敌人阴谋阻挠重建
1参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人基善和我们其余的敌人听说我已修完城墙，没有留下任何缺口——那时我还没有为城门安上门扇—— 2参巴拉和基善就派人告诉我说：“来，我们在阿挪平原的一个村庄见面吧。”其实他们想要害我。 3我派人回复他们说：“我正在做一件大工程，不能下去见你们。我怎能停止工作下去见你们呢？” 4他们四次派人来告诉我，每次我都这样拒绝了。 5参巴拉第五次派人送来一封未封口的信， 6上面写着：“各国都在谣传，基善也说，你和犹太人计划谋反，因而才修建城墙，据说你要做他们的王。 7你还派先知在耶路撒冷指着你预言说，‘犹大有王了。’如今王必听到这些传闻。所以你还是来与我们一同商议吧。” 8我就派人答复他说：“你所说的并非事实，是你心里捏造的。” 9因为他们想恐吓我们，以为我们会吓得手发软，无法完成工程。但上帝啊，求你使我的手有力量！
10我到米希达别的孙子、第来雅的儿子示玛雅的家中，那时他正闭门不出。他对我说：“我们在上帝的殿里会面，要关上殿门，因为他们要来杀你，要在夜间杀你。” 11但我回答说：“像我这样的人岂能逃跑？岂能进入殿里保命？我决不进去。” 12我察觉上帝并没有差派他，他是被多比雅和参巴拉收买才说预言攻击我的。 13他们收买他是为了恐吓我，使我依从他去犯罪，好毁坏我的名声、羞辱我。 14我的上帝啊，求你按照他们的行为报应多比雅、参巴拉、女先知挪亚底及其他恐吓我的先知。
工程竣工
15以禄月6:15 “以禄月”即希伯来历的六月，阳历是八月中旬到九月中旬。二十五日城墙竣工，前后用了五十二天。 16我们的敌人和周围各国听说后，都感到惧怕和气馁，因为他们知道这工作是在上帝的帮助下完成的。 17在那些日子，多比雅和犹大贵族之间多有书信来往。 18在犹大有很多人与多比雅结盟，因为他是亚拉的儿子示迦尼的女婿，他儿子约哈难又娶了比利迦的儿子米书兰的女儿为妻。 19他们常告诉我有关多比雅的善行，并把我的话告诉他。多比雅不断写信恐吓我。
Further opposition to the rebuilding
1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it – though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates – 2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages6:2 Or in Kephirim on the plain of Ono.’
But they were scheming to harm me; 3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ 4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his assistant to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6in which was written:
‘It is reported among the nations – and Geshem6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem says it is true – that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: “There is a king in Judah!” Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.’
8I sent him this reply: ‘Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.’
9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’
But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’
10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, ‘Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you – by night they are coming to kill you.’
11But I said, ‘Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!’ 12I realised that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
Opposition to the completed wall
16When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
