Ezra and Nehemiah 14
1 But it came to pass, when Sanaballat
and Tobia, and the Arabians, and the Ammanites, heard that the building of the
walls of Jerusalem was advancing, and that the
breaches began to be stopped, that it appeared very grievous to them.
2 And all of them assembled together,
to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to destroy it utterly.
3 So we prayed to our God and set
watchmen against them day and night, because of them.
4 And Juda said, The strength of the
enemies is broken, yet there is much rubbish, and we
shall not be able to build the wall.
5 And they that afflicted us said,
They shall not know, and they shall not see, until we come into the midst of
them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
6 And it came to pass, when the Jews
who lived near them came, that they said to us, They are coming up against us
from every quarter. 7 So I set
men in the lowest part of the place behind the wall
in the lurking-places, I even set the people according to their families, with
their swords, their spears, and their bows.
8 And I looked, and arose, and said to
the nobles, and to the captains, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid
of them: remember our great and terrible God, and fight for your brethren,
your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
9 And it came to pass, when our
enemies heard that it was made known to us, and God had frustrated their
counsel, that we all returned to the wall, every man
to his work. 10 And it came to pass
from that day that half of them that had been driven
forth, wrought the work, and half of them kept guard; and
there were spears, and shields, and bows, and
breast-plates, and rulers behind the whole house of Juda,
11 even of them that were building
the wall:—and those who carried the burdens
were under arms: each with
one hand wrought his work, and with the other held his dart.
12 And the builders
wrought each man having his sword girt upon his
loins, and so they built: and the trumpeter with his trumpet next to him.
13 And I said to the nobles, and to
the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work
is great and abundant, and we are dispersed upon the
wall, each at a great distance from his brother.
14 In whatsoever place ye shall hear
the sound of the cornet, thither gather yourselves together to us; and our God
shall fight for us.
15 So we
continued labouring at the work: and half of them
held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
16 And at that time I said to the
people, Lodge ye every man with his servant in the midst of Jerusalem, and let
the night be a watch-time to you, and the day a work-time.
17 And I was
there, and the watchmen behind me, and there was not
a man of us that put off his garments.