Nehemiah 6

1 Now when word came to Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall, no breath was left in them. Up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates. [a] 2 And Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, and let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to do me harm.

3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down, or the work will stop. As soon as I have finished it, I will come down to you.” [b] 4 And they sent to me to the same effect, and I sent them back the same answer. [c]

5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand, 6 and in it was written: “It has been heard among the nations that you and the Jews are planning to revolt. That is why you are building the wall, and you are to be their king. 7 And besides this, you have set up prophets for yourself, so that you may sit as king in Jerusalem, in Judah. And now these words will be reported to the king. So come, let us take counsel together.”

8 And I sent word to him, saying, “Nothing has happened like these words that you are saying. You are making them up out of your own heart.” 9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will go slack from this work, and it will never be done.” And so I made my hands strong.

10 And I went into the house of Shimei son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, and he was shut in. And he said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside it, and let us shut its doors, because they are coming by night to kill you.” [d] 11 And I said, “Who is the man who would go into the house and live?” [e]

12 Then I saw it plainly: God had not sent him, for the prophecy was a word spoken against me. And Tobiah and Sanballat had hired [f] 13 a crowd against me, so that I would be afraid and do this and sin, and so become an evil name to them, and they could taunt me.

14 “Remember, O God, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these deeds of his, and Noadiah the prophet and the rest of the prophets who kept trying to frighten me.” [g]

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. [h] 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid, and great fear fell upon them in their own eyes, and they knew that it was from our God that this work had been finished. [i]

17 And in those days letters were going from many of the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters were coming to them, 18 because many in Judah were bound to him by oath, for he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and Johanan his son had taken the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah as his wife. [j] 19 And they kept repeating his words to me and carrying my words out to him. And Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.