been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the
Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no place for the
animal on which I rode to pass.

I also went up in the night along the Brook Kidron and examined the
wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate and so returned.
The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not as
yet told my plan to the Jews or to the priests or to the nobles or to
the rulers or to the others who did the work.

Then I said to them, "You see the bad condition in which we are, how
Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates are destroyed by fire. Come and
let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be in
disgrace." I told them too how my God had kindly cared for me and the
words which the king had spoken to me. They said, "Let us go to work and
build?" So they entered heartily into the good work.

OVERCOMING GREAT DIFFICULTIES

Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was so
angry and indignant that he mocked the Jews. He spoke before his
tribesmen and the army of Samaria and said, "What are these feeble Jews
doing? Will they leave it to God? Will they offer a sacrifice? Will they
finish the work in a day? Will they recover the stones from the heaps of
rubbish even after they have been destroyed by fire?"

Tobiah, the Ammonite, was with him, and he said, "This stone wall which
they are building--if a fox should go up on it, he would break it down!"

But we went on rebuilding the wall; and all the wall was joined together
to half its height, for the people were eager to work. But when
Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the
Ashdodites heard that the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was going
on, so that the broken places began to be closed, they were very angry.
And they all planned together to come and fight against Jerusalem and
frighten the people there. But we prayed to our God and set a watch as a
protection against them day and night.

When our enemies heard that their plan was known to us and that God had
not let them carry it out, we all returned to the wall, each to his own
work. From that time on, while half of my servants were at work, half of
them held the lances, the shields, the bows and the coats of mail; and
the rulers stood behind all the people of Judah. Those who built the
wall and those who carried burdens were also armed, each using one of
his hands for the work, and was read