Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, December 21st, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible
Good News Translation
Nehemiah 6:3
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."
Jump to:Bible Study Tools • Parallel Bible Verse • Bible Contextual Overview • Bible Cross-References • Gill's Bible Notes • Clarke's Bible Notes
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanParallel Translations
Christian Standard Bible®
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
Hebrew Names Version
I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?
I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?
King James Version
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
English Standard Version
And 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?"
And 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?"
New Century Version
So I sent messengers to them with this answer: "I am doing a great work, and I can't come down. I don't want the work to stop while I leave to meet you."
So I sent messengers to them with this answer: "I am doing a great work, and I can't come down. I don't want the work to stop while I leave to meet you."
New English Translation
So I sent messengers to them saying, "I am engaged in an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?"
So I sent messengers to them saying, "I am engaged in an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?"
Amplified Bible
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to [meet with] you?"
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to [meet with] you?"
New American Standard Bible
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
World English Bible
I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?
I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore I sent messengers vnto them, saying, I haue a great worke to doe, and I can not come downe: why should the worke cease, whiles I leaue it, and come downe to you?
Therefore I sent messengers vnto them, saying, I haue a great worke to doe, and I can not come downe: why should the worke cease, whiles I leaue it, and come downe to you?
Legacy Standard Bible
So 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?"
So 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?"
Berean Standard Bible
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?"
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?"
Contemporary English Version
So I sent messengers to tell them, "My work is too important to stop now and go there. I can't afford to slow down the work just to visit with you."
So I sent messengers to tell them, "My work is too important to stop now and go there. I can't afford to slow down the work just to visit with you."
Complete Jewish Bible
so I sent them messengers with this message: "I'm too busy with important work to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?"
so I sent them messengers with this message: "I'm too busy with important work to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?"
Darby Translation
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?
Easy-to-Read Version
So I sent messengers to them with this answer: "I am doing important work, so I cannot come down. I don't want the work to stop just so I can come down and meet with you."
So I sent messengers to them with this answer: "I am doing important work, so I cannot come down. I don't want the work to stop just so I can come down and meet with you."
George Lamsa Translation
And I sent a messenger to them, saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down, lest the work cease, while I leave it and come down to you.
And I sent a messenger to them, saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down, lest the work cease, while I leave it and come down to you.
Lexham English Bible
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I am not able to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you all?"
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I am not able to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you all?"
Literal Translation
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Notwithstondynge I sent messaungers vnto them, sayenge: I haue a greate busynes to do, I can not come downe. The worke shulde stonde still, yf I were necligent, and came downe to you.
Notwithstondynge I sent messaungers vnto them, sayenge: I haue a greate busynes to do, I can not come downe. The worke shulde stonde still, yf I were necligent, and came downe to you.
American Standard Version
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
Bible in Basic English
And I sent men to them saying, I am doing a great work, so that it is not possible for me to come down: is the work to be stopped while I go away from it and come down to you?
And I sent men to them saying, I am doing a great work, so that it is not possible for me to come down: is the work to be stopped while I go away from it and come down to you?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I sent messengers vnto them, saying: I haue a great businesse to do, and I can not come downe: Why should the worke ceasse, whilest I leaue it and come downe to you?
And I sent messengers vnto them, saying: I haue a great businesse to do, and I can not come downe: Why should the worke ceasse, whilest I leaue it and come downe to you?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I sent messengers unto them, saying: 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?'
And I sent messengers unto them, saying: 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?'
King James Version (1611)
And I sent messengers vnto them, saying, I am doing a great worke, so that I can not come down: why should the worke cease, whilest I leaue it, and come downe to you?
And I sent messengers vnto them, saying, I am doing a great worke, so that I can not come down: why should the worke cease, whilest I leaue it, and come downe to you?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I shall not be able to come down, lest the work should cease: as soon as I shall have finished it, I will come down to you.
So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I shall not be able to come down, lest the work should cease: as soon as I shall have finished it, I will come down to you.
English Revised Version
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Y sente messangeris to hem, and Y seide, Y make a greet werk, and Y mai not go doun, lest perauenture it be doon retchelesli, whanne Y come, and go doun to you.
Therfor Y sente messangeris to hem, and Y seide, Y make a greet werk, and Y mai not go doun, lest perauenture it be doon retchelesli, whanne Y come, and go doun to you.
Update Bible Version
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?
Webster's Bible Translation
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I [am] doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I [am] doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
New King James Version
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"
So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"
New Living Translation
so I replied by sending this message to them: "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?"
so I replied by sending this message to them: "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?"
New Life Bible
So I sent men with word 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?"
So I sent men with word 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?"
