Plots against Nehemiah
1 Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of our enemies heard that we had finished building the wall and that there were no gaps left in it, although we still had not set up the gates in the gateways. 2 So Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message, suggesting that I meet with them in one of the villages in the Plain of Ono. This was a trick of theirs to try to harm me. 3 I sent messengers to say to them, “I am doing important work and can't go down there. I am not going to let the work stop just to go and see you.”
4 They sent me the same message four times, and each time I sent them the same reply.
5 Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me with a fifth message, this one in the form of an unsealed letter. 6 It read:
“Geshem tells me that a rumor is going around among the neighboring peoples that you and the Jewish people intend to revolt and that this is why you are rebuilding the wall. He also says you plan to make yourself king 7 and that you have arranged for some prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that you are the king of Judah. His Majesty is certain to hear about this, so I suggest that you and I meet to talk the situation over.”8 I sent a reply to him: “Nothing of what you are saying is true. You have made it all up yourself.”
9 They were trying to frighten us into stopping work. I prayed, “But now, God, make me strong!”
10 About this time I went to visit Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was unable to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must go and hide together in the Holy Place of the Temple and lock the doors, because they are coming to kill you. Any night now they will come to kill you.”
11 I answered, “I'm not the kind of person that runs and hides. Do you think I would try to save my life by hiding in the Temple? I won't do it.”
12 When I thought it over, I realized that God had not spoken to Shemaiah, but that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him to give me this warning. 13 They hired him to frighten me into sinning, so that they could ruin my reputation and humiliate me.
14 I prayed, “God, remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done and punish them. Remember that woman Noadiah and all the other prophets who tried to frighten me.”
The Conclusion of the Work
15 After fifty-two days of work the entire wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. 16 When our enemies in the surrounding nations heard this, they realized that they had lost face, since everyone knew that the work had been done with God's help.
17 During all this time the Jewish leaders had been in correspondence with Tobiah. 18 Many people in Judah were on his side because of his Jewish father-in-law, Shecaniah son of Arah. In addition, his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 People would talk in front of me about all the good deeds Tobiah had done and would tell him everything I said. And he kept sending me letters to try to frighten me.
1 Kad nu Sanballats un Tobija un arabietis Gešems un pārējie mūsu ienaidnieki dabūja zināt, ka es esmu uzcēlis mūri un ka nav palikušas tajā vairs plaisas, kaut gan līdz tam laikam vārtos durvis vēl nebija ieceltas,
2 Tad Sanballats un Gešems sūtīja man ziņu, sacīdami: „Nāc, satiksimies Ha-Kafirima ciemā Ono līdzenumā!“ Bet viņi domāja man darīt ļaunu.
3 Tad arī es sūtīju sūtņus pie viņiem un liku teikt: „Es daru lielu darbu un nevaru iet. Darbs tūliņ apstātos pavisam, ja es to pārtrauktu un dotos pie jums lejup?
4 Tādā veidā viņi sūtīja pie manis četras reizes, un es devu viņiem arvien vienu un to pašu atbildi.
5 Tad piekto reizi Sanballats sūtīja pie manis savu kalpu ar atklātu vēstuli rokā,
6 Un tajā bija rakstīts: „Ļaudīs ir dzirdams, un arī Gešems saka, ka tu un jūdi domājot sacelties; tādēļ tu ceļot mūri un pēc vinu vārdiem tu tīkojot kļūt viņiem par ķēniņu.
7 Tu esot ari jau licis pulcēties praviešiem, lai viņi izsauktu tevi Jeru-zālemē par ķēniņu. Tagad tas kļūs zināms ari ķēniņam. Tādēļ nāc un apspriedīsimies!“
8 Uz to es atbildēju viņam ar šādu savu atzinumu: „Nekas nav noticis no tā, ko tu apgalvo: tu pats savā prātā to esi izgudrojis!“
9 Patiesībā viņi visi centās mūs tikai iebiedēt, domādami: „Gan jau viņi atstāsies no darba, un tas paliks nepa-veikts!“ —Bet tagad stiprini manas rokas!
10 Reiz es iegāju Šemaja, Delajas dēla, Mehetabeēla dēla dēla, mājā. Viņš bija ieslēdzies un sacīja: patiksimies Dieva namā tempļa iekštelpās un aizslēgsim tempļa durvis, jo viņi taisās nākt tevi nogalināt, proti, nakti viņi taisās nākt, lai tevi nokautu.“
11 Bet es sacīju: „Vai tāds vīrs kā es lai bēgtu? Un vai tāds kā es lai ietu templī un glābtu savu dzīvību? Nē! Es neiešu tajā!“
12 Es biju sapratis, ka, lūk, Dievs nebija viņu sūtījis, bet viņš izteica šo pravietojumu pret mani, tādēļ ka Tobija un Sanballats bija viņu uzpirkuši.
13 Un, proti, tādēļ, lai es baidītos, darītu tā, grēkotu un lai man celtos neslava un apsmiekls.
14 Piemini, mans Dievs, Tobiju un Sanballatu pēc šiem viņu darbiem un arī pravieti Noadju un pārējos praviešus, kas gribēja mani iebiedēt!
15 Un mūri pabeidza elula mēneša divdesmit piektajā dienā piecdesmit divās dienās.
16 Uņ kad visi mūsu ienaidnieki to dzirdēja, tad visas nejūdu tautas, kas bija apkārt mums, izbijās, viņiem zuda drosme, un viņi kritās stipri paši savās acīs; viņi arī atzina, ka tas darbs ir padarīts ar mūsu Dieva palīdzību.
17 Tajās dienās arī Jūdas labieši sūtīja daudz vēstuļu Tobijam, un no Tobijas vēstules nāca pie viņiem,
18 Jo daudzi Jūdā bija saistīti ar zvērestu pie viņa, jo viņš bija Šechanjas, Aracha dēla, znots, un viņa dēls Johanans bija apņēmis Mešullāma, Berechjas dēla, meitu.
19 Viņi runāja pat manā klātbūtnē par viņa labajiem darbiem, un manus vārdus vini atstāstīja viņam; ari man Tobija sūtīja vēstules, lai mani iebiedētu.
