1 Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the residents of Azotus saw that the repair of the wall was advancing, and that we had begun covering the holes.
2 They were greatly enraged, and all of them agreed to attack Jerusalem and humiliate me.
3 So we prayed to our God, and set a guard day and night.
4 The people of Judah said, "The strength of the bearers is already failing, and much debris still remains; we can never rebuild the wall."
5 And our enemies said, "We will take them by surprise before they know it. We will kill them and stop their work."
6 But some Jews who lived with them came to notify us about this. Ten times they said to us, "From all the places where they live, they shall set out against us."
7 So I ordered that people be sta-tioned behind the wall, there in the lowest part. I stationed them by families, with their swords, spears, and bows.
8 They were afraid, but I stood up and said to the nobles, the counselors and the rest of the people, "Remember the Lord, great and magnificent, and fight for your brothers, sons and daughters, wives and homes."
9 When our enemies learned that we had been notified, that God willed that their plans be thwarted, we all returned to the wall, each one to his work.
10 But from that day on, only half of my men worked while the other half, with bows, spears, shields and armor, stood behind all the people of Judah
11 building the wall. The bearers picked up their loads with one hand because they held a weapon with the other hand.
12 Each of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he worked. Beside me was the man assigned to sound the trumpet.
13 I told the nobles, the counselors and the rest of the people, "The extent of the work is great and we are scattered along the wall, far from one another,
14 so when you hear the sound of the horn, come to our aid at once and our God shall fight for us."
15 So we scheduled the work from daybreak till the stars came out, half of us with weapons in hand.
16 I also said to the people, "Everyone shall spend the night within Jerusalem, with his servants. So we may keep guard by night and work by day."
17 Yet my brothers, my men, the men of the guard who followed me, and I did not take off our clothes when we slept. Everyone kept his weapon with him.
Versículos relacionados com Nehemiah, 4:
Nehemiah 4 narrates the opposition and oppositions faced by the Jews in the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. In the chapter, the enemies oppose the work, mock the Jews, plan to attack them and spread lies upon them. In response, Nehemiah organizes workers, encourages them to trust God and take precautionary measures against the attacks. Here are five verses related to the topics covered in Nehemiah 4:
Isaiah 41:10: "Do not fear, because I am with you, do not haunt yourself, because I am your God; I strengthen you, and help you, and I support you with my faithful right hand." This verse encourages Jews to trust God for protection and help, as Nehemiah did when he faced himself with the opposition.
Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and fortress, well present help in anguish." Nehemiah trusts in God as his protection against enemies, and this psalm reflects that confidence.
Proverbs 21:31: "The horse prepares for battle day, but the Lord gives victory." Nehemiah took precautionary measures to protect himself from the attacks of enemies, but acknowledged that the victory came from the Lord.
Ephesians 6:11: "Coat of all God's armor, that you may be firm against the shrewd cunning of the devil." Nehemiah encouraged workers to protect themselves with weapons as they recognized that the fight was not only physical but spiritual.
Nehemiah 4:20: "In the place where you hear the sound of the horn, you will gather with us; our God will fight for us." This verse reflects the confidence of Nehemiah and the Jews that God would fight for them and protect the work they were doing.
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