New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Nehemiah 4
1
Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall. So he burned with anger. He became very upset. He made fun of the Jews.
Reference
2
He spoke to his friends and the army of Samaria. He said, "What are those Jews trying to do? Can they make their city wall like new again? Will they offer sacrifices? Can they finish everything in a single day? The stones from their city wall and buildings are piled up like trash. And everything has been badly burned. Can they use those stones to rebuild everything again?"
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 1:27
3
Tobiah from Ammon was at Sanballat's side. He said, "What are they building? They're putting up a stone wall. But suppose a fox climbs on top of it. Even that will break it down!"
Reference
Parallel theme
Nehemiah 2:19
4
I prayed to God. I said, "Our God, please listen to our prayer. Some people hate us. They're making fun of us. So let others make fun of them. Let them be carried off like stolen goods. Let them be taken to another country as prisoners.
Reference
5
Don't hide your eyes from their guilt. Don't forgive their sins. They have made fun of the builders."
Reference
6
So we rebuilt the wall. We repaired it until all of it was half as high as we wanted it to be. The people worked with all their heart.
Reference
7
But Sanballat and Tobiah heard that Jerusalem's walls continued to be repaired. The Arabs and some people from Ammon heard the same thing. Some men from Ashdod heard about it too. They heard that the gaps in the wall were being filled in. So they burned with anger.
Reference
8
All of them made evil plans to come and fight against Jerusalem. They wanted to stir up trouble against it.
9
But we prayed to our God. We put guards on duty day and night to watch out for danger.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Peter 5:8
Psalm 50:15
Nehemiah 4:11
Prayer
Luke 21:36
Matthew 26:41
References God
Genesis 32:28
10
During that time, the people in Judah spoke up. They said, "The workers are getting weaker and weaker all the time. Broken stones are piled up everywhere. They are in our way. So we can't rebuild the wall."
11
And our enemies said, "We will be right there among them. We'll kill them. We'll put an end to their work. We'll do it before they even know it or see us."
12
Then the Jews who lived near our enemies came to us. They told us ten times, "No matter where you are, they'll attack us."
13
So I stationed some people behind the lowest parts of the wall. That's where our enemies could easily attack us. I stationed the people family by family. They had their swords, spears and bows with them.
14
I looked things over. Then I stood up and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people. I said, "Don't be afraid of your enemies. Remember the Lord. He is great and powerful. So fight for your brothers and sisters. Fight for your sons and daughters. Fight for your wives and homes."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 66:3
Psalm 65:5
Matthew 10:28
References Lord
2 Samuel 10:12
Numbers 14:9
Hebrews 13:6
Psalm 20:7
Nehemiah 1:5
Deuteronomy 10:17
Deuteronomy 1:21
15
Our enemies heard that we knew what they were trying to do. They heard that God had blocked their evil plans. So all of us returned to the wall. Each of us did our own work.
Reference
16
From that day on, half of my men did the work. The other half were given spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all of the people of Judah.
Reference
Parallel theme
Nehemiah 4:23
17
The people continued to build the wall. Those who carried supplies did their work with one hand. They held a weapon in the other hand.
Reference
18
Each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who blew the trumpet stayed with me.
19
Then I spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people. I said, "This is a big job. It covers a lot of territory. We're separated too far from one another along the wall.
20
When you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us at that location. Our God will fight for us!"
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 14:14
Exodus 14:25
Zechariah 14:3
References God
Deuteronomy 20:4
Deuteronomy 1:30
Deuteronomy 3:22
Joshua 23:10
21
So we continued the work. Half of the men held spears. We worked from the first light of sunrise until the stars came out at night.
22
At that time I also spoke to the people. I told them, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night. Then they can guard us at night. And they can work during the day."
23
My relatives and I didn't take our clothes off. My men and the guards didn't take theirs off either. Each man kept his weapon with him, even when he went to get water.
Chapter Summary
This chapter describes the growing opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls and the way Nehemiah responded to both discouragement and the threat of physical attack. At first, the opposition came through mockery and ridicule. Sanballat publicly questioned whether the Jews were capable of rebuilding the wall, while Tobiah sarcastically suggested that even a fox could knock it down. Their goal was to make the workers feel weak, foolish, and incapable of completing the project.
