Progress in Spite of Opposition
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He mocked the Jews
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before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria, and said, "What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore [it] by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?"
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Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, "Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall!"
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Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.
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Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from Your sight, because they have provoked the builders.
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So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its [height], for the people had the will to keep working.
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When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious.
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They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion.
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So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.
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In Judah, it was said: The strength of the laborer fails, since there is so much rubble. We will never be able to rebuild the wall.
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And our enemies said, "They won't know or see anything until we're among them and can kill them and stop the work."
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When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, "Everywhere you turn, [they] attack us."
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So I stationed [people] behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
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After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes."