Nehemiah 4

1 Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσε Σαναβαλλὰτ καὶ Τωβία καὶ οἱ Ἄραβες καὶ οἱ Ἀμμανίται, ὅτι ἀνέβη ἡ φυὴ τοῖς τείχεσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅτι ἤρξαντο αἱ διασφαγαὶ ἀναφράσσεσθαι, καὶ πονηρὸν αὐτοῖς ἐφάνη σφόδρα.

2 Καὶ συνήχθησαν πάντες ἐπιτοαυτὸ, ἐλθεῖν παρατάξασθαι ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ποιῆσαι αὐτὴν ἀφανῆ.

3 Καὶ προσηυξάμεθα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐστήσαμεν προφύλακας ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν.

4 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἰούδας, συνετρίβη ἡ ἰσχὺς τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ ὁ χοῦς πολὺς, καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ δυνησόμεθα οἰκοδομεῖν ἐν τῷ τείχει.

5 Καὶ εἶπαν οἱ θλίβοντες ἡμᾶς, οὐ γνώσονται καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται, ἕως ὅτου ἔλθωμεν εἰς μέσον αὐτῶν, καὶ φονεύσωμεν αὐτοὺς καὶ καταπαύσωμεν τὸ ἔργον.

6 Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤλθοσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ οἰκοῦντες ἐχόμενα αὐτῶν, καὶ εἴποσαν ἡμῖν, ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐκ πάντων τῶν τόπων ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς.

7 Καὶ ἔστησα εἰς τὰ κατώτατα τοῦ τόπου κατόπισθεν τοῦ τείχους ἐν τοῖς σκεπεινοῖς, καὶ ἔστησα τὸν λαὸν κατὰ δήμους μετὰ ῥομφαιῶν αὐτῶν, λόγχας αὐτῶν, καὶ τόξα αὐτῶν.

8 Καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἀνέστην, καὶ εἶπα πρὸς τοὺς ἐντίμους καὶ πρὸς τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς καταλοίπους τοῦ λαοῦ, μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, μνήσθητε τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ φοβεροῦ, καὶ παρατάξασθε περὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, υἱῶν ὑμῶν, θυγατέρων ὑμῶν, γυναικῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ οἴκων ὑμῶν.

9 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡνίκα ἤκουσαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν ὅτι ἐγνώσθη ἡμῖν, καὶ διεσκέδασεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐπεστρέψαμεν πάντες ἡμεῖς εἰς τὸ τεῖχος, ἀνὴρ εἰς τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ.

10 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἥμισυ τῶν ἐκτετιναγμένων ἐποίουν τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἥμισυ αὐτῶν ἀντείχοντο, καὶ λόγχαι καὶ θυρεοὶ καὶ τόξα καὶ θώρακες καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὀπίσω παντὸς οἴκου Ἰούδα τῶν οἰκοδομούντων ἐν τῷ τείχει,

11 καὶ οἱ αἴροντες ἐν τοῖς ἀρτῆρσιν ἐν ὅπλοις· ἐν μιᾷ χειρὶ ἐποίει αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἐκράτει τὴν βολίδα.

12 Καὶ οἱ οἰκοδόμοι ἀνὴρ ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ ἐζωσμένος ἐπὶ τὴν ὀσφῦν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ᾠκοδομοῦσαν· καὶ ὁ σαλπίζων ἐν τῇ κερατίνῃ ἐχόμενα αὐτοῦ.

13 Καὶ εἶπα πρὸς τοὺς ἐντίμους καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ πρὸς τοὺς καταλοίπους τοῦ λαοῦ, τὸ ἔργον πλατὺ καὶ πολὺ, καὶ ἡμεῖς σκορπιζόμεθα ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους μακρὰν ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ.

14 Ἐν τόπῳ οὗ ἐὰν ἀκούσητε τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κερατίνης, ἐκεῖ συναχθήσεσθε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πολεμήσει περὶ ἡμῶν.

15 Καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦντες τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἥμισυ αὐτῶν κρατοῦντες τὰς λόγχας ἀπὸ ἀναβάσεως τοῦ ὄρθρου ἕως ἐξόδου τῶν ἄστρων.

16 Καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ εἶπα τῷ λαῷ, ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ νεανίσκου αὐτοῦ αὐλίσθητε ἐν μέσῳ Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ ἔστω ὑμῖν ἡ νὺξ προφυλακὴ, καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἔργον.

17 Καὶ ἤμην ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς προφυλακῆς ὀπίσω μου, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐκδιδυσκόμενος ἀνὴρ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ.

1 But it came to pass, when Sanaballat and Tobia, and the Arabians, and the Ammanites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was advancing, and that the breaches began to be stopped, that it appeared very grievous to them.

2 And all of them assembled together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to destroy it utterly.

3 So we prayed to our God and set watchmen against them day and night, because of them.

4 And Juda said, The strength of the enemies is broken, yet there is much rubbish, and we shall not be able to build the wall.

5 And they that afflicted us said, They shall not know, and they shall not see, until we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

6 And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived near them came, that they said to us, They are coming up against us from every quarter.

7 So I set men in the lowest part of the place behind the wall in the lurking-places, I even set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

8 And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the captains, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember our great and terrible God, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

9 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was made known to us, and God had frustrated their counsel, that we all returned to the wall, every man to his work.

10 And it came to pass from that day that half of them that had been driven forth, wrought the work, and half of them kept guard; and there were spears, and shields, and bows, and breast-plates, and rulers behind the whole house of Juda,

11 even of them that were building the wall:—and those who carried the burdens were under arms: each with one hand wrought his work, and with the other held his dart.

12 And the builders wrought each man having his sword girt upon his loins, and so they built: and the trumpeter with his trumpet next to him.

13 And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and abundant, and we are dispersed upon the wall, each at a great distance from his brother.

14 In whatsoever place ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, thither gather yourselves together to us; and our God shall fight for us.

15 So we continued labouring at the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

16 And at that time I said to the people, Lodge ye every man with his servant in the midst of Jerusalem, and let the night be a watch-time to you, and the day a work-time.

17 And I was there , and the watchmen behind me, and there was not a man of us that put off his garments.