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¹Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews,

²saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap — and charred ones at that?”

³Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”

⁴Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land!

⁵Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.”

⁶At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.

⁷But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious.

⁸They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.

⁹But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.

¹⁰Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.”

¹¹Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”

¹²The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!”

¹³So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.

¹⁴Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”

¹⁵When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.

¹⁶But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah

¹⁷who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.

¹⁸All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.

¹⁹Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.

²⁰When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”

²¹We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard.

²²I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.

²³During this time, none of us — not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me — ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.

¹About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews.

²They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.”

³Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.”

⁴And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.

⁵We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”

⁶When I heard their complaints, I was very angry.

⁷After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.

⁸At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.

⁹Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?

¹⁰I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest.

¹¹You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”

¹²They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised.

¹³I shook out the folds of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you like this from your homes and from your property!” The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

¹⁴For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah — from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes — neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance.

¹⁵The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.

¹⁶I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall.

¹⁷I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands!

¹⁸The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden.

¹⁹Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.

¹Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained — though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates.

²So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me,

³so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?”

⁴Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.

⁵The fifth time, Sanballat’s servant came with an open letter in his hand,

⁶and this is what it said: “There is a rumor among the surrounding nations, and Geshem tells me it is true, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. According to his reports, you plan to be their king.

⁷He also reports that you have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim about you, ‘Look! There is a king in Judah!’ “You can be very sure that this report will get back to the king, so I suggest that you come and talk it over with me.”

⁸I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.”

⁹They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.

¹⁰Later I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said, “Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight.”

¹¹But I replied, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!”

¹²I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹³They were hoping to intimidate me and make me sin. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me.

¹⁴Remember, O my God, all the evil things that Tobiah and Sanballat have done. And remember Noadiah the prophet and all the prophets like her who have tried to intimidate me.

¹⁵So on October 2 the wall was finished — just fifty-two days after we had begun.

¹⁶When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.

¹⁷During those fifty-two days, many letters went back and forth between Tobiah and the nobles of Judah.

¹⁸For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him because his father-in-law was Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.

¹⁹They kept telling me about Tobiah’s good deeds, and then they told him everything I said. And Tobiah kept sending threatening letters to intimidate me.

¹After the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in the gates, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.

²I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.

³I said to them, “Do not leave the gates open during the hottest part of the day. And even while the gatekeepers are on duty, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own homes.”

⁴At that time the city was large and spacious, but the population was small, and none of the houses had been rebuilt.

⁵So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there:

⁶Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived.

⁷Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the number of the men of Israel who returned from exile:

⁸The family of Parosh — 2,172

⁹The family of Shephatiah — 372

¹⁰The family of Arah — 652

¹¹The family of Pahath-moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) — 2,818

¹²The family of Elam — 1,254

¹³The family of Zattu — 845

¹⁴The family of Zaccai — 760

¹⁵The family of Bani — 648

¹⁶The family of Bebai — 628

¹⁷The family of Azgad — 2,322

¹⁸The family of Adonikam — 667

¹⁹The family of Bigvai — 2,067

²⁰The family of Adin — 655

²¹The family of Ater (descendants of Hezekiah) — 98

²²The family of Hashum — 328

²³The family of Bezai — 324

²⁴The family of Jorah — 112

²⁵The family of Gibbar — 95

²⁶The people of Bethlehem and Netophah — 188

²⁷The people of Anathoth — 128

²⁸The people of Beth-azmaveth — 42

²⁹The people of Kiriath-jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth — 743

³⁰The people of Ramah and Geba — 621

³¹The people of Micmash — 122

³²The people of Bethel and Ai — 123

³³The people of West Nebo — 52

³⁴The citizens of West Elam — 1,254

³⁵The citizens of Harim — 320

³⁶The citizens of Jericho — 345

³⁷The citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono — 721

³⁸The citizens of Senaah — 3,930

³⁹These are the priests who returned from exile: The family of Jedaiah (through the line of Jeshua) — 973

⁴⁰The family of Immer — 1,052

⁴¹The family of Pashhur — 1,247

⁴²The family of Harim — 1,017

⁴³These are the Levites who returned from exile: The families of Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah ) — 74

⁴⁴The singers of the family of Asaph — 148

⁴⁵The gatekeepers of the families of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai — 138

⁴⁶The descendants of the following Temple servants returned from exile: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷Keros, Siaha, Padon,

⁴⁸Lebanah, Hagabah, Shalmai,

⁴⁹Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

⁵⁰Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

⁵¹Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

⁵²Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,

⁵³Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

⁵⁴Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

⁵⁵Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

⁵⁶Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁷The descendants of these servants of King Solomon returned from exile: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

⁵⁸Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

⁵⁹Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.

⁶⁰In all, the Temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392.

⁶¹Another group returned at this time from the towns of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer. However, they could not prove that they or their families were descendants of Israel.

⁶²This group included the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda — a total of 642 people.

⁶³Three families of priests — Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai — also returned. (This Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai of Gilead, and he had taken her family name.)

⁶⁴They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests.

⁶⁵The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the LORD about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim — the sacred lots.

⁶⁶So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah,

⁶⁷in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 singers, both men and women.

⁶⁸They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules,

⁶⁹435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰Some of the family leaders gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins, 50 gold basins, and 530 robes for the priests.

⁷¹The other leaders gave to the treasury a total of 20,000 gold coins and some 2,750 pounds of silver for the work.

⁷²The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, about 2,500 pounds of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.

⁷³So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel. Ezra Reads the Law In October, when the Israelites had settled in their towns,