Nehemiah did not respond with an argument. Instead, he prayed to God and continued the work. The people remained committed, and the wall was eventually repaired around its entire circuit to approximately half its intended height. Their progress, however, made their opponents even more angry.
The opposition then became more serious. Sanballat and Tobiah were joined by groups from the surrounding regions, including Arabs, Ammonites, and people from Ashdod. These groups planned to attack Jerusalem and create confusion among the workers. The Jews responded by praying and establishing guards, showing an important principle in Nehemiah's leadership: faith in God was accompanied by practical preparation.
The people themselves began to feel the pressure. Workers were becoming tired, there was a large amount of rubble to clear, and some feared that the project was simply too difficult to finish. Meanwhile, Jews living near the surrounding enemies repeatedly warned that an attack could come from different directions.
Nehemiah responded by organizing the community for defense. He positioned families at vulnerable areas of the wall and equipped them with weapons. He then encouraged the people not to be afraid but to remember the Lord and fight for their families and homes. His message connected spiritual confidence with personal responsibility.
From that point forward, the workforce operated under a carefully organized defense system. Half of the people worked while the other half stood guard. Builders carried weapons while working, and a trumpeter remained beside Nehemiah so that workers scattered around the large wall could quickly gather if an attack occurred. The people worked from early morning until night, while guards protected the city after dark.
The chapter shows that rebuilding Jerusalem was not easy. The people faced ridicule, exhaustion, fear, threats, and the possibility of armed conflict. Yet they continued because they believed their work had a greater purpose. Nehemiah combined prayer, courage, organization, communication, and practical security measures rather than relying on only one of these.
The central lesson of the chapter is that opposition does not necessarily mean a project should stop. Nehemiah recognized the danger without allowing fear to control the community. He strengthened the people's faith while also preparing them realistically for conflict. By the end of the chapter, the workers were building with determination and defending themselves at the same time. The wall was becoming not only a physical structure but also a symbol of the community's perseverance, unity, and renewed determination to restore Jerusalem.
Nehemiah did not respond with an argument. Instead, he prayed to God and continued the work. The people remained committed, and the wall was eventually repaired around its entire circuit to approximately half its intended height. Their progress, however, made their opponents even more angry.
The opposition then became more serious. Sanballat and Tobiah were joined by groups from the surrounding regions, including Arabs, Ammonites, and people from Ashdod. These groups planned to attack Jerusalem and create confusion among the workers. The Jews responded by praying and establishing guards, showing an important principle in Nehemiah's leadership: faith in God was accompanied by practical preparation.
The people themselves began to feel the pressure. Workers were becoming tired, there was a large amount of rubble to clear, and some feared that the project was simply too difficult to finish. Meanwhile, Jews living near the surrounding enemies repeatedly warned that an attack could come from different directions.
Nehemiah responded by organizing the community for defense. He positioned families at vulnerable areas of the wall and equipped them with weapons. He then encouraged the people not to be afraid but to remember the Lord and fight for their families and homes. His message connected spiritual confidence with personal responsibility.
From that point forward, the workforce operated under a carefully organized defense system. Half of the people worked while the other half stood guard. Builders carried weapons while working, and a trumpeter remained beside Nehemiah so that workers scattered around the large wall could quickly gather if an attack occurred. The people worked from early morning until night, while guards protected the city after dark.
The chapter shows that rebuilding Jerusalem was not easy. The people faced ridicule, exhaustion, fear, threats, and the possibility of armed conflict. Yet they continued because they believed their work had a greater purpose. Nehemiah combined prayer, courage, organization, communication, and practical security measures rather than relying on only one of these.
The central lesson of the chapter is that opposition does not necessarily mean a project should stop. Nehemiah recognized the danger without allowing fear to control the community. He strengthened the people's faith while also preparing them realistically for conflict. By the end of the chapter, the workers were building with determination and defending themselves at the same time. The wall was becoming not only a physical structure but also a symbol of the community's perseverance, unity, and renewed determination to restore Jerusalem.