A reading from the book of Nehemiah. Now when Sanballad heard that we were building the wall,

he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his

brothers and of the army of Samaria, what are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for

themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice?

Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish? And

burned ones at that? Tobiah the Emonite was beside him, and he said, yes, what they are

building? If a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.

Here, O our God, for we are despised, turn back their taunt on their own heads, and give them

up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from

your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. So we built the

wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

But when Sanballot and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashtodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going

forward, and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem

and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against

them day and night. In Judah it was said, the strength of those who bear the burdens is failing.

There is too much rubble.

By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.

And our enemies said,

They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.

At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times,

You must return to us.

So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their

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