Study Desk

I also need lumber for the heavy wooden beams for the gates, the walls, the walls around the Temple, and my house. So I need a letter from you to Asaph, who is in charge of your forests." The king gave me the letters and everything I asked for. The king did that because my God was kind to me.

So I went to the governors of the area west of the Euphrates River and gave them the letters from the king. The king had also sent army officers and soldiers on horses with me.

So I went up the valley in the dark, inspecting the wall. Finally, I turned back and went back in through the Valley Gate.

I also told them that my God had been kind to me. I told them what the king had said to me. Then they answered, "Let's start to work, now!" So we began this good work.

So all these men got together and made plans against Jerusalem. They planned to stir up trouble against Jerusalem. They planned to come and fight against the city.

But we prayed to our God. And we put guards on the walls to watch day and night so that we could be ready to meet them.

And so at that time the people of Judah said, "The workers are becoming tired. There is too much dirt and trash in the way. We cannot continue to build the wall.

So I put some of the people behind the lowest places along the wall, and I put them by the holes in the wall. I put families together, with their swords, spears, and bows.

Then our enemies heard that we knew about their plans. They knew that God ruined their plans. So we all went back to work on the wall. Everyone went back to their own place and did their part.

So if you hear the trumpet, run to that place. We will all meet together there, and our God will fight for us!"

So we continued to work on the wall of Jerusalem, and half the men held spears. We worked from the first light of the morning until the stars came out at night.

So none of us took off our clothes—not me, not my brothers, not my men, and not the guards. Each of us had our weapon ready at all times, even when we went to get water.

And still other people were saying, "We have to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. But we cannot afford to pay, so we are borrowing money to pay the tax.

So I continued speaking. I said, "What you people are doing is not right! You know that you should fear and respect our God. You should not do the shameful things other people do!

Then I shook out the folds of my clothes. I said, "God will do the same thing to everyone who does not keep their promise. God will shake them out of their houses and they will lose everything they worked for. They will lose everything!" I finished saying these things and all the people agreed. They all said, "Amen" and praised the Lord . So the people did as they had promised.

But the governors who ruled before me made life hard for the people. The governors forced everyone to pay 1 pound of silver. They also made the people give them food and wine. The leaders under these governors also ruled over the people and made life even harder. But I respected and feared God, so I didn't do things like that.

So Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, Nehemiah, let's meet together. We can meet in the town of Kephirim on the plain of Ono." But they were planning to hurt me.

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."

And the rumor is that you have chosen prophets to announce this about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!' "Now I warn you, Nehemiah, King Artaxerxes will hear about this. So come, let's meet and talk about this together."

So I sent this answer back to Sanballat: "Nothing you are saying is happening. You are just making all that up in your own head."