Nehemiah 4

1Now it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, and the Ammonites heard that the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and the gaping holes were being filled in, a great evil came over them.

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2For they all conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem.

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3And we prayed to our God and set watchmen to observe their presence day and night.

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4Then Judah said, 'The strength of the enemy is broken, but there is so much rubbish that we will be unable to do work on the wall.'

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5And our adversaries said, 'They will neither know nor see anything till we come into their midst and kill them and cause this work to cease.'

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6And so it was that the Jews, the ones dwelling near them, came and said to us, 'They are coming up against us from all sides.'

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7Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall in the sheltered areas, and I positioned the people by families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

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8And I looked and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, 'Do not be afraid of them. Remember our God, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'

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9And when our enemies heard their plan was known to us, and that God brought their plot to nothing, we returned, all of us, to the wall, each man to his own work.

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10So it was from that day forward, half of them did the work, and half of them took up defensive positions with spears, shields, bows, and breastplates. The rulers stood with the entire house of Judah.

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11Those who built on the wall and those who carried burdens loaded themselves in such a way that with one hand they held a weapon, and with the other hand they did the work.

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12Every one of the builders, as he built, had his sword girded at his side, while next to him was the one who sounded the trumpet.

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13Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, 'The work is great and extensive, and we are scattered across the entire wall, each man far from his brother.

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14Therefore, wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally together to meet us there. Our God will fight for us.'

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15So we labored in the work while the other half of the men held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.

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16And at that time I said to the people, 'Spend the night within the midst of Jerusalem; let the night be a guard for you, and let the day be for work.'

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17And I was there along with the watchmen behind me, and there was not one man of us who removed his clothing.

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