Book 16 : NEHEMIAH - Chapter 004
004:001
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
004:002
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
004:003
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
004:004
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
004:005
So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together
unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work
004:006
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
004:007
And conspired all of them together to come and to fight
against Jerusalem, and to hinder it
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Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch
against them day and night, because of them
004:009
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
004:010
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
004:011
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
004:012
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
004:013
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
004:014
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
004:015
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
004:016
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
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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
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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
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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
004:020
So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears
from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared
004:021
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
004:022
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
Book 16 : NEHEMIAH - Chapter 004
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