Nehemiah 6:1-9

English Standard Version

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

6 Now when ^(A)Sanballat and Tobiah and ^(B)Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (^(C)although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), ²Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of ^(D)Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. ³And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” ⁴And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. ⁵In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. ⁶In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem^[a] also says it, that you and ^(E)the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. ⁷And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” ⁸Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” ⁹For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God,^[b] strengthen my hands.

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Footnotes

Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:9 Hebrew lacks O God

Nehemiah 6:15-16

English Standard Version

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶And ^(A)when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, ^(B)for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

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