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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://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 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></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="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</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"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/nehemiah/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">Enemies Oppose the Rebuilding</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span><a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a>Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices?<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> the builders.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span><a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a>But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!”<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/4-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a></p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:1 </span><span class="ft">Verses 4:1-6 are numbered 3:33-38 in Hebrew text.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:2 </span><span class="ft">The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:5 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">for they have thrown insults in the face of.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:7 </span><span class="ft">Verses 4:7-23 are numbered 4:1-17 in Hebrew text.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:12 </span><span class="ft">The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">4:23 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">Each carried his weapon in his right hand.</span><span class="ft"> Hebrew reads </span><span class="it">Each his weapon the water.</span><span class="ft"> The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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