5,814 verses contain “Was” (in the KJV: 4,655, in the BSB: 3,504) — showing 2,401–2,500
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And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that
was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of
Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the
remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
So they went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites at the doors had collected from the people of
Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the
remnant of Israel, Judah, and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem.
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD written by Moses.
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported, “Your servants are doing all that has been placed in their hands.
And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
They have paid out the money that was found in the house of the LORD and have put it into the hands of the supervisors and workers.”
Because thine heart
was tender, and thou
didst humble
thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst
thyself before me, and
didst rend thy clothes, and
weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.
because your heart
was tender and you humbled
yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled
yourself before Me and you have
torn your clothes and
wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.
And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king’s commandment.
So the service was prepared; the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.
So all the service of the LORD
was prepared the same day, to keep the
passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king
Josiah.
So on that day the entire service of the LORD
was carried out for
celebrating the
Passover and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King
Josiah.
And there
was no
passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a
passover as
Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
No such
Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a
Passover like the one that
Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.
His servants therefore took him out of that
chariot, and put him in the second
chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and
was buried in one of the
sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem
mourned for
Josiah.
So his servants took him out of his
chariot, put him in his second
chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And
Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem
mourned for him.
Now the rest of the acts of
Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which
was written in the law of the LORD,
As for the rest of the acts of
Josiah, along with his deeds of loving devotion according to what is written in the Law of the LORD—
Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which
was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
Now the rest of the acts of
Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which
was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and
Jehoiachin his son reigned in his
stead.
As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoiakim, the abominations he committed, and all that
was found against him, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son
Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which
was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
And when the year
was expired, king
Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made
Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
In the spring, King
Nebuchadnezzar summoned
Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made
Jehoiachin’s relative
Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.
But they
mocked the messengers of God, and
despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there
was no remedy.
But they
mocked the messengers of God,
despising His words and
scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people
was stirred up beyond remedy.
And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.
And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and
livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their
freewill offerings.
And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty
knives,
This
was the
inventory: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils,
And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name:
And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with
Urim and with
Thummim.
The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there
was a priest to
consult the
Urim and
Thummim.
The whole congregation together
was forty and two thousand three hundred and
threescore,
The whole assembly numbered 42,360,
And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.
And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear
was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings
thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.
From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.
On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.
And they
sang together by course in praising and giving
thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people
shouted with a great
shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD
was laid.
And they
sang responsively with praise and
thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion to Israel endures
forever.” Then all the people gave a great
shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house
was laid before their eyes,
wept with a loud voice; and many
shouted aloud for joy:
But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple
wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others
shouted joyfully.
So that the people could not
discern the noise of the
shout of joy from the noise of the
weeping of the people: for the people
shouted with a loud
shout, and the noise
was heard
afar off.
The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of
weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound
was heard from
afar.
And in the reign of
Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an
accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
And in the days of
Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto
Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter
was written in the
Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the
Syrian tongue.
And in the days of
Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to
Artaxerxes. It
was written in
Aramaic and then translated.
Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it
was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and
certified the king;
Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king
That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a
rebellious city, and
hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved
sedition within the same of old time: for which cause
was this city destroyed.
that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and
verify that the city is a
rebellious city,
harmful to kings and provinces,
inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city
was destroyed.
And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and
sedition have been made therein.
I issued a decree, and a search
was conducted. It
was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times,
engaging in rebellion and
sedition.
There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and
toll, tribute, and custom,
was paid unto them.
And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and
toll were paid to them.
Now when the copy of king
Artaxerxes’ letter
was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the
scribe, and their companions, they went up in
haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
When the text of the letter from King
Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the
scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and
forcibly stopped them.
Then the prophets,
Haggai the prophet, and
Zechariah the son of
Iddo,
prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
Later, the prophets
Haggai and
Zechariah son of
Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who
was over them.
But the eye of their God
was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to
Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.
But the eye of their God
was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report
was sent to
Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.
They sent a letter unto him, wherein
was written thus; Unto
Darius the king, all peace.
The report they sent him read as follows: To King
Darius: All peace.
And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.
And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which
Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that
was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one, whose name
was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;
He also removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which
Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor
Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s
treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree
was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.
Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a search be made of the royal
archives in Babylon to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
Then
Darius the king made a decree, and search
was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
Thus King
Darius ordered a search of the
archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.
And there
was found at
Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein
was a record thus written:
And a
scroll was found in the fortress of
Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it:
Memorandum:
And this house
was finished on the third day of the month
Adar, which
was in the sixth year of the reign of
Darius the king.
