NSB(i)
1 Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.
2 And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said: »What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they make themselves strong? Will they make offerings? Will they get the work done in a day? Will they make the stones that have been burned come again out of the dust?«
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said: Such is their building that if a fox climbs to the top of it, their stonewall will be broken down.
4 Give ear, O our God, for we are ridiculed. Let their words of shame be turned back upon them, and let them be given up to plunder in a land where they are prisoners.
5 Do not let their wrongdoing be covered or their sin be washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.
6 So we went on building the wall. The entire wall was joined together halfway up. The people were working hard.
7 When the Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were very angry.
8 All of them conspired to come and launch an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.
9 We prayed to God and stationed men on watch against them day and night.
10 Judah said: »The strength of the workmen is giving way. There is a lot of rubbish so it is impossible for us to put up the wall.«
11 And our adversaries kept saying: »They will not know and they will not see until we come right in among them and put them to death. We will cause the work to cease.«