More Problems

6 Then Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and our other enemies heard that I had built the wall. We fixed all the holes in the wall. But we had not yet put the doors in the gates. ²So Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come Nehemiah, let’s meet together. We can meet in the town of Kephirim on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to hurt me. ³So I sent messengers to them with this answer: “I am doing important work, so I can’t come down. I don’t want the work to stop just so I can come down and meet with you.” ⁴Sanballat and Geshem sent the same message to me four times. And I sent back the same answer to them each time. ⁵Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his helper to me with the same message. And he had a letter in his hand that was not sealed. ⁶This is what that letter said: “There is a rumor going around. People are talking about it everywhere. And, by the way, Geshem says it is true. People are saying that you and the Jews are planning to turn against the king. That is why you are building the wall of Jerusalem. People are also saying that you will be the new king of the Jews. ⁷And the rumor is that you have chosen prophets to announce this about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ “Now I warn you, Nehemiah, King Artaxerxes will hear about this. So come, let’s meet and talk about this together.” ⁸So I sent this answer back to Sanballat: “Nothing you are saying is happening. You are just making all that up in your own head.” ⁹Our enemies were only trying to make us afraid. They are thinking to themselves, “The Jews will be afraid and too weak to keep on working. Then the wall won’t be finished.” But I prayed, “God, make me strong.” ¹⁰One day I went to the house of a man named Shemaiah son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had to stay in his house. Shemaiah said, “Nehemiah, let’s meet in God’s temple.* Let’s go inside the Holy Place* and lock the doors. Men are coming to kill you. Tonight they are coming to kill you.” ¹¹But I said to Shemaiah, “Should a man like me run away? You know that an {ordinary} man like me can’t go into the Holy Place without being put to death! I won’t go!” ¹²I knew that God had not sent Shemaiah. I knew that he had preached against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to do that. ¹³They hired Shemaiah to scare me and make me sin {by going into that part of the temple}. They were planning those bad things against me so they could embarrass me. ¹⁴God, please remember Tobiah and Sanballat. Remember the bad things they have done. Also remember the woman prophet Noadiah and the other prophets that have been trying to scare me.

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵So the wall of Jerusalem was finished on the 25th day of the month of Elul.* It had taken 52 days to finish building the wall. ¹⁶Then all our enemies heard that we had completed the wall. And all the nations around us saw that it was finished. So they lost their courage. Why? Because they understood that this work had been done with the help of our God. ¹⁷Also, in those days after the wall had been completed, the rich people of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah. And Tobiah was answering their letters. ¹⁸They sent those letters because many people in Judah had promised to be loyal to him. The reason for this is because Tobiah was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah. And Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam. Meshullam is the son of Berekiah. ¹⁹And in the past, those people had made a special promise to Tobiah. So those people kept telling me how good Tobiah was. And they kept telling Tobiah about the things I was doing. Tobiah kept sending me letters to make me afraid.

temple The special building in Jerusalem for Jewish worship.  Holy Place Literally, “palace.” Only priests were allowed to go into this part of the temple. Elul This was August-September, 443 B.C.

7 So, we finished building the wall. Then we put the doors in the gates. Then we chose the men that would guard the gates. And we chose the men to sing in the temple* and help the priests. ²Next, I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem. I chose another man named Hananiah to be the commander of the fort. I picked Hanani because he was a very honest man and he feared God more than most men do. ³Then I said to Hanani and Hananiah, “Each day you must wait until the sun has been up for several hours before you open the gates of Jerusalem. And you must shut and lock the gates before the sun goes down. Also choose people that live in Jerusalem as guards. Put some of those people at special places to guard the city. And put the other people near their own houses.”

