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word reached Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it—though at that time I had not yet set up the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message:
“Come, let us meet together in the villages on the plain of Ono.”
But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them with this reply:
“I am engaged in a large project and I cannot come down. Why should this work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
4 They sent this same proposal to me four times, and each time I gave them the same reply.
5 Sanballat sent his servant to me with the same message a fifth time, and there was an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written:
It is reported among the nations—and Geshem confirms this—that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. This is the reason you are rebuilding the wall. What is more, according to these reports you are about to become their king. 7 You have also appointed prophets to proclaim about you in Jerusalem: “There is a king in Judah!” The report of this will get back to the king. Therefore, let us come together to confer about this.
8 Then I sent this reply to him:
“There is nothing happening here like what you are saying; you are just inventing them in your own head.”
9 For they were all trying to intimidate us and were saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it won’t be done.”
“But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”
10 Later I enteredthe house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetable who was shut in his house, and he said, “Let us meet together at the house of God, inside the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple, because men are coming to kill you—during the night they will come to kill you.”
11 But I said, “Should a man like me I run away? Would one such as I go in the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 Then I realised that God had not sent him, but he had spoken this prophecy against me because Tabiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me, so I would act accordingly and commit sin. Then they would use the scandal to tarnish my reputation and discredit me.
14 “O my God, remember Tabiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.”
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were disheartened and lost their confidence, because they realised that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept returning. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath 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. 19 These nobles kept telling me about Tobiah’s good deeds, and then reported back to him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.