1參巴拉的惱恨與譏笑當參巴拉聽見我們正在重建城牆，就很忿怒，非常惱恨，並且譏諷猶大人。
1But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2在他的兄弟和撒瑪利亞的軍隊面前，說：“這些軟弱的猶大人在作甚麼呢？想自己修築城牆嗎？想要獻祭嗎？想要在一天之內完成嗎？想要使廢土堆中被火燒過的石頭復活嗎？”
2He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?”
3亞捫人多比雅在參巴拉旁邊說：“這些人建造的，只要一隻狐狸走上去，石牆就崩塌。”
3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”
4“我們的 神啊，求你垂聽，我們被藐視，求你使他們的毀謗歸到他們頭上，使他們在被擄之地成為掠物。
4“Hear, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their reproach on their own head, give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;
5不要遮蔽他們的罪孽，也不要從你面前塗抹他們的罪惡，因為他們在這些建造的人面前惹你發怒。”
5don’t cover their iniquity, and don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
6這樣，我們重建城牆，把全部城牆連接起來，城牆達到一半的高度，因為眾人都全心作工。（本章第1~6節在《馬索拉抄本》為3:33~38）
6So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height: for the people had a mind to work.
7敵人密謀攔阻與破壞當參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人聽見耶路撒冷城牆重修工程仍然進行，已經堵塞城牆的缺口，就非常忿怒。（本節在《馬索拉抄本》為4:1）
7But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, then they were very angry;
8他們就一同計劃陰謀要來攻擊耶路撒冷，製造混亂。
8and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.
9所以我們向我們的 神禱告，又因他們的緣故，設立守衛，日夜防備他們。
9But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10因為有些猶大人說：“搬運的人氣力已經衰弱，但瓦礫仍多，我們不能再建城牆了！”
10Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11同時我們的敵人說：“趁著他們不知道，還未看見之前，我們就進入他們中間，殺死他們，使那工程停止。”
11Our adversaries said, “They shall not know, neither see, until we come into their midst, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12住在他們附近的一些猶大人，也曾十次前來通知我們說：“他們將從各方上來攻擊你們。”（或譯：“他們十次從各方來對我們說：‘你們來到我們這裡吧！’”本節頗殘缺，意義難確定。）
12It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13所以我分派眾人站崗，在低窪或高處，在城牆後隱蔽處或空曠的地方，叫他們按著家族，帶著刀、槍和弓。
13Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14我巡視之後，就起來，對貴族、官長和其餘的人民說：“不要怕他們，要記得主是偉大可畏的，要為你們的兄弟、兒女、妻子和你們的家爭戰。”
14I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
15一面工作、一面防守我們的仇敵既然聽見我們知道了這陰謀， 神也破壞了他們的計謀，就不敢來了。我們全都回到城牆那裡，各人回到原來的工作崗位。
15It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.
16從那天起，我的僕人一半工作，一半緊握著槍、盾牌、弓和盔甲。眾領袖都站在猶大全家的後面。
16It happened from that time forth, that half of my servants worked in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17那些在城牆建造城牆，搬運重物的，都是一隻手作工，一隻手緊握兵器。
17They all built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands worked in the work, and with the other held his weapon;
18建造的人，都腰間佩著刀來建造；吹號角的人在我旁邊。
18and the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19我對貴族、官長和其餘的人民說：“這工程浩大，範圍廣闊；我們在城牆上彼此相隔很遠。
19I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.
20所以你們無論在甚麼地方，一聽見號角聲，就要集合到我們那裡來。我們的 神必為我們爭戰。”
20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.”
21我們就這樣作工；一半人緊握著槍，從黎明直到星宿出現的時候。
21So we worked in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22那時，我又對眾人說：“各人和他的僕人都要在耶路撒冷城中過夜，這樣他們可以在夜間作我們的守衛，日間工作。”
22Likewise at the same time said I to the people, “Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.”
23這樣，我與我的兄弟、我的僕人和跟隨我的人，都不脫衣服，各人時常右手拿著自己的兵器（原文殘缺，傳統有譯作“各人只有在沐浴時才脫衣服”，或“各人打水的時候，都手裡拿著自己的兵器”）。
23So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.