Nehemías 4
Brenton's English Septuagint
1Now it came to pass, when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall, that it was Gr. seemed evil grievous to him, and he was very angry, and railed against the Jews.
2And he said before his brethren (that is the army of the Samaritans) Is it true that these Jews are building their city? do they indeed offer sacrifices? will they prevail? and will they this day Gr. heal restore the stones, after they have been burnt and made a heap of Gr. earth rubbish?
3And Tobias the Ammanite came near to him, and said Or, with regard to them to them, Do they sacrifice or eat in their place? shall not a fox go up and pull down their wall of stones?
4Hear, O our God, for we have become a scorn; and return thou their reproach upon their head, and make them a scorn in a land of captivity,
5and do not cover their iniquity.
6—
7But 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.
8And all of them assembled together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to destroy it utterly.
9So we prayed to our God and set watchmen against them day and night, because of them.
10And Juda said, The strength of the enemies is broken, yet there is much rubbish, and we shall not be able to build Gr. on the wall the wall.
11And 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.
12And 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.
13So 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.
14And 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.
15And 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.
16And it came to pass from that day that half of them that had been driven forth, wrought the work, and half of them Or, resisted kept guard; and there were spears, and shields, and bows, and breast-plates, and rulers behind the whole house of Juda,
17even 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.
18And 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.
19And 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.
20In whatsoever place ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, thither gather yourselves together to us; and our God shall fight for us.
21So we continued labouring at the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22And 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.
23And I was there, and the watchmen behind me, and there was not a man of us that put off his garments.
Reina-Valera 1909
1Y FUÉ que como oyó Sanballat que nosotros edificábamos el muro, encolerizóse y enojóse en gran manera, é hizo escarnio de los Judíos.
2Y habló delante de sus hermanos y del ejército de Samaria, y dijo: ¿Qué hacen estos débiles Judíos? ¿hanles de permitir? ¿han de sacrificar? ¿han de acabar en un día? ¿han de resucitar de los montones del polvo las piedras que fueron quemadas?
3Y estaba junto á él Tobías Ammonita, el cual dijo: Aun lo que ellos edifican, si subiere una zorra derribará su muro de piedra.
4Oye, oh Dios nuestro, que somos en menosprecio, y vuelve el baldón de ellos sobre su cabeza, y dalos en presa en la tierra de su cautiverio:
5Y no cubras su iniquidad, ni su pecado sea raído delante de tu rostro; porque se airaron contra los que edificaban.
6Edificamos pues el muro, y toda la muralla fué junta hasta su mitad: y el pueblo tuvo ánimo para obrar.
7Mas acaeció que oyendo Sanballat y Tobías, y los Arabes, y los Ammonitas, y los de Asdod, que los muros de Jerusalem eran reparados, porque ya los portillos comenzaban á cerrarse, encolerizáronse mucho;
8Y conspiraron todos á una para venir á combatir á Jerusalem, y á hacerle daño.
9Entonces oramos á nuestro Dios, y por causa de ellos pusimos guarda contra ellos de día y de noche.
10Y dijo Judá: Las fuerzas de los acarreadores se han enflaquecido, y el escombro es mucho, y no podemos edificar el muro.
11Y nuestros enemigos dijeron: No sepan, ni vean, hasta que entremos en medio de ellos, y los matemos, y hagamos cesar la obra.
12Sucedió empero, que como vinieron los Judíos que habitaban entre ellos, nos dieron aviso diez veces de todos los lugares de donde volvían á nosotros.
13Entonces puse por los bajos del lugar, detrás del muro, en las alturas de los peñascos, puse el pueblo por familias con sus espadas, con sus lanzas, y con sus arcos.
14Después miré, y levantéme, y dije á los principales y á los magistrados, y al resto del pueblo: No temáis delante de ellos: acordaos del Señor grande y terrible, y pelead por vuestros hermanos, por vuestros hijos y por vuestras hijas, por vuestras mujeres y por vuestras casas.
15Y sucedió que como oyeron nuestros enemigos que lo habíamos entendido, Dios disipó el consejo de ellos, y volvímonos todos al muro, cada uno á su obra.
16Mas fué que desde aquel día la mitad de los mancebos trabajaba en la obra, y la otra mitad de ellos tenía lanzas y escudos, y arcos, y corazas; y los príncipes estaban tras toda la casa de Judá.
17Los que edificaban en el muro, y los que llevaban cargas y los que cargaban, con la una mano trabajaban en la obra, y en la otra tenían la espada.
18Porque los que edificaban, cada uno tenía su espada ceñida á sus lomos, y así edificaban: y el que tocaba la trompeta estaba junto á mí.
19Y dije á los principales, y á los magistrados y al resto del pueblo: La obra es grande y larga, y nosotros estamos apartados en el muro, lejos los unos de los otros:
20En el lugar donde oyereis la voz de la trompeta, reuníos allí á nosotros: nuestro Dios peleará por nosotros.
21Nosotros pues trabajábamos en la obra; y la mitad de ellos tenían lanzas desde la subida del alba hasta salir las estrellas.
22También dije entonces al pueblo: Cada uno con su criado se quede dentro de Jerusalem, y hágannos de noche centinela, y de día á la obra.
23Y ni yo, ni mis hermanos, ni mis mozos, ni la gente de guardia que me seguía, desnudamos nuestro vestido: cada uno se desnudaba solamente para lavarse.
King James Version
1But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
4Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:
5And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
6So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
7But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
11And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
12And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
13Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
15And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
16And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
19And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
20In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
21So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
22Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
23So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
World English Bible
1But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2He 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?”
3Now 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“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.
5Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
6So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7But 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;
8and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.
9But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.
10Judah 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.”
11Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13Therefore 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.
14I 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.”
15When 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.
16From 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.
17Those 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.
18Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19I 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.
20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.”
21So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22Likewise 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.”
23So 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.