尼希米战胜阻力
1参巴拉听说我们正在重建城墙，非常愤怒，就嘲笑犹太人， 2当着他的同僚和撒玛利亚军兵的面说：“这群弱小的犹太人在做什么呢？要重建城墙吗？要献祭吗？要在一日之间建好吗？要用废墟中烧过的石头来建造吗？”
3他身旁的多比雅说：“他们建的石墙，一只狐狸上去就能踩倒！”
4我祷告说：“我们的上帝啊，求你垂听，因为我们正在被人耻笑。求你使他们对我们的凌辱归到他们自己头上，使他们被掳到外邦。 5不要遮掩他们的恶行，也不要从你面前涂抹他们的罪恶，因为他们在这些建造的人面前惹你发怒。”
6众人全心做工，把整个城墙连接起来，高达原来的一半。
7参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人和亚实突人听说耶路撒冷的城墙正在重建、缺口正在填补，非常愤怒， 8便一起图谋袭击耶路撒冷，使城内混乱。 9但我们向我们的上帝祷告，并设立守卫昼夜防备他们。
10犹大人说：“工人已经筋疲力尽，还有太多瓦砾有待清理，我们自己无法重建城墙。” 11我们的敌人说：“我们要趁他们不知不觉，进入他们中间杀死他们，阻止他们的工作。” 12靠近敌人居住的犹太人十次来告诉我们，说敌人会从各方来袭击我们4:12 本节希伯来文意义不明。。 13于是，我按宗族派人手持刀剑、长矛和弓箭守卫在城墙后面低洼的空地上。 14我察看形势后，起来对贵族、官员和其他民众说：“不要怕他们！要记住，主伟大而可畏。要为你们的兄弟、儿女、妻子和家园而战。”
15敌人听说我们知道了他们的阴谋，上帝已破坏他们的诡计，就没有来。我们回到城墙那里，继续各人的工作。 16从那时起，我的仆人一半继续修筑城墙，一半身穿盔甲，手持长矛、盾牌和弓箭负责守卫。官长都站在修筑城墙的所有犹大人后面。 17搬运工人一手工作，一手拿兵器。 18修筑城墙的人工作的时候都腰间配剑。吹号的人在我旁边， 19我对贵族、官员和其余的民众说：“这工程浩大，范围广阔，我们在城墙上相隔很远， 20因此你们一听见号角声，就要聚到我那里。我们的上帝必为我们争战！”
21这样，从黎明直到星星出现，我们的人一半工作，一半手持兵器守卫。 22那时，我又吩咐众人各带仆人在耶路撒冷住宿。他们夜间可以帮我们守卫，白天帮我们工作。 23我和我的兄弟、仆人及跟从我的守卫都衣不解带，刀不离身4:23 “刀不离身”或译“出去打水时也带着刀”。。
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?4.2 fortify…: Heb. leave to themselves 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:4.4 despised: Heb. despite 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.
7¶ But 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, 4.7 were made up: Heb. ascended 8And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.4.8 to hinder…: Heb. to make an error to 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.4.12 From all…: or, That from all places ye must return to us
13¶ Therefore 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.4.13 in the…: Heb. from the lower parts of the place, etc 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.4.18 by his side: Heb. on his loins
19¶ And 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.4.23 saving…: or, every one went with his weapon for water
