¹Kad su Sanbalat, Tobija, Arapi, Amonci i Ašdođani čuli da napreduje popravljanje jeruzalemskih zidova - jer su se počele zatvarati pukotine - veoma se ražestiše.

¹And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

²Zakleše se svi zajedno da će napasti Jeruzalem i da će nas smesti.

²And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? shall they be permitted to go on? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, when they are burned?

³Mi smo tada zazvali Boga našega i postavljali smo dnevnu i noćnu stražu da bismo zaštitili grad.

³And Tobijah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox went up, it would break down their stone wall. --

⁴A Židovi govorahu: "Snage su nosačima klonule, a ruševina je mnogo: nećemo nikada stići sagraditi zida!"

⁴Hear, our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in a land of captivity!

⁵A naši neprijatelji rekoše: "Uvući ćemo se među njih prije nego što doznaju i opaze nas: tada ćemo ih poubijati i tako osujetiti pothvat!"

⁵And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked the builders.

⁶A kad bi došli Židovi koji žive kraj njih, po deset bi nas puta upozoravali: "Idu protiv vas iz svih mjesta u kojima stanuju!"

⁶But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half thereof; for the people had a mind to work.

⁷Postavili smo se u nizinama, iza zida i na goletima; rasporedio sam narod po rodovima, s mačevima, kopljima i lukovima.

⁷And it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobijah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired, that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

⁸Kad sam vidio kako se boje, ustao sam i objavio velikašima, odličnicima i ostalom narodu ovo: "Ne bojte se ovih ljudi! Mislite na Gospoda, velikoga i strašnoga, i borite se za svoju braću, za sinove i kćeri svoje, za žene i kuće svoje!"

⁸and conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

⁹Kad su naši neprijatelji čuli da smo obaviješteni i da je Bog osujetio njihovu osnovu, mogli smo se vratiti k zidu, svaki svome poslu.

⁹Then we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

¹⁰Ali je od toga dana samo polovica mojih momaka obavljala posao, a ostali su držali koplja, štitove, lukove i oklope, a glavari stajali iza doma Judina,

¹⁰And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens faileth, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build at the wall.

¹¹koji je gradio zid. I nosači tereta držali su oružje: jednom je rukom svaki radio svoj posao, a u drugoj mu bilo oružje.

¹¹And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them and kill them, and put an end to the work.

¹²Svaki je od graditelja, dok je radio, nosio mač pripasan uz bok. Trubač je stajao kraj mene.

¹²And it came to pass that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us so ten times, from all the places whence they returned to us,

¹³Rekao sam velikašima, odličnicima i ostalom narodu: "Posao je velik i zamašan, a mi se rasuli po zidu, daleko jedni od drugih:

¹³I set in the lower places behind the wall in exposed places, I even set the people, according to their families, with their swords, their spears and their bows.

¹⁴skupite se oko nas na mjesto gdje čujete glas trube, a Bog naš borit će se za nas."

¹⁴And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.

¹⁵Tako smo obavljali posao od rane zore do prvih zvijezda. Polovica je bila naoružana kopljima.

¹⁵And it came to pass that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had defeated their counsel, we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.

¹⁶U to sam vrijeme još rekao narodu: "Svaki sa svojim slugom neka noći u Jeruzalemu: po redu ćemo noću stražariti, a danju raditi."

¹⁶And from that time forth the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the corslets; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah.

¹⁷Ni ja, ni moja braća, ni moji momci, ni stražari koji su me pratili nismo skidali svojih haljina, svatko je držao pri ruci svoje oružje.

¹⁷They that built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that loaded, wrought in the work with one hand, and with the other they held a weapon.

¹⁸And the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

¹⁹And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extended, and we are scattered upon the wall, one far from another:

²⁰in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; our God will fight for us.

²¹And we laboured in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn till the stars appeared.

²²Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and [be for] labour in the day.

²³And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our garments: every one had his weapon on his right side.