2
He spoke before his brothers and the army of Shomron, and said, What are these feeble Yehudim doing? 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 rubbish, seeing they are burned?
3
Now Toviyah the `Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.
4
Hear, our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;
5
and don't cover their iniquity, and don't let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have provoked [you] to anger before the builders.
6
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half [the height] of it: for the people had a mind to work.
7
But it happened that when Sanvallat, Toviyah, the `Aravi'im, the `Ammonim, and the Ashdodi heard that the repairing of the walls of Yerushalayim went forward, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry;
8
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Yerushalayim, and to cause confusion therein.
9
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10
Yehudah 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 adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.
12
It happened that when the Yehudim who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, You must return to us.