New Revised Standard
So 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 to come down to you?"
So 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 to come down to you?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So I sent unto them messengers, saying, A great work, am, I, doing, and cannot come down, - wherefore should the work cease whilst I leave it, and come down unto you?
So I sent unto them messengers, saying, A great work, am, I, doing, and cannot come down, - wherefore should the work cease whilst I leave it, and come down unto you?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I sent messengers to them, saying: I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down, lest it be neglected whilst I come, and go down to you.
And I sent messengers to them, saying: I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down, lest it be neglected whilst I come, and go down to you.
Revised Standard Version
And 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?"
And 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?"
Young's Literal Translation
And I send unto them messengers, saying, `A great work I am doing, and I am not able to come down; why doth the work cease when I let it alone, and have come down unto you?'
And I send unto them messengers, saying, `A great work I am doing, and I am not able to come down; why doth the work cease when I let it alone, and have come down unto you?'
THE MESSAGE
"I'm Doing a Great Work; I Can't Come Down" When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn't yet installed the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: "Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono." I knew they were scheming to hurt me so I sent messengers back with this: "I'm doing a great work; I can't come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?"
"I'm Doing a Great Work; I Can't Come Down" When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn't yet installed the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: "Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono." I knew they were scheming to hurt me so I sent messengers back with this: "I'm doing a great work; I can't come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So 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?"
So 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?"
Contextual Overview
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!"
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
And I sent: Proverbs 14:15, Matthew 10:16
I am doing: Ecclesiastes 9:10, Luke 14:30, John 9:4, 1 Timothy 4:15, 1 Timothy 4:16
Reciprocal: Ezra 4:24 - So Nehemiah 6:11 - Should such Acts 6:2 - we should Acts 8:1 - except
Cross-References
Genesis 6:1
When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born,
When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born,
Genesis 6:13
God said to Noah, "I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their violent deeds.
God said to Noah, "I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their violent deeds.
Genesis 6:14
Build a boat for yourself out of good timber; make rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out.
Build a boat for yourself out of good timber; make rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out.
Genesis 6:15
Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
Genesis 6:16
Make a roof for the boat and leave a space of 18 inches between the roof and the sides. Build it with three decks and put a door in the side.
Make a roof for the boat and leave a space of 18 inches between the roof and the sides. Build it with three decks and put a door in the side.
Genesis 6:18
but I will make a covenant with you. Go into the boat with your wife, your sons, and their wives.
but I will make a covenant with you. Go into the boat with your wife, your sons, and their wives.
Numbers 11:17
I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the spirit I have given you and give it to them. Then they can help you bear the responsibility for these people, and you will not have to bear it alone.
I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the spirit I have given you and give it to them. Then they can help you bear the responsibility for these people, and you will not have to bear it alone.
Nehemiah 9:30
Year after year you patiently warned them. You inspired your prophets to speak, but your people were deaf, so you let them be conquered by other nations.
Year after year you patiently warned them. You inspired your prophets to speak, but your people were deaf, so you let them be conquered by other nations.
Psalms 78:39
He remembered that they were only mortal beings, like a wind that blows by and is gone.
He remembered that they were only mortal beings, like a wind that blows by and is gone.
Isaiah 5:4
Is there anything I failed to do for it? Then why did it produce sour grapes and not the good grapes I expected?
Is there anything I failed to do for it? Then why did it produce sour grapes and not the good grapes I expected?
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And I sent messengers unto them,.... He did not show any open contempt of them, nor did he even return answer by the messenger that came from them, but sent some of his own people to them:
saying, I am doing a great work; was about an affair of great importance, very busy, and not at leisure to give them a meeting:
so that I cannot come down; Jerusalem being built on an eminence, and the place proposed to meet at in a plain, going thither is expressed by coming down:
why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you? signifying that it would cease if he left it; and it being of greater consequence than anything they could have to converse about, he argues it would be wrong to relinquish it on such an account; this was the reason he thought fit to give, but was not the only, nor the principal reason, which is suggested in the preceding verse.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Nehemiah 6:3. I am doing a great work — Though he knew their design, he does not think it prudent to mention it. Had he done so, they would probably have gone to extremities, finding that they were discovered; and perhaps in a formidable body attacked Jerusalem, when ill provided to sustain such a shock. They wished to effect their purpose rather by treachery than by open violence. I know not any language which a man who is employed on important labours can use more suitably, as an answer to the thousand invitations and provocations he may have to remit his work, enter into useless or trivial conferences, or notice weak, wicked, and malicious attacks on his work and his motives: "I am doing a great work, so I cannot stoop to your nonsense, or notice your malevolence. Why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to such as you?"
