanballat had
hired him.
h'a.Wb.N;h yiK w{x'l.v ~yih{l/a -a{l heNih.w h'ryiK;a'w ? w{r'k.f j;L;b.n;s.w h'Yibw{j.w y;l'[ r,BiD
13
He was
hired for
this reason, that I might
become frightened and
act accordingly and
sin, so that they might
have an
evil report in
order that they could
reproach me.
!eK -h,f/[,a.w a'ryia -n;[;m.l a.Wh r.Wk'f !;[;m.l ? yin.Wp.r'x.y !;[;m.l ['r ~ev.l ~,h'l h'y'h.w yita'j'x.w
14
Remember, O my
God,
Tobiah and
Sanballat according to
these works of theirs, and
also Noadiah the
prophetess and the
rest of the
prophets who were trying to
frighten me.
wy'f][;m.K j;L;b.n;s.l.W h'Yibw{j.l y;h{l/a h'r.k'z ? ~yiayib.N;h r,t,y.l.W h'ayib.N;h h'y.d;[w{n.l ~;g.w h,Lea ? yitw{a ~yia.r'y.m .Wy'h r,v]a
15
So the
wall was
completed on the
twenty-fifth * of the month
Elul, in
fifty-two days.
l.Wl/a,l h'Vim]x;w ~yir.f,[.B h'mw{x;h ~;l.viT;w ? ~w{y ~Iy;n.v.W ~yiVim]x;l
16
When all our
enemies heard of it, and
all the
nations surrounding us
saw it, they
lost their
confidence; for they
recognized that
this work had been
accomplished with the
help * of our
God.
.Wa.riY;w .Wnyeb.yw{a -l'K .W[.m'v r,v]a;K yih.y;w ? d{a.m .Wl.PiY;w .Wnyet{byib.s r,v]a ~Iyw{G;h -l'K ? h't.f,[,n .Wnyeh{l/a teaem yiK .W[.deY;w ~,hyenye[.B ? ta{Z;h h'ka'l.M;h
17
Also in
those days many letters went from the
nobles of
Judah to
Tobiah, and
Tobiah's letters
came to them.
~,hyet{r.Gia h'd.Wh.y yer{x ~yiB.r;m ~eh'h ~yim'Y;B ~;G ? tw{a'B h'Yibw{j.l r,v]a;w h'Yibw{j -l;[ tw{k.lw{h ? ~,hyel]a
18
For
many in
Judah were
bound by
oath to him
because he was the
son-in-law of
Shecaniah the
son of
Arah, and his
son Jehohanan had
married the
daughter of
Meshullam the
son of
Berechiah.
!'t'x -yiK w{l h'[.Wb.v yel][;B h'd.WhyiB ~yiB;r -yiK ? w{n.B !'n'xw{hyiw x;r'a -n,b h'y.n;k.vil a.Wh ? h'y.k,r,B !,B ~'LUv.m -t;B -t,a x;q'l
19
Moreover, they were
speaking about his
good deeds in my
presence and
reported my
words to him. Then
Tobiah sent letters to
frighten me.
y;r'b.d.W y;n'p.l ~yir.m{a .Wy'h wy't{bw{j ~;G ? h'Yibw{j x;l'v tw{r.Gia w{l ~yiayicw{m .Wy'h ? yinea.r'y.l