1. In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I picked up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.

2. The king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart."Then I was very much afraid.

3. I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why shouldn't my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?"

4. Then the king said to me, "What is your request?"So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5. I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may build it."

6. The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), "How long will your journey be? When will you return?"So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.

7. Moreover I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;

8. and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy."The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.

9. Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

10. When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

11. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

12. I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn't any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.

13. I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, then to the dung gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.

14. Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king's pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.

15. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.

16. The rulers didn't know where I went, or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.

17. Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won't be disgraced."

18. I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken to me.They said, "Let's rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

19. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammontite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?"

20. Then I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."

1. Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the sheep gate. They sanctified it, and set up its doors. They sanctified it even to the tower of Hammeah, to the tower of Hananel.

2. Next to him the men of Jericho built. Next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3. The sons of Hassenaah built the fish gate. They laid its beams, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

4. Next to them, Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz made repairs. Next to them, Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel made repairs. Next to them, Zadok the son of Baana made repairs.

5. Next to them, the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles didn't put their necks to the Lord's work.

6. Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the old gate. They laid its beams, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars.

7. Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor beyond the River.

8. Next to him, Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him, Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they fortified Jerusalem even to the wide wall.

9. Next to them, Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

10. Next to them, Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house. Next to him, Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs.

11. Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces.

12. Next to him, Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters, made repairs.

13. Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and one thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.

14. Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth Haccherem repaired the dung gate. He built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

15. Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah repaired the spring gate. He built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even to the stairs that go down from David's city.

16. After him, Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs to the place opposite the tombs of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men.

17. After him, the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani made repairs. Next to him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.

18. After him, their brothers, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah made repairs.

19. Next to him, Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another portion, across from the ascent to the armory at the turning of the wall.

20. After him, Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another portion, from the turning of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

21. After him, Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22. After him, the priests, the men of the Plain made repairs.

23. After them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs across from their house. After them, Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah made repairs beside his own house.

24. After him, Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another portion, from the house of Azariah to the turning of the wall, and to the corner.

25. Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the turning of the wall, and the tower that stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

26. (Now the temple servants lived in Ophel, to the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands out.)

27. After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that stands out, and to the wall of Ophel.

28. Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house.

29. After them, Zadok the son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate made repairs.

30. After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him, Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs across from his room.

31. After him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths to the house of the temple servants, and of the merchants, made repairs opposite the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.

32. Between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

1. But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

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. 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. "Hear, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their reproach on their own head, give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity;

5. don't cover their iniquity, and don't let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders."

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. 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 conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.

9. But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.

19. I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from one another.

20. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us."

21. So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

22. Likewise at the same time said I 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. So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.

1. Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.

2. For there were that said, "We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live."

3. There were also some that said, "We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of the famine."

4. There were also some who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.

5. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards."

6. I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

7. Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, "You exact usury, everyone of his brother." I held a great assembly against them.

8. I said to them, "We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?" Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say.

9. Also I said, "The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?

10. I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury.

11. Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you are charging them."

12. Then they said, "We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say."Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.

13. Also I shook out my lap, and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn't perform this promise; even be he shaken out, and emptied like this."All the assembly said, "Amen," and praised The LORD. The people did according to this promise.

14. Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.

15. But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people; but I didn't do so, because of the fear of God.

16. Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall. We didn't buy any land. All my servants were gathered there to the work.

17. Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, besides those who came to us from among the nations that were around us.

18. Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I didn't demand the governor's pay, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

19. Remember to me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.

1. Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left in it (though even to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates)

2. Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to harm me.

3. I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down. Why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?"

4. They sent to me four times like this; and I answered them the same way.

5. Then Sanballat sent his servant to me the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,

6. in which was written, "It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Because of that, you are building the wall. You would be their king, according to these words.

7. You have also appointed prophets to proclaim of you at Jerusalem, saying, 'There is a king in Judah!' Now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together."

8. Then I sent to him, saying, "There are no such things done as you say, but you imagine them out of your own heart."

9. For they all would have made us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be weakened from the work, that it not be done." But now, strengthen my hands.

10. I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home; and he said, "Let us meet together in God's house, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they will come to kill you. Yes, in the night will they come to kill you."

11. I said, "Should a man like me flee? Who is there that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in."

12. I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13. He hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14. "Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear."

15. So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16. When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they lost their confidence; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

17. Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.

18. For there were many in Judah sworn to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as wife.

19. Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.