17. who were rebuilding the wall. Even those who carried building materials worked with one hand and kept a weapon in the other,
18. and everyone who was building kept a sword strapped to his waist. The man who was to sound the alarm on the bugle stayed with me.
19. I told the people and their officials and leaders, “The work is spread out over such a distance that we are widely separated from one another on the wall.
20. If you hear the bugle, gather round me. Our God will fight for us.”
21. So every day, from dawn until the stars came out at night, half of us worked on the wall, while the other half stood guard with spears.
22. During this time I told the men in charge that they and all their helpers had to stay in Jerusalem at night, so that we could guard the city at night as well as work in the daytime.
23. I didn't take off my clothes even at night, neither did any of my companions nor my servants nor my bodyguard. And we all kept our weapons to hand.