Nehemiah 4:1-6
THE PLANS OF THE ADVERSARIES... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PLANS OF THE ADVERSARIES... [ Continue Reading ]
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, the Samaritan leader, heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, being filled with jealous rage, AND MOCKED THE JEWS, not daring to use violence on account of the favor shown the Jews by the Persian monarch.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, for he may actually have brought an armed force in sight of Jerusalem to intimidate the Jews, and said, WHAT DO THESE FEEBLE JEWS? They were weak both as to wealth and as to numbers. WILL THEY FORTIFY THEMSELVES? WILL THEY SACRIFICE? WILL THE... [ Continue Reading ]
Now, Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, Nehemiah 2:10, and he said, EVEN THAT WHICH THEY BUILD, IF A FOX GO UP, HE SHALL EVEN BREAK DOWN THEIR STONE WALL. Tobiah seconded his master in the attempted ridicule by declaring that the strength of a fox, many of which had made their dens on Mount Zion during... [ Continue Reading ]
Hear, O our God; for we are despised; and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity,... [ Continue Reading ]
and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before Thee; for they have provoked Thee to anger before the builders, in the sight of the Jews engaged in the work of building the walls, or, vexed with alarm the builders. It was not a vindictive utterance, but a prophetic pra... [ Continue Reading ]
So built we the wall, continuing in spite of all the efforts of the enemies to discourage them; AND ALL THE WALL WAS JOINED TOGETHER UNTO THE HALF THEREOF, the half of the intended height; FOR THE PEOPLE HAD A MIND TO WORK, with the exception of a few, who were related to the Samaritans, they worked... [ Continue Reading ]
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, such tribes as took the side of the Samaritans, AND THE AMMONITES, those incited by Tobiah, AND THE ASHDODITES, the inhabitants of this Philistine city with their ancient hatred of the Jews, HEARD THAT THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM WER... [ Continue Reading ]
Nehemiah's Precautions... [ Continue Reading ]
and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, to make it seem that they all together were acting in behalf of the king, and to hinder it, to cause confusion and wickedness.... [ Continue Reading ]
Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them, to ward off any sudden attack.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Judah, the Jews, said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, they were becoming weak from the strain of restless building, AND THERE IS MUCH RUBBISH, very disagreeable to remove, SO THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO BUILD THE WALL.... [ Continue Reading ]
And our adversaries said, They shall not know neither see till we come in the midst among them, in a sudden, destructive attack, AND SLAY THEM, AND CAUSE THE WORK TO CEASE.... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass that, when the Jews which dwelt by them came, from the towns near the enemy, THEY SAID UNTO US TEN TIMES, very frequently, FROM ALL PLACES WHENCE YE SHALL RETURN UNTO US THEY WILL BE UPON YOU, or, "From all places ye shall return unto us. " The enemies had succeeded in intimidati... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, where the wall was lowest in height, AND ON THE HIGHER PLACES, literally, "the exposed parts," where an attack had most chances of being successful, I EVEN SET THE PEOPLE AFTER THEIR FAMILIES WITH THEIR SWORDS, THEIR SPEARS, AND THEIR BOWS, these... [ Continue Reading ]
And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, since it seemed that the whole community was being infected with fear, AND TO THE RULERS AND TO THE REST OF THE PEOPLE, BE NOT YE AFRAID OF THEM; REMEMBER THE LORD, WHICH IS GREAT AND TERRIBLE, who may well be expected to inspire awe and fear in t... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, by causing it to be revealed, THAT WE RETURNED ALL OF US TO THE WALL, EVERY ONE UNTO HIS WORK, which had been abandoned at the first alarm.... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass from that time forth that the half of my servants, the special detachment under his command, WROUGHT IN THE WORK, AND THE OTHER HALF OF THEM HELD BOTH THE SPEARS, THE SHIELDS, AND THE BOWS, AND THE HABERGEONS, in full armor, with their weapons ready for defense; AND THE RULERS WE... [ Continue Reading ]
They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, that is, the burden-bearers while carrying, EVERY ONE WITH ONE OF HIS HANDS WROUGHT IN THE WORK AND WITH THE OTHER HAND HELD A WEAPON, a javelin, or small spear.... [ Continue Reading ]
For the builders, those employed in masonwork on the wall, EVERY ONE HAD HIS SWORD GIRDED BY HIS SIDE AND SO BUILDED. AND HE THAT SOUNDED THE TRUMPET WAS BY ME, ready to sound the alarm at any time.... [ Continue Reading ]
And I said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.... [ Continue Reading ]
In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us, rushing to the assistance of the attacked point at once; OUR GOD SHALL FIGHT FOR US.... [ Continue Reading ]
So we labored in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared, with tireless vigilance.... [ Continue Reading ]
Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, those living in distant villages and towns and even in the suburbs making their home in the capital for the time being, THAT IN THE NIGHT THEY MAY BE A GUARD TO US AND LABOR ON THE DAY, even at n... [ Continue Reading ]
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, all those of Nehemiah's immediate family, together with his attendants, NONE OF US PUT OFF OUR CLOTHES, SAVING THAT EVERY ONE PUT THEM OFF FOR WASHING, literally, "man his weapon the water," which may mean th... [ Continue Reading ]