Nehemiah

Nehemiah 6 ©

1 Sanballat practiseth against Nehemiah by insidious attempts, 5 false rumours, 10 and hired prophecies. 15 The wall is finished to the great dismay of the enemy. 17 The nobles of Judah hold traitorous intelligence with Tobiah.

1

NOW it came to pass, when aSanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no bbreach left therein; (though at that time I chad not set up the doors upon the gates;)

b ch. 4.6.
c ch. 3.3,6.
2

That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us dmeet together in some one of the villages in the eplain of Ono. But fthey thought to do me mischief.

3

And I gsent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

4

Yet they sent unto me hfour times after this *sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

5

Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

6

Wherein was written, iIt is reported among the heathen, and 1Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to jrebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.

7

And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us ktake counsel together.

8

Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but lthou feignest them out of thine own heart.

9

For they all made us mafraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, nO God, strengthen my hands.

10

Afterward I came unto the house of oShemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was pshut up; and he said, qLet 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.

11

And I said, Should rsuch a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

12

And, lo, I sperceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13

Therefore was he hired, that I should tbe afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that uthey might reproach me.

14

vMy God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the wprophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

15

¶So the wall was xfinished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

16

And it came to pass, that when yall our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were zmuch cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

y ch. 2.10; 4.1,7.
17

¶Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah 2sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.

18

For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of aArah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of bMeshullam the son of Berechiah.

19

Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my 3words to him. And Tobiah sent cletters to put me in fear.

c v.2,6,7,10,14.