¹Now it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)

¹Sanbalat, Tobia, Gesyem dan musuh-musuh kami yang lain mendengar bahwa kami selesai memperbaiki tembok, dan bahwa semua lubangnya sudah ditutup, meskipun pada waktu itu kami belum memasang daun-daun pintu pada pintu-pintu gerbang kota.

²That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

²Maka Sanbalat dan Gesyem mengirim undangan kepadaku supaya datang mengadakan pertemuan dengan mereka di salah satu desa di Lembah Ono. Tetapi aku tahu bahwa mereka mau mencelakakan aku.

³And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

³Sebab itu kukirim jawaban ini kepada mereka, "Aku tak bisa datang karena sedang melakukan pekerjaan penting. Pekerjaan itu akan macet kalau kutinggalkan untuk bertemu dengan kalian."

⁴Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

⁴Sampai empat kali mereka mengirim undangan yang sama kepadaku, dan setiap kali pula kuberikan jawaban yang sama.

⁵Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

⁵Pada kali yang kelima seorang anak buah Sanbalat datang dan memberikan surat terbuka

⁶Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.

⁶yang isinya demikian: "Gesyem membenarkan adanya desas-desus di kalangan bangsa-bangsa di sekitar sini, yang mengatakan bahwa Saudara dan semua orang Yahudi merencanakan pemberontakan, dan itu sebabnya Saudara memperbaiki tembok kota. Ia mengatakan juga bahwa Saudara hendak mengangkat diri menjadi raja Yehuda,

⁷And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

⁷dan telah menunjuk beberapa nabi untuk menobatkan Saudara di Yerusalem. Desas-desus itu pasti akan sampai kepada raja. Sebab itu, datanglah untuk merundingkan hal itu."

⁸Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

⁸Tetapi aku mengirimkan jawaban ini, "Semua yang Saudara katakan itu omong kosong dan isapan jempol Saudara sendiri."

⁹For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

⁹Mereka mencoba menakut-nakuti kami supaya kami menghentikan pekerjaan itu. Aku berdoa, "Ya Allah, kuatkanlah aku!"

¹⁰Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

¹⁰Sekitar waktu itu juga, aku pergi ke rumah Semaya anak Delaya dan cucu Mehetabeel, karena ia berhalangan datang kepadaku. Katanya kepadaku, "Mari kita berdua pergi bersembunyi di Rumah Tuhan. Kita kunci semua pintunya, sebab ada orang yang mau membunuh engkau. Barangkali malam ini engkau akan dibunuh."

¹¹And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

¹¹Tetapi aku menjawab, "Aku ini bukan orang yang suka melarikan diri. Sebagai orang awam aku tak boleh memasuki Rumah Tuhan, nanti aku mati. Tidak, aku tidak mau!"

¹²And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹²Setelah kutimbang-timbang hal itu, sadarlah aku bahwa ajakan Semaya itu bukan dari Allah, melainkan dari Tobia dan Sanbalat. Mereka telah menyuap Semaya untuk menyampaikan nubuat itu kepadaku.

¹³Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

¹³Maksud mereka ialah supaya aku takut dan menuruti saran mereka sehingga berbuat dosa. Dengan demikian mereka mendapat kesempatan menjelekkan namaku sehingga aku menjadi buah bibir orang.

¹⁴My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

¹⁴Aku berdoa, "Ya Allah, ingatlah apa yang dilakukan oleh Tobia dan Sanbalat itu. Hukumlah mereka! Begitu juga nabiah yang bernama Noaja dan nabi-nabi lain yang mau menakut-nakuti aku."

¹⁵So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

¹⁵Perbaikan tembok itu makan waktu 52 hari, dan selesai pada tanggal dua puluh lima bulan Elul.

¹⁶And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

¹⁶Ketika musuh-musuh kami di antara bangsa-bangsa di sekitar situ mendengar hal itu, mereka takut kehilangan muka, sebab semua orang tahu bahwa pekerjaan itu dilakukan dengan pertolongan Allah.

¹⁷Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.

¹⁷Sementara itu para pemimpin Yahudi masih juga mengadakan surat-menyurat dengan Tobia.

¹⁸For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

¹⁸Banyak orang Yahudi berteman dengan Tobia, karena ia menantu Sekhanya anak Arah. Lagipula Yohanan, anak Tobia, kawin dengan anak perempuan Mesulam anak Berekhya.

¹⁹Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

¹⁹Meskipun Tobia terus-menerus menulis surat kepadaku untuk menakut-nakuti aku, namun para pemimpin Yahudi itu menyebut-nyebut di depanku segala kebaikan Tobia. Selain itu semua yang kukatakan, mereka laporkan kepadanya.