Nehemiæ 6
1 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat, et Tobias, et Gossem Arabs, et ceteri inimici nostri, quod ædificassem ego murum, et non esset in ipso residua interruptio (usque ad tempus autem illud valvas non posueram in portis)
When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and there were no gaps left—though at that time I still had not put the doors into the gates—
2 miserunt Sanaballat, et Gossem ad me, dicentes: Veni, et percutiamus fœdus pariter in viculis in Campo Ono. Ipsi autem cogitabant ut facerent mihi malum.
they sent a message to me, saying, “Come on, let's meet in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they intended to kill me.
3 Misi ergo ad eos nuncios, dicens: Opus grande ego facio, et non possum descendere: ne forte negligatur cum venero, et descendero ad vos.
So I sent messengers to tell them, “I'm busy with important work and I can't come down. Why should I stop what I'm doing and leave it to come and see you?”
4 Miserunt autem ad me secundum verbum hoc per quattuor vices: et respondi eis iuxta sermonem priorem.
They sent me the same message four times, and every time my reply was the same.
5 Et misit ad me Sanaballat iuxta verbum prius quinta vice puerum suum, et epistolam habebat in manu sua scriptam hoc modo:
Sanballat sent me the same message the fifth time by his servant, who brought in his hand an open letter.
6 IN GENTIBUS auditum est, et Gossem dixit, quod tu et Iudæi cogitetis rebellare, et propterea ædifices murum, et levare te velis super eos regem: propter quam causam
The letter read: “People around are saying, and Geshem confirms it, that you and the Jews are planning a rebellion, and that's why you're building the wall. You also plan to become their king, so they say,
7 et prophetas posueris, qui prædicent de te in Ierusalem, dicentes: Rex in Iudæa est. Auditurus est rex verba hæc: idcirco nunc veni, ut ineamus consilium pariter.
and you have even arranged for prophets in Jerusalem to announce for you, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ The king will soon get to hear about this. So come, and let's talk this over.”
8 Et misi ad eos, dicens: Non est factum secundum verba hæc, quæ tu loqueris: de corde enim tuo tu componis hæc.
I replied, telling him, “Nothing's happening like you're saying! In fact you're just making it all up!”
9 Omnes enim hi terrebant nos, cogitantes quod cessarent manus nostræ ab opere, et quiesceremus. Quam ob causam magis confortavi manus meas:
They were all just trying to scare us, telling themselves, “They won't have the strength to work so it won't ever get finished.” But I prayed, now make me strong!
10 et ingressus sum domum Semaiæ filii Dalaiæ filii Metabeel secreto. Qui ait: Tractemus nobiscum in domo Dei in medio templi, et claudamus portas ædis: quia venturi sunt ut interficiant te, et nocte venturi sunt ad occidendum te.
Later on, I went to Shemaiah's house (he was the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel) who had shut himself in his house. He said: “Come and meet me at the house of God inside the Temple. Then we can bolt the Temple doors shut because they are coming to kill you! They're coming to kill you tonight!”
11 Et dixi: Num quisquam similis mei fugit? Et quis ut ego ingredietur templum, et vivet? Non ingrediar.
I replied, “Should someone like me run away? Should someone like me go and hide in the Temple so I can survive? I'm not going!”
12 Et intellexi quod Deus non misisset eum, sed quasi vaticinans locutus esset ad me, et Tobias, et Sanaballat conduxissent eum.
I thought about it and saw that God hadn't sent him, but that he had spoken this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Acceperat enim pretium, ut territus facerem, et peccarem, et haberent malum, quod exprobrarent mihi.
They'd hired him thinking I'd be scared into doing something wrong. Then they'd be able to point the finger and ruin my reputation.
14 Memento mei Domine pro Tobia et Sanaballat, iuxta opera eorum talia: sed et Noadiæ prophetæ, et ceterorum prophetarum, qui terrebant me.
My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for doing this, and Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets too who tried to frighten me.
15 Completus est autem murus vigesimoquinto die mensis Elul, quinquaginta duobus diebus.
The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. It took fifty-two days.
16 Factum est ergo cum audissent omnes inimici nostri, ut timerent universæ gentes, quæ erant in circuitu nostro, et conciderent intra semetipsos, et scirent quod a Deo factum esset opus hoc.
When all our enemies found out they were frightened; all the nations around were very discouraged, for they recognized that this had been done by our God.
17 Sed et in diebus illis multæ optimatum Iudæorum epistolæ mittebantur ad Tobiam, et a Tobia veniebant ad eos.
At that time the nobles of Judah were exchanging many letters with Tobiah,
18 Multi enim erant in Iudæa habentes iuramentum eius, quia gener erat Secheniæ filii Area, et Iohanan filius eius acceperat filiam Mosollam filii Barachiæ:
because many people in Judah had sworn an oath of loyalty to him as he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah.
19 sed et laudabant eum coram me, et verba mea nunciabant ei: et Tobias mittebat epistolas ut terreret me.
They kept on telling me all the good things Tobiah was doing, and they reported to him what I said. Tobiah also sent letters to try and scare me.
