Nehemiah 4 · נחמיה

But it came to pass, that when Sanvallat, and Toviyya, and the ῾Arvians, and the ῾Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Yerushalayim were being repaired, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry,

and they conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Yerushalayim, and to cause confusion in it.

Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

And Yehuda said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is failing, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.

And our adversaries said, They shall neither know, nor see, until we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

And it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places where you shall return, they will be upon us.

Therefore in the lower places behind the wall on the bare face of the rock, I stationed the people; I stationed them according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and awe inspiring, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.

And it came to pass from that time onwards, that the half of my servants did the work, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Yehuda.

They who built the wall, and they who bore burdens, loaded themselves in such a way that with one of his hands each laboured in the work, and with the other hand he held a weapon.

For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so he built. And he who sounded the shofar was by me.

And I said to 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, far from one another.

In whatever place you hear the sound of the shofar, rally to us there: our God shall fight for us.

So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Yerushalayim, so that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour in the day.

So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes: everyone brought his weapon with him, even to the water.