Nehemiah 6

Modern

Literal

Sanballat’s Conspiracy

¹When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—

¹And it came to pass, when it was heard by Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies, that I had rebuilt the wall, and there were left in it no breaks (though at that time the doors I had not hung in the gates),

²Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages^a on the plain^b of Ono.”

But they were planning to harm me.

²that Sanballat sent, and Geshem, to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together among the villages on the plain of Ono.” And they were thinking to do to me harm.

³So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”

³And I sent to them messengers, saying, “I am doing a great work, and I am not able to come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

⁴Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.

⁴And they sent to me this word four times, and I answered them according to this word.

⁵The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter

⁵And Sanballat sent to me according to this word the fifth time, his servant with an open letter in his hand,

⁶that read:

“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem^a agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,

⁶written in it: “Among the nations it is reported, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; upon thus you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king, according to these words.

⁷and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”

⁷And also you have appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ And these words will be reported to the king; and now come and let us counsel together.”

⁸Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”

⁸And I sent to him, saying, “These things are not being done as you say, but you are inventing them in your own heart.”

⁹For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.”

But now, my God,^a strengthen my hands.

⁹For all of them were frightening us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” And now, strengthen my hands.

¹⁰Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said:

“Let us meet at the house of God

inside the temple.

Let us shut the temple doors

because they are coming to kill you—

by night they are coming to kill you!”

¹⁰And I came to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, and he was confined. And he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple. For they are coming in to kill you, and by night they are coming in to kill you.”

¹¹But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”

¹¹And I said, “Should a man like me flee? And who is like me, who would go into the temple and live? I will not go in.”

¹²I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹²And I perceived, and behold, God had not sent him, for in the prophecy that he pronounced against me, both Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹³He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.

¹³For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act this way and sin, that it might be to them for an evil name, that they might reproach me.

¹⁴O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.

¹⁴Be mindful, O My God, of Tobiah and of Sanballat according to these their works, and of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

Completion of the Wall

¹⁵So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.^a

¹⁵And the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of Elul, on the fifty-second day.

¹⁶When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.

¹⁶And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard, and all the nations who were around us saw, that they fell greatly in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

¹⁷Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters kept coming to them.

¹⁷Also in those days, the nobles of Judah multiplied their letters going to Tobiah, and those of Tobiah came to them.

¹⁸For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.

¹⁸For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law to Shechaniah son of Arah, and Jehohanan his son had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.

¹⁹Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

¹⁹Also his good deeds they were reporting before me, and my words were reported to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.