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Nehemiah 6

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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¹ When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies ⓒ heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it ⓓ — though at that time I had not installed the doors in the city gates ⓔ —

² Sanballat and Geshem ⓕ sent me a message: “Come, let’s meet together in the villages of [1] the Ono Valley.” ⓖ They were planning to harm me.

³ So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

⁴ Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply.

⁵ Sanballat ⓗ sent me this same message a fifth time by his aide, who had an open letter in his hand.

⁶ In it was written: It is reported among the nations — and Geshem [2] ⓘ agrees — that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king

⁷ and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: “There is a king in Judah.” ⓙ These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let’s confer together.

⁸ Then I replied to him, “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.” ⓚ

⁹ For they were all trying to intimidate ⓛ us, saying, “They will drop their hands from [3] the work, ⓜ and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands. ⓝ

¹⁰ I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to his house. He said: Let’s meet at the house of God, inside the temple. Let’s shut the temple doors because they’re coming to kill you. They’re coming to kill you tonight! [4]

¹¹ But I said, “Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live? ⓐ I will not go.”

¹² I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and Sanballat ⓑ had hired him.

¹³ He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, ⓒ do as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me.

¹⁴ My God, remember ⓓ Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiah ⓔ and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.

¹⁵ The wall was completed ⓕ in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. ⓖ

¹⁶ When all our enemies ⓗ heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated ⓘ and lost their confidence, [5] for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God. ⓙ

¹⁷ During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, ⓚ and Tobiah’s letters came to them.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah’s good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate ⓝ me.

#	CSB
1	When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies ⓒ heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it ⓓ — though at that time I had not installed the doors in the city gates ⓔ —
2	Sanballat and Geshem ⓕ sent me a message: “Come, let’s meet together in the villages of [1] the Ono Valley.” ⓖ They were planning to harm me.
3	So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
4	Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply.
5	Sanballat ⓗ sent me this same message a fifth time by his aide, who had an open letter in his hand.
6	In it was written: It is reported among the nations — and Geshem [2] ⓘ agrees — that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king
7	and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: “There is a king in Judah.” ⓙ These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let’s confer together.
8	Then I replied to him, “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.” ⓚ
9	For they were all trying to intimidate ⓛ us, saying, “They will drop their hands from [3] the work, ⓜ and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands. ⓝ
10	I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to his house. He said: Let’s meet at the house of God, inside the temple. Let’s shut the temple doors because they’re coming to kill you. They’re coming to kill you tonight! [4]
11	But I said, “Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live? ⓐ I will not go.”
12	I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and Sanballat ⓑ had hired him.
13	He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, ⓒ do as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me.
14	My God, remember ⓓ Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiah ⓔ and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.
15	The wall was completed ⓕ in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. ⓖ
16	When all our enemies ⓗ heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated ⓘ and lost their confidence, [5] for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God. ⓙ
17	During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, ⓚ and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
18	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.
19	These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah’s good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate ⓝ me.

Footnotes & Cross-References

Footnotes

^{Nehemiah 6:2 [13]} Or in Kephirim

^{Nehemiah 6:6 [14]} Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem

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