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15 And the fountain-gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the chief of the district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its locks and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, and to the stairs that go down from the city of David.
16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the chief of the half district of Beth-zur, even over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty [men].
17 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, the chief of the half district of Keilah, for his district.
18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the chief of the half district of Keilah.
19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, a second piece over against the going up to the armoury at the angle.
20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another piece, from the angle to the entry of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
21 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib as far as the end of the house of Eliashib.
22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain [of Jordan].
23 After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, by his house.
24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah to the angle, as far as the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the angle, and the high tower that lies out from the king's house, which was by the court of the prison. After him, Pedaiah the son of Parosh.
26 (Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, even over against the water-gate toward the east, and the tower which lies out.)
27 After him the Tekoites repaired a second piece, over against the great tower which lies out, as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 From above the horse-gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.
29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. And after him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.
30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, a second piece. After them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.
31 After him repaired Malchijah of the goldsmiths to the place of the Nethinim and of the dealers, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.
32 And between the ascent of the corner and the sheep-gate repaired the goldsmiths and the dealers.
4 And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2 And 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?
3 And 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.—
4 Hear, 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!
5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked the builders.
6 But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half thereof; for the people had a mind to work.
7 And 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,
8 and conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 Then we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 And 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.
11 And 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.
12 And 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,
13 I 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.
14 And 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.
15 And 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.
16 And 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.
17 They 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.
18 And the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 And 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:
20 in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; our God will fight for us.
21 And we laboured in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn till the stars appeared.
22 Likewise 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.
23 And 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.
5 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2 And there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many, and we must procure corn that we may eat and live.
3 And there were that said, We have had to pledge our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses, that we might procure corn in the dearth.
4 And there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and vineyards;
5 yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and behold, we must bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage [already]; neither is it in the power of our hand [to redeem them], for other men have our fields and our vineyards.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 And I consulted with myself; and I remonstrated with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother! And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said to them, We, according to our ability, have redeemed our brethren the Jews, who were sold to the nations; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? And they were silent and found no answer.
9 And I said, The thing that ye do is not good. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, so as not to be the reproach of the nations our enemies?
10 I also, my brethren and my servants, we might exact usury of them, money and corn. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive-gardens, and their houses, also the hundredth [part] of the money, and of the corn, the wine and the oil, that ye have exacted of them.
12 And they said, We will restore [them], and will require nothing of them; so will we do, as thou hast said. And I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house and from his earnings, that performeth not this promise: even thus be he shaken out and emptied! And all the congregation said, Amen! And they praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.
25 But concerning virgins, I have no commandment of [the] Lord; but I give my opinion, as having received mercy of [the] Lord to be faithful.
26 I think then that this is good, on account of the present necessity, that [it is] good for a man to remain so as he is.
27 Art thou bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed; art thou free from a wife? do not seek a wife.
28 But if thou shouldest also marry, thou hast not sinned; and if the virgin marry, they have not sinned: but such shall have tribulation in the flesh; but I spare you.
29 But this I say, brethren, the time is straitened. For the rest, that they who have wives, be as not having [any]:
30 and they that weep, as not weeping; and they that rejoice, as not rejoicing; and they that buy, as not possessing;
31 and they that use the world, as not disposing of it as their own; for the fashion of this world passes.
32 But I wish you to be without care. The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he shall please the Lord;
33 but he that has married cares for the things of the world, how he shall please his wife.
34 There is a difference between the wife and the virgin. The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but she that has married cares for the things of the world, how she shall please her husband.
35 But I say this for your own profit; not that I may set a snare before you, but for what [is] seemly, and waiting on the Lord without distraction.
36 But if any one think that he behaves unseemly to his virginity, if he be beyond the flower of his age, and so it must be, let him do what he will, he does not sin: let them marry.
37 But he who stands firm in his heart, having no need, but has authority over his own will, and has judged this in his heart to keep his own virginity, he does well.
38 So that he that marries himself does well; and he that does not marry does better.
39 A wife is bound for whatever time her husband lives; but if the husband be fallen asleep, she is free to be married to whom she will, only in [the] Lord.
40 But she is happier if she so remain, according to my judgment; but I think that *I* also have God's Spirit.
Of David. Instruction.
32 Blessed is he [whose] transgression is forgiven, [whose] sin is covered!
2 Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah reckoneth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile!
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity I covered not; I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah, and *thou* forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee at a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they will not reach him.
7 Thou art a hiding-place for me; thou preservest me from trouble; thou dost encompass me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee the way in which thou shalt go; I will counsel [thee] with mine eye upon thee.
9 Be ye not as a horse, as a mule, which have no understanding: whose trappings must be bit and bridle, for restraint