10. Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite leader heard about this. They were upset that someone had come to help the Israelites.
11. I went to Jerusalem and stayed there three days.
12. Then at night I started out with a few men. I had not told anyone what God had caused me to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me except the one I was riding.
13. It was night. I went out through the Valley Gate. I rode toward the Dragon Well and the Trash Gate. I was inspecting the walls of Jerusalem. They had been broken down. And the gates had been destroyed by fire.
14. Then I rode on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool. But there was not enough room for the animal I was riding to get through.
15. So I went up the valley at night. I was inspecting the wall. Finally, I turned and went back in through the Valley Gate.
16. The officers did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet said anything to the Jews, the priests, the important men or the officers. I had not said anything to any of the others who would do the work.
17. Then I said to them, “You can see the trouble we have here. Jerusalem is a pile of ruins. And its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Then we won’t be full of shame any longer.”
18. I also told them how God had been kind to me. And I told them what the king had said to me.Then they answered, “Let’s start rebuilding.” So they began to work hard.
19. But Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite leader and Geshem the Arab heard about it. They made fun of us and laughed at us. They said, “What are you doing? Are you turning against the king?”
20. But I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are God’s servants. We will start rebuilding. But you have no share in Jerusalem. You have no claim or past right to it.”