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.
Muren bliver færdig trods fortsat modstand
1Byggeriet fortsatte, til muren var færdig, og nu manglede vi kun at sætte de sidste portfløje på plads. Da Sanballat, Tobija, araberen Geshem og resten af vores fjender hørte det, 2sendte de bud og bad mig møde dem i en af landsbyerne på Onosletten. Men jeg var klar over, at de havde i sinde at myrde mig. 3Derfor sendte jeg følgende svar tilbage til dem: „Det er et vigtigt projekt, jeg er i gang med. Jeg kan ikke standse arbejdet for at mødes med jer.”
4Fire gange sendte de bud til mig om at komme, og hver gang gav jeg samme svar. 5Femte gang kom Sanballats sendebud med et åbent brev i hånden, 6i hvilket der stod:
Geshem fortæller mig, at han overalt hører rygter om, at judæerne pønser på at gøre oprør, og at det er grunden til, at I har genopbygget muren. Han fortæller mig endvidere, at du vil være konge over dem, 7og at du allerede har hvervet „profeter” i Jerusalem, som skal sige: „Nu er der en konge i Juda.” Du kan være sikker på, at kong Artaxerxes vil høre om det her. Derfor må du hellere komme og drøfte sagen med mig.
8Jeg sendte besked tilbage: „Du ved udmærket, at det er løgn fra ende til anden. Det er noget, du selv har fundet på.”
9De prøvede blot at gøre os bange med det formål at få os til at standse arbejdet. „Herre,” bad jeg, „giv os mod og styrke til at gøre arbejdet færdigt!”
10Nogle dage senere besøgte jeg Shemaja, en søn af Delaja, som var søn af Mehetabel. Han lå syg i sit hus.
„Lad os gemme os inde i templet og låse dørene,” sagde han. „Dine fjender kommer i aften for at dræbe dig.”
11Men jeg svarede: „Skulle jeg, som er folkets leder, flygte, fordi der er fare på færde? Desuden har jeg ikke lov til at gå ind i templet, når jeg hverken er præst eller levit.”
12-13Det var ikke svært at regne ud, at Shemajas budskab ikke var fra Gud, men at Tobija og Sanballat havde betalt ham for at gøre mig bange og lokke mig ind i templet, så de bagefter havde noget at anklage mig for.
14Min Gud, det er op til dig at straffe Tobija, Sanballat, den kvindelige profet Noadja og de andre profeter, som har forsøgt at tage modet fra mig.
15Den 25. dag i elul6,15 Årets sjette måned, svarende til august-september. måned var muren færdig, kun 52 dage efter at vi havde påbegyndt arbejdet. 16Da vores fjender og de omkringboende folk hørte, at arbejdet var fuldført, blev de bange og modløse, for de forstod, at det var vores Gud, der havde hjulpet os.
17I løbet af de 52 dage udvekslede Tobija adskillige breve med overklassen i Juda. 18Mange af dem havde svoret ham troskab, fordi han var svigersøn til Shekanja, en søn af Ara, og fordi hans søn Johanan var gift med en datter af Meshullam, en søn af Berekja. 19Alle forsøgte de at overbevise mig om, hvor god Tobija var, hvorefter de løb tilbage og fortalte ham alt, hvad jeg havde sagt om ham. Tobija sendte mig en masse trusselsbreve for at tage modet fra mig.
