Nehemiah 6

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 When Sanbal at, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wal andthat not a single gap was left -- though at that time I had not fixed the doors to the gates-	1 Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, an Arab, and our other enemies, had heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no interruption remaining in it, (even though, at that time, I had not set up the double doors at the gates,)
2 Sanbal at and Geshem sent me this message, 'Come and meet us at Ha-Chephirim in the Vale of Ono.'But they had evil designs on me.	2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying: “Come, and let us strike a pact together in the villages, on the plain of Ono.” But they were thinking that they would do me harm.
3 So I sent messengers to them to say, 'I am engaged in a great undertaking, so I cannot come down.Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?'	3 Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying: “I am doing a great work, and I cannot descend, lest perhaps it may be neglected when I go out and descend to you.”
4 Four times they sent me the same invitation and I made them the same reply.	4 Then they sent to me, with this same word, four times. And I responded to them with the same word as before.
5 The fifth time, with the same purpose in mind, Sanballat sent me his servant bearing an open letter.	5 And Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time, with the former word, and he had a letter in his hand written in this manner:
6 It ran, 'There is a rumour among the nations -- and Gashmu confirms it -- that you and the Jews arethinking of rebel ing, which is why you are rebuilding the wal , and you intend to become their king;	6 “It has been heard among the Gentiles, and Geshem has said it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, and because of this, you are building the wall and thinking to raise yourself as a king over them. For this reason,
7 and that you have even briefed prophets to acclaim you in Jerusalem with the cry, "There is a king inJudah!" Now, these rumours are going to reach the king; so you had better come and discuss them with us.'	7 you also have stationed prophets, who preach about you in Jerusalem, saying: ‘There is a king in Judea!’ But the king will hear about these words. Therefore, come now, so that we may go to counsel together.”
8 To this I sent him the fol owing reply, 'As regards what you say, nothing of the sort has occurred; it is afigment of your own imagination.'	8 And I sent to them, saying: “There has been nothing done according to these words, which you have spoken. For you are inventing these things from your own heart.”
9 For they were all trying to terrorise us, thinking, 'They wil become demoralised over the work and it wilnot get finished.' But my morale rose even higher.	9 For all these men wished to frighten us, thinking that our hands would cease from the work, and that we would cease. For this reason, I strengthened my hands all the more.
10 Then, when I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, since he was prevented fromcoming to me, he said: We must gather at the Temple of God, inside the sanctuary itself; we must shut thesanctuary doors, for they are coming to kil you, they are coming to kil you tonight!	10 And I entered into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, in secret. And he said: “Let us consult together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple. And let us close the doors of the temple. For they will come to kill you, and they will arrive in the night to put you to death.”
11 But I retorted, 'Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the Temple to save hislife? I shal not go in!'	11 And I said: “How could anyone like me flee? And who like me should enter the temple, so that he may live? I will not enter.”
12 I realised that God had not sent him to say this, but that he had produced this prophecy for mebecause Tobiah was paying him	12 And I understood that God had not sent him, but he had spoken to me as if he were prophesying, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 to terrorise me into doing as he said and committing a sin, so that they would have grounds forblackening my reputation and blaming me.	13 For he had accepted money, so that I would be afraid, and would sin, and so that they would have some evil with which to rebuke me.
14 Remember Tobiah, my God, for what he did; and Noadiah the prophetess, and the other prophetswho tried to terrorise me.	14 Remember me, O Lord, because of Tobiah and Sanballat, because of their works of this kind. Then, too, Noadiah, a prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, would have made me afraid.
15 The wall was finished within fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.	15 Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 When al our enemies heard about it and al the surrounding nations saw it, they thought it a wonderful thing, because they realised that this work had been accomplished by the power of our God.	16 Then it happened that, when all our enemies had heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they were downcast within themselves. For they knew that this work had been accomplished by God.
17 During this same period, the nobles of Judah kept sending letter after letter to Tobiah, and letters fromTobiah kept arriving for them;	17 But also, in those days, many letters were being sent by the nobles of the Jews to Tobiah, and were arriving from Tobiah to them.
18 for he had many sworn to his interest in Judah, since he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah,and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshul am son of Berechiah.	18 For there were many in Judea who had sworn an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and because Jehohanan, his son, had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.
19 They even cried up his good deeds in my presence, and they reported what I said back to him. AndTobiah kept sending letters to terrorise me.	19 Moreover, they praised him before me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters, so that he might make me afraid.