Nehemiah · Catholic Public Domain Version
Nehemiah 4 Catholic Public Domain Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
1 Now it happened that, when Sanballat had heard that we were building the wall, he was very angry. And having been moved exceedingly, he ridiculed the Jews.
1 But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2 And he said, before his brothers and a crowd of the Samaritans: “What are the foolish Jews doing? Can it be that the Gentiles will allow them? Will they sacrifice and finish in one day? Do they have the ability to make stones out of piles of dust that have been burned up?”
2 He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?”
3 Then too, Tobiah, an Ammonite, his assistant, said: “Let them build. When the fox climbs, he will leap over their stone wall.”
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”
4 Listen, O our God, for we have become an object of contempt. Turn their reproach upon their own head, and grant that they may be despised in a land of captivity.
4 “Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.
5 May you not conceal their iniquity, and may their sin not be wiped away, before your face, for they have ridiculed those who are building.
5 Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
6 And so we built the wall, and we joined it together, even to the unfinished portion. And the heart of the people was stirred up for the work.
6 So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabs, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites had heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been closed, and that the breaches had begun to be repaired, they were exceedingly angry.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry;
8 And they all gathered together, so that they might go forth and fight against Jerusalem, and so that they might prepare ambushes.
8 and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.
9 And we prayed to our God, and we stationed guards upon the wall, day and night, against them.
9 But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.
10 Then Judah said: “The strength of those who carry has diminished, and the amount of material is very great, and so we will not be able to build the wall.”
10 Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 And our enemies said: “Let them neither know, nor realize, until we arrive in their midst, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
11 Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12 Now it happened that, on ten occasions, some Jews arrived who were living near them, from all the places from which they came to us, and they told us this.
12 When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 So I stationed the people in order, in places behind the wall, all around it, with their swords, and lances, and bows.
13 Therefore I set guards in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 And I gazed around, and I rose up. And I said to the nobles, and to the magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: “Do not be afraid before their face. Remember the great and terrible Lord, and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons and your daughters, and your wives and your households.”
14 I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
15 Then it happened that, when our enemies had heard that it had been reported to us, God defeated their counsel. And we all returned to the walls, each one to his own work.
15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 And it happened that, from that day, half of their young men were doing the work, and half were prepared for war with lances, and shields, and bows, and armor. And the leaders were behind them in all the house of Judah.
16 From that time forth, half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 As for those building the wall, and carrying the burdens, and setting things in place: one of his hands was doing the work, and the other was holding a sword.
17 Those who built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon.
18 For each one of the builders was girded with a sword at the waist. And they were building, and they were sounding a trumpet beside me.
18 Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 And I said to the nobles, and to the magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: “The work is great and wide, and we are separated on the wall far from one another.
19 I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
20 At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rush to that place for us. Our God will fight on our behalf.
20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.”
21 And so let us accomplish the work. And let one half part of us hold spears, from the ascent of dawn until the stars come out.”
21 So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22 Also at that time, I said to the people: “Let each one with his servant remain in the midst of Jerusalem. And let us take turns, throughout the night and day, in doing the work.”
22 Likewise at the same time I said to the people, “Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.”
23 But I and my brothers, and my servants, and the guards who were behind me, we did not take off our clothes; each one only removed his clothes to wash.
23 So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Sanballat
Sanballat the Horonite, who mocked, plotted against, and tried to lure Nehemiah during the wall building; one of the high priest’s grandsons became his son-in-law.
Cited in the guide: Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 2:19; Nehemiah 4:1
Tobiah
Ammonite official who jeered at the wall, sent intimidating letters, had ties of marriage and oath among Judah’s nobles, and was given a temple storeroom by Eliashib until…
Cited in the guide: Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 4:3; Nehemiah 6:17
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Nehemiah 2:10; Hebrews 11:36; Psalm 35:15–16; Acts 5:17; Nehemiah 2:19
- 2 1 Corinthians 1:27; Ezra 4:9–10; Nehemiah 4:10; Zechariah 12:8; 1 Samuel 17:43–44
- 3 Nehemiah 2:19; Nehemiah 2:10; 1 Kings 20:10; 1 Kings 20:18; 2 Kings 18:23
- 4 Psalm 79:12; Psalm 123:3–4; Proverbs 3:34; Hosea 12:14; 1 Samuel 17:26
- 5 Psalm 109:14; Jeremiah 18:23; Psalm 69:27–28; Isaiah 44:22; 2 Timothy 4:14
- 6 Philippians 2:13; 1 Chronicles 29:3; Hebrews 13:21; Nehemiah 6:15; 1 Chronicles 29:17–18
- 7 Nehemiah 4:1; Nehemiah 2:10; Jeremiah 25:20; Amos 1:13; Revelation 12:17
- 8 Psalm 83:3–11; Jeremiah 20:10; Isaiah 8:9–10; Acts 23:12–13; Psalm 2:1–3
- 9 1 Peter 5:8; Psalm 50:15; Acts 4:24–30; Matthew 26:41; Luke 6:11–12
- 10 Haggai 1:2; Numbers 32:9; 2 Chronicles 2:18; Numbers 13:31; Psalm 11:1–2
- 11 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Psalm 56:6; Judges 20:29–48; Acts 23:21; Acts 23:12
- 12 Numbers 14:22; Genesis 31:41; Genesis 31:7; Job 19:3
- 13 Nehemiah 4:17–18; Ephesians 6:11–20; Genesis 32:13–20; 2 Chronicles 32:2–8; Matthew 10:16
- 14 2 Samuel 10:12; Numbers 14:9; Isaiah 41:10–14; Hebrews 13:6; Psalm 66:3
- 15 2 Samuel 17:14; Romans 12:11; Psalm 33:10–11; Isaiah 44:25; Job 5:12–13
- 16 Nehemiah 4:23; Nehemiah 5:15–16; Psalm 101:6
- 17 2 Timothy 2:3; 2 Timothy 4:7; 2 Corinthians 6:7; Ephesians 6:11–20; 1 Corinthians 16:9
- 18 Numbers 10:9; 2 Chronicles 13:12–17
- 20 Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 20:4; Deuteronomy 1:30; Joshua 23:10; Deuteronomy 3:22
- 21 Galatians 6:9; Colossians 1:29
- 22 Nehemiah 11:1–2
- 23 Nehemiah 5:16; Nehemiah 7:2; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Judges 5:11; Judges 9:48
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences