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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Nehemiah 4 GNT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/nehemiah/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/nehemiah/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">GNT</a> > Nehemiah 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/3.htm" title="Nehemiah 3">◄</a> Nehemiah 4 <a href="../nehemiah/5.htm" title="Nehemiah 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Good News Translation</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s">Nehemiah Overcomes Opposition to His Work</h3><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_1"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.1" class="v16_4_1">1</span>When Sanballat heard that we Jews had begun rebuilding the wall, he became furious and began to ridicule us. </span><span class="v16_4_2"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.2" class="v16_4_2">2</span>In front of his companions and the Samaritan troops he said, “What do these miserable Jews think they're doing? Do they intend to rebuild the city? Do they think that by offering sacrifices they can finish the work in one day? Can they make building stones out of heaps of burnt rubble?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_3"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.3" class="v16_4_3">3</span>Tobiah was standing there beside him, and he added, “What kind of wall could they ever build? Even a fox could knock it down!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_4"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.4" class="v16_4_4">4</span>I prayed, “Hear how they make fun of us, O God! Let their ridicule fall on their own heads. Let them be robbed of everything they have, and let them be taken as prisoners to a foreign land. </span><span class="v16_4_5"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.5" class="v16_4_5">5</span>Don't forgive the evil they do and don't forget their sins, for they have insulted us who are building.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_6"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.6" class="v16_4_6">6</span>So we went on rebuilding the wall, and soon it was half its full height, because the people were eager to work.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_7"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.7" class="v16_4_7">7</span>Sanballat, Tobiah, and the people of Arabia, Ammon, and Ashdod heard that we were making progress in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and that the gaps in the wall were being closed, and they became very angry. </span><span class="v16_4_8"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.8" class="v16_4_8">8</span>So they all plotted together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion, </span><span class="v16_4_9"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.9" class="v16_4_9">9</span>but we prayed to our God and kept men on guard against them day and night.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_10"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.10" class="v16_4_10">10</span>The people of Judah had a song they sang:</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v16_4_10">“We grow weak carrying burdens;</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v16_4_10">There's so much rubble to take away.</span></p><p class="q1"><span class="v16_4_10">How can we build the wall today?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_11"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.11" class="v16_4_11">11</span>Our enemies thought we would not see them or know what was happening until they were already upon us, killing us and putting an end to our work. </span><span class="v16_4_12"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.12" class="v16_4_12">12</span>But time after time Jews who were living among our enemies came to warn us of the plans our enemies were making against us.<a href="#fn" id="link_Neh.4.12!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v16_4_13"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.13" class="v16_4_13">13</span>So I armed the people with swords, spears, and bows, and stationed them by clans behind the wall, wherever it was still unfinished.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_14"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.14" class="v16_4_14">14</span>I saw that the people were worried, so I said to them and to their leaders and officials, “Don't be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and terrifying the Lord is, and fight for your relatives, your children, your wives, and your homes.” </span><span class="v16_4_15"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.15" class="v16_4_15">15</span>Our enemies heard that we had found out what they were plotting, and they realized that God had defeated their plans. Then all of us went back to rebuilding the wall.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_16"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.16" class="v16_4_16">16</span>From then on half of my men worked and half stood guard, wearing coats of armor and armed with spears, shields, and bows. And our leaders gave their full support to the people </span><span class="v16_4_17"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.17" class="v16_4_17">17</span>who were rebuilding the wall. Even those who carried building materials worked with one hand and kept a weapon in the other, </span><span class="v16_4_18"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.18" class="v16_4_18">18</span>and everyone who was building kept a sword strapped to their waist. The man who was to sound the alarm on the bugle stayed with me. </span><span class="v16_4_19"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.19" class="v16_4_19">19</span>I told the people and their officials and leaders, “The work is spread out over such a distance that we are widely separated from one another on the wall. </span><span class="v16_4_20"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.20" class="v16_4_20">20</span>If you hear the bugle, gather around me. Our God will fight for us.” </span><span class="v16_4_21"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.21" class="v16_4_21">21</span>So every day, from dawn until the stars came out at night, half of us worked on the wall, while the other half stood guard with spears.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_4_22"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.22" class="v16_4_22">22</span>During this time I told the men in charge that they and all their helpers had to stay in Jerusalem at night, so that we could guard the city at night as well as work in the daytime. </span><span class="v16_4_23"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.4.23" class="v16_4_23">23</span>I didn't take off my clothes even at night, neither did any of my companions nor my servants nor my bodyguards. And we all kept our weapons at hand.<a href="#fn" id="link_Neh.4.23!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">4.12: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Probable text </char><char style="fq" closed="false">the plans our enemies were making against us; </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew unclear.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">4.23: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Probable text </char><char style="fq" closed="false">weapons at hand; </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew unclear.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 1992 American Bible Society. 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