The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
King James Version KJV
1 But when Sanvalat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious. Greatly enraged, he ridiculed the Judeans;
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But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2 before his kinsmen and the army of Shomron he said, "What are these pathetic Judeans doing? Are they going to rebuild anything they want? Are they going to sacrifice? Are they going to finish today? Are they going to recover useful stones from the piles of rubble, burned rubble at that?"
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And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
3 Toviyah the 'Amoni was with him, and he said, "Whatever they're building, why, if even a fox went up it, he'd knock their stone wall down!"
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Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
4 Our God, listen! We are being treated with contempt. Turn back their jeers on their own heads; give them over to be plundered in a land of exile.
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Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:
5 Don't cover their guilt, don't let their sin be wiped out from before you; because they have insulted the builders to their face.
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And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
6 So we kept building the wall, which was soon joined together and completed to half its height all the way around; because the people worked with a will.
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So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
7 But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the 'Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry.
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But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8 All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion.
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And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night.
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Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall."
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And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
11 Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work."
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And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
12 And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us."
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And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
13 So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows.
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Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes."
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And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
15 When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
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And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
16 From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah,
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And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other.
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They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18 As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me.
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For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another.
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And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
20 But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!"
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In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
21 So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.
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So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
22 Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day."
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Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
23 I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.
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So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The King James Version is in the public domain.