The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter<n id="1" /> remained with me.p>

<p class="bodytext">I sent word back to him, &#8220;We are not engaged in these activities you are describing.<n id="1" /> All of this is a figment of your imagination.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But prior to this time, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been appointed over the storerooms<n id="1" /> of the temple of our God.

<t /><p class="bodytext"><v id="(10:1)" /><n id="1" /> &#8220;Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant<n id="2" /> in written form;<n id="3" /> our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names<n id="4" /> on the sealed document.&#8221;p>

Shallum son of Hallohesh, head of a half-district of Jerusalem, worked on the section adjacent to him, assisted by his daughters.<n id="1" />p>

Then the king, with his consort<n id="1" /> sitting beside him, replied, &#8220;How long would your trip take, and when would you return?&#8221; Since the king was amenable to dispatching me,<n id="2" /> I gave him a time.

<p class="bodytext">So I sent messengers to them saying, &#8220;I am engaged in<n id="1" /> an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?&#8221;

You performed awesome signs<n id="1" /> against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians<n id="2" /> had acted presumptuously<n id="3" /> against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day.

Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a member of the goldsmiths&#8217; guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. Hananiah, a member of the perfumers&#8217; guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. They plastered<n id="1" /> the city wall of Jerusalem<n id="2" /> as far as the Broad Wall.

You split the sea before them, and they crossed through<n id="1" /> the sea on dry ground! But you threw their pursuers<n id="2" /> into the depths, like a stone into surging<n id="3" /> waters.

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" />

Nehemiah son of Azbuk, head of a half-district of Beth Zur, worked after him as far as the tombs of David and the artificial pool and the House of the Warriors.p>

<p class="bodytext">And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a woman from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

<p class="bodytext">Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform<n id="1" /> constructed for this purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing<n id="1" /> a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.p>

So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking &#8220;Why is the temple of God neglected?&#8221; Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions.<n id="1" />p>

So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, &#8220;What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

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">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>

So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, &#8220;You will not marry off<n id="1" /> your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!