fra Biblica1Men da Sanballat og Tobija så, at arbejdet på muren skred godt frem, og at de gabende huller blev repareret, blev de urolige og sendte bud om det til araberne, ammonitterne og ashdoditterne.2De dannede en sammensværgelse og lagde planer om at angribe Jerusalem for at sætte en stopper for arbejdet.3Men vi bad til vores Gud og satte vagtposter ved muren nat og dag.4Judæerne klagede over, at de, der skulle bære materialerne, var udmattede, og at der var så mange murbrokker, at de ikke kunne komme frem.5Samtidig planlagde vores fjender et overraskelsesangreb og sagde: „Før de når at se sig om, står vi midt i byen. Så slår vi dem ihjel og sætter en stopper for arbejdet!”6Men de arbejdere, der boede i de omliggende landsbyer, røbede deres planer og sagde gang på gang: „Fjenderne gør sig klar til at angribe os fra alle sider.”7Derfor opstillede jeg folkene familie for familie bevæbnet med sværd, spyd og buer bag ved muren på de steder, hvor den var lavest.8Da jeg så, hvor bange de var, sammenkaldte jeg lederne og folket og holdt en lille tale til dem: „I skal ikke være bange!” sagde jeg. „Husk på, at den almægtige Gud er med os! Så vær ved godt mod og kæmp for jeres slægtninge, sønner, døtre, koner og hjem!”9Da vores fjender blev klar over, at vi var blevet advaret, og at Gud havde forpurret deres planer om et overraskelsesangreb, vendte vi tilbage til arbejdet på muren.10Men fra da af arbejdede vi altid i to hold. Mens halvdelen af folket var i gang, stod den anden halvdel sammen med lederne bag ved dem og holdt vagt i fuld rustning, bevæbnet med spyd, skjolde og buer.11De, der slæbte sten, var også bevæbnet. De brugte den ene hånd til at bære sten og holdt spyddet i den anden.12De, der byggede på muren, havde deres sværd i bæltet, mens de arbejdede. Hornblæseren holdt sig hele tiden tæt ved mig, parat til at blæse alarm.13„Det er et omfattende projekt, vi er i gang med,” forklarede jeg folket og deres ledere, „og vi er spredt ud over et stort område.14Så snart der bliver blæst alarm, skal I straks samle jer der, hvor lyden kommer fra. Så vil vores Gud kæmpe for os!”15Således arbejdede vi fra daggry til solnedgang, mens halvdelen altid stod vagt.16Jeg gav ordre til, at alle, der boede uden for muren, skulle overnatte inde i byen, så de og deres tjenestefolk kunne deltage i arbejdet om dagen og holde vagt om natten.17Både jeg selv og mine folk sov med tøjet på, og vi gik aldrig nogen steder ubevæbnet.[1]
1[1] Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. (Neh 2,10; Neh 2,19; Neh 4,7)2And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?[2] Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” (1.Kong 16,24)3Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” (Neh 4,1; Klag 5,18)4Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. (Salm 79,12; Salm 123,3)5Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. (Salm 69,27; Salm 109,14; Jer 18,23)6So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.7[3] But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. (Neh 4,1)8And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. (Salm 83,3)9And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.10In Judah it was said,[4] “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.”11And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.”12At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”[5]13So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.14And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (4.Mos 14,9; 5.Mos 1,29; 5.Mos 7,21; 5.Mos 10,17; 2.Sam 10,12)
The Work Resumes
15When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. (Job 5,12)16From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, (2.Krøn 26,14)17who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.18And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.19And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. (Neh 4,14)20In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” (2.Mos 14,14; 2.Mos 14,25; 5.Mos 1,30; 5.Mos 3,22; 5.Mos 20,4; Josva 23,10)21So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out.22I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.”23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.[6] (Neh 4,17)