And this temple
was completed on the third day of the month of
Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King
Darius.
This
Ezra went up from Babylon; and he
was a ready
scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
this
Ezra came up from Babylon. He
was a
scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted
Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God
was upon him.
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the
gracious hand of his God
was upon him.
And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. And because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
And since the
gracious hand of our God
was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;
For I
was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and
horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that
forsake him.
For I
was ashamed to ask the king for an
escort of soldiers and
horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is
gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who
forsake Him.”
So we fasted and
besought our God for this: and he
was intreated of us.
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
Then we departed from the river of
Ahava on the
twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God
was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
On the
twelfth day of the first month we set out from the
Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God
was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and
bandits along the way.
Now on the fourth day
was the silver and the gold and the vessels
weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him
was Eleazar the son of
Phinehas; and with them
was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we
weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest.
Eleazar son of
Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.
By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.
Everything
was verified by number and weight, and the total weight
was recorded at that time.
Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel,
ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this
was a burnt offering unto the LORD.
Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
Then
Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he
mourned because of the
transgression of them that had been carried away.
Then
Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he
ate no food and
drank no water, because he
was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
And they made
proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
And a
proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem.
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It
was the ninth month, on the
twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God,
trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the
twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God,
trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain.
These are the words of
Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the
twentieth year, while I
was in the citadel of
Susa,
O Lord, I
beseech thee, let now thine ear be
attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and
prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I
was the king’s
cupbearer.
O Lord, may Your ear be
attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to
revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I
was the
cupbearer to the king.)
And it came to pass in the month
Nisan, in the
twentieth year of
Artaxerxes the king, that wine
was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been
beforetime sad in his presence.
Now in the month of
Nisan, in the
twentieth year of King
Artaxerxes, when wine
was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been
sad in his presence,
Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance
sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I
was very
sore afraid,
so the king said to me, “Why is your face
sad, though you are not ill? This could only be
sadness of the heart.” I
was overwhelmed with fear
And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be
sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’
sepulchres, lieth
waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
and replied to the king, “May the king live
forever! Why should I not be
sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
And a letter unto
Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which
appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
And may I have a letter to
Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the
gracious hand of my God
was upon me, the king granted my requests.
But when
Sanballat the Horonite and
Tobiah the
Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither
was there any beast with me, save the beast that I
rode upon.
I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell
anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me
was the one on which I
was riding.
Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s
pool: but there
was no place for the beast that
was under me to pass.
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s
Pool, but there
was no room for the animal under me to get through;
And the rulers knew not
whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
I also told them about the
gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
The Fish Gate
was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and
installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
The Jeshanah Gate
was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and
installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.
The Valley Gate
was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it,
installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he build it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
The Dung Gate
was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and
installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of
Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of
Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the
pool of
Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.
The Fountain Gate
was repaired by Shallun son of
Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of
Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and
installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the
Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.
After him repaired
Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the
sepulchres of David, and to the
pool that
was made, and unto the house of the mighty.
Beyond him,
Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial
pool and the House of the Mighty.
Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.
and Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the angle and the tower that juts out from the upper palace of the king near the
courtyard of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh
Now
Tobiah the
Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
Then
Tobiah the
Ammonite, who
was beside him, said, “If even a fox were to
climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”
So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
But it came to pass, that when
Sanballat, and
Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the
Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very
wroth,
When
Sanballat and
Tobiah, together with the Arabs,
Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem
was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were
furious,
And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it
was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to
nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had
frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall.
For the builders, every one had his sword
girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the
trumpet was by me.
And each of the builders worked with his sword
strapped at his side. But the
trumpeter stayed beside me.
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water.
And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
And I
was very
angry when I heard their cry and these words.
When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely
angry,
Moreover from the time that I
was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the
twentieth year even unto the two and
thirtieth year of
Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
Furthermore, from the day King
Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his
twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers
ate the food
allotted to the governor.
Now that which
was prepared for me daily
was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the
bondage was heavy upon this people.
Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine
was provided. But I did not demand the food
allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people
was so heavy.
Now it came to pass, when
Sanballat, and
Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there
was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)
When
Sanballat,
Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a
gap was left—though to that time I had not yet
installed the doors in the gates—
Wherein
was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to
rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.
that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are
plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,
Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who
was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to
slay thee;
yea, in the night will they come to
slay thee.
Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you!”
Therefore
was he
hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
He had been
hired to
intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
So the wall
was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month
Elul, in fifty and two days.
So the wall
was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of
Elul.
And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and
disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
For there were many in Judah
sworn unto him, because he
was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.