The List of Captives That Returned

⁴Now the city was large and there was plenty of room. But there were few people in it and the houses had not yet been built again. ⁵So my God put it in my heart to have all the people meet together. I called together all the important people, the officials, and the common people. I did this so I could make a list of all the families. I found the family lists* of the people that had been the first to return from captivity. This is what I found written there: ⁶These are the people of the province that came back from captivity. In the past, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took these people as prisoners to Babylon. These people came back to Jerusalem and Judah. Each person went to his own town. ⁷These people returned with Zerubbabel*: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. This is the list of names and numbers of men from Israel that came back: ⁸The descendants* of Parosh 2,172 ⁹the descendants of Shephatiah 372 ¹⁰the descendants of Arah 652 ¹¹the descendants of Pahath Moab of the family line of Jeshua and Joab 2,818 ¹²the descendants of Elam 1,254 ¹³the descendants of Zattu 845 ¹⁴the descendants of Zaccai 760 ¹⁵the descendants of Binnui 648 ¹⁶the descendants of Bebai 628 ¹⁷the descendants of Azgad 2,322 ¹⁸the descendants of Adonikam 667 ¹⁹the descendants of Bigvai 2,067 ²⁰the descendants of Adin 655 ²¹the descendants of Ater through the family of Hezekiah 98 ²²the descendants of Hashum 328 ²³the descendants of Bezai 324 ²⁴the descendants of Hariph 112 ²⁵the descendants of Gibeon 95 ²⁶from the towns of Bethlehem and Netophah 188 ²⁷from the town of Anathoth 128 ²⁸from the town of Beth Azmaveth 42 ²⁹from the towns of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth 743 ³⁰from the towns of Ramah and Geba 621 ³¹from the town of Micmash 122 ³²from the towns of Bethel and Ai 123 ³³from the other town of Nebo 52 ³⁴from the other town of Elam 1,254 ³⁵from the town of Harim 320 ³⁶from the town of Jericho 345 ³⁷from the towns of Lod, Hadid, and Ono 721 ³⁸from the town of Senaah 3,930 ³⁹These are the priests: The descendants* of Jedaiah through the family of Jeshua 973 ⁴⁰the descendants of Immer 1,052 ⁴¹the descendants of Pashhur 1,247 ⁴²the descendants of Harim 1,017 ⁴³These are the people from the family group of Levi: The descendants* of Jeshua through Kadmiel through the family of Hodeiah* 74 ⁴⁴These are the singers: The descendants* of Asaph 148 ⁴⁵These are the gatekeepers: The descendants* of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai 138 ⁴⁶These are the special temple servants: The descendants* of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷Keros, Sia, Padon, ⁴⁸Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, ⁴⁹Hanan, Giddel, Gaher, ⁵⁰Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, ⁵¹Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, ⁵²Besai, Meunim, Nephussim, ⁵³Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵⁴Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵⁵Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁶Neziah and Hatipha. ⁵⁷These are the descendants* of the servants of Solomon: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, ⁵⁸Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁹Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth Hazzebaim, and Amon. ⁶⁰The temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392  ⁶¹Some people came to Jerusalem from these towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But these people could not prove that their families really came from the people of Israel: ⁶²The descendants* of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642 ⁶³From the family of priests there were the descendants* of: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (If a man married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead, that man was counted as a descendant of Barzillai.) ⁶⁴These people searched for their family histories, but they could not find them. They could not prove that their ancestors* were priests, so they could serve as priests. Their names were not included in the list of priests. ⁶⁵The governor ordered these people not eat any of the most holy food. They could not eat any of this food until the {high} priest could use the Urim and Thummim* to ask God what to do. ^66–67All together, there were 42,360 people in the group that came back. This is not counting their 7,337 men and women servants. They also had 245 men and women singers with them. ^68–69They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. ⁷⁰Some of the family leaders gave money to support the work. The governor gave 19 pounds* of gold to the treasury. He also gave 50 bowls and 530 pieces of clothing for the priests. ⁷¹The family leaders gave 375 pounds* of gold to the treasury to support the work. And they also gave 1 1/3 tons* of silver. ⁷²And all together the other people gave 375 pounds* of gold, 1 1/3 tons* of silver, and 67 pieces of clothing for the priests. ⁷³So, the priests, the people from the family group of Levi, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the temple servants settled down in their own towns. And all the other people of Israel settled down in their own towns. And by the seventh month* of the year all the people of Israel had settled down in their own towns.

temple The special building in Jerusalem for Jewish worship.  family lists See Ezra 2.  Zerubbabel He is also called Sheshbazzar. descendants A person’s children and all of their future families. Hodeiah Or, “Hodaviah.” descendants A person’s children and all of their future families. ancestors Literally, “fathers,” meaning a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the people they are descended from. Urim and Thummim Special stones kept in the Judgment Pouch and used by the high priest to ask for an answer from God. 19 pounds Literally, “1,000 drachmas.” 375 pounds Literally, “20,000 drachmas.” 1 1/3 tons Literally, “2,200 minas.” 375 pounds Literally, “20,000 drachmas.” 1 1/3 tons Literally, “2,000 minas.” seventh month That is, September-October.