1But when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry, very upset, and made fun of the Jews.
2He spoke in front of his brothers and the Samaritan army, saying, "What are these weak Jews doing? Will they protect themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in one day? Will they bring stones back to life from these burned piles of rubble?"
3Tobiah the Ammonite was with him and added, "What they are building—if even a fox climbed on it, it would knock down their stone wall."
4“Listen, our God, for we are treated with contempt. Make their insults fall back on their own heads. Hand them over as plunder in a land where they are captives.
5Don't forgive their wickedness or erase their sin from your sight, because they have insulted those who are building.”
6So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together, reaching half of its intended height, because the people were determined to work.
7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs on Jerusalem’s walls were progressing and that the gaps were starting to be filled, they became very angry.
8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause trouble for us.
9But we prayed to our God and set up a guard to watch for them day and night.
10The people of Judah said, “The strength of those carrying the burdens is fading, and there’s so much rubble that we can’t finish building the wall.”
11Our enemies said, “They won’t know or see anything until we come among them, kill them, and stop the work.”
12When the Jews who lived near them came, they told us ten times, from every direction, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13So I placed guards in the lowest, most open sections behind the wall. I positioned the people by family groups, armed with their swords, spears, and bows.
14I surveyed the situation, then stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and 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 homes.”
15When our enemies heard that we knew about their plan and that God had frustrated their intentions, all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work.
16From that time on, half of my servants did the work, while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stood behind all the people of Judah.
17Those who built the wall and those who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
18Every builder wore his sword at his side while he worked. The trumpet player stayed near me.
19I told the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are separated from each other along the wall.
20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us.”
21So we kept working. Half of the people held spears from sunrise until the stars appeared.
22At the same time, I also told the people, 'Everyone, along with his servant, should spend the night in Jerusalem. Then they can guard us at night and work during the day.'
23As a result, none of us—not I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the guards who followed me—took off our clothes. Everyone kept his weapon even when going for water.