1Now, when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no gaps left in it (even though at that time I hadn't yet installed the doors in the gates),
2Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me saying, "Come, let's meet in the villages on the plain of Ono." But they intended to harm me.
3I sent messengers back to them, saying, "I am doing an important work, so I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come to you?"
4They sent me this message four times, and I responded to them in the same way each time.
5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me with the same message a fifth time, carrying an open letter in his hand.
6The letter said, "It is being reported among the nations, and Gashmu confirms it, that you and the Jews plan to rebel. That's why you are building the wall. According to these rumors, you intend to become their king.
7You have also appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, 'There is a king in Judah!' Now, these reports will reach the king. So, come now, and let's discuss this together."
8Then I sent a message back to him, saying, "None of the things you are claiming are true; you are making them up out of your own mind."
9For they all wanted to scare us, thinking, "Their hands will become weak from the work, and it won't get done." But now, God, strengthen my hands.
10I went to the house of Shemaiah, son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said, "Let's meet inside God's house, within the temple, and let's close the temple doors, because they are coming to kill you. Yes, they will come to kill you tonight."
11I said, "Should a man like me run away? Who, being like me, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in."
12I realized that God had not sent him; instead, he was speaking this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13They hired him so that I would be afraid, do as he said, and sin, giving them an opportunity to spread an evil report and shame me.
14"My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for their actions, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who tried to intimidate me."
15So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16When all our enemies heard about it, all the nations around us were afraid and lost their confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17Also, in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters also reached them.
18This was because many people in Judah had sworn loyalty to him, since he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah.
19They also spoke to me about his good deeds, and they reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to try and scare me.