8. and decided to stir up trouble, and to fight against the people of Jerusalem.
9. But we kept on praying to our God, and we also stationed guards day and night.
10. Meanwhile, the people of Judah were singing a sorrowful song:“So much rubble for us to haul!Worn out and weary,will we ever finish this wall?”
11. Our enemies were saying, “Before those Jews know what has happened, we will sneak up and kill them and put an end to their work.”
12. On at least ten different occasions, the Jews living near our enemies warned us against attacks from every side,
13. and so I sent people to guard the wall at its lowest places and where there were still holes in it. I placed them according to families, and they stood guard with swords and spears and with bows and arrows.
14. Then I looked things over and told the leaders, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don't be afraid of your enemies! The Lord is great and fearsome. So think of him and fight for your relatives and children, your wives and homes!”
15. Our enemies found out that we knew about their plot against us, but God kept them from doing what they had planned. So we went back to work on the wall.
16. From then on, I let half of the young men work while the other half stood guard. They wore armour and had spears and shields, as well as bows and arrows. The leaders helped the workers