6 And when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall, and that there were no more breaches in it (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates),

² then Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, so that we may meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” And they thought to do me evil.

³ Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying, “I have a great work to do, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?”

⁴ Still, they sent to me four times in the same way. And I answered them in the same way.

⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before for the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,

⁶ in which was written, “It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu has said so, that you and the Jews plan to rebel, for which reason you built the wall. And you will be their king according to these words.

⁷ “You have also ordained the Prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah.” And now according to these words, it shall come to the king’s ears. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together.”

⁸ Then I sent to him, saying, “Nothing is done according to these words that you speak. For you feign them from your own heart.”

⁹ For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands shall be weakened from the work, and it shall not be done.” Now, therefore, encourage me.

¹⁰ And I came to the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. And he was shut up. And he said, “Let us come together into the House of God, in the midst of the Temple, and shut the doors of the Temple. For they will come to kill you. Yea, in the night will they come to kill you.”

¹¹ Then I said, “Should such a man as I flee? Who is he, being as I am, who would go into the Temple to live? I will not go in.”

¹² And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me. For Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹³ Therefore, he was hired so that I might be afraid, and do such, and sin, so that they might have an evil report, so that they might reproach me.

¹⁴ My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and Noadiah the prophetess also, and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear.

¹⁵ Notwithstanding, the wall was finished in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of Elul.

¹⁶ And when all our enemies heard of it, all the heathen who were around us, they were afraid. And their courage failed them. For they knew that this work was done by our God.

¹⁷ And in these days, there were many of the princes of Judah whose letters went to Tobiah. And those of Tobiah came to them.

¹⁸ For there were many in Judah who had sworn allegiance to him. For he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah, the son of Arah. And his son, Jehohanan, had the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.

¹⁹ Yea, they spoke his praise before me, and told him my words. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.