<p class="bodytext">The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand.

I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Now one of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I banished him from my sight.p>

When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official<n id="1" /> heard all this, they were very displeased that someone had come to seek benefit for the Israelites.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext"><v id="(3:33)" /><n id="1" /> Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews,

Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, &#8220;Come on! Let&#8217;s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim<n id="1" /> in the plain of Ono.&#8221; Now they intended to do me harm.p>

<p class="bodytext">Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs &#8211; also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who were trying to scare me!p>

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard all this,<n id="1" /> they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said, &#8220;What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext"><v id="(4:1)" /><n id="1" /> When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem<n id="2" /> had moved ahead and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry.

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates),