Nehemiah Builds despite Opposition

When Sanballat heard that the wall was being rebuilt, he became angry and mocked the Jews. Tobiah also sneered at the work. But the builders did not stop. They kept building until the wall was joined together to half its height, because the people were determined to work.

Then Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites grew angry and planned to fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion. So the people prayed to God and set a watch day and night. Some were tired, and warnings of attack kept coming. Nehemiah placed people by family groups with weapons and told them to remember the Lord and not be afraid.

When the enemies realised their plan had been discovered, the people returned to the wall. From then on, some worked while others stood ready with spears, shields, bows, and armour. The builders were spread out, so a trumpet would call everyone together if danger came. They worked from morning until the stars appeared and stayed in Jerusalem at night for guarding.

Later, when the breaches were closed, though the doors were not yet set in place, Sanballat and Geshem tried to draw Nehemiah away from the work. They asked him four times to meet them, and he refused. Then an open letter accused him of planning rebellion and wanting to be king. Nehemiah replied that the report was invented, and he prayed for strength.

Shemaiah then urged Nehemiah to hide in the temple, but Nehemiah realised that God had not sent this message. It was meant to frighten him into sin. Nehemiah also faced pressure because Tobiah had ties with some nobles in Judah, and letters kept passing between them. Even so, the wall was finished in fifty-two days, and the nations around saw that God had done this work.

After the wall was built and the doors were set in place, Nehemiah appointed gatekeepers, singers, and Levites. He put his brother Hanani and Hananiah, the governor of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem. He ordered the gates to stay closed until the day was warm, and he told the people to keep watch, each near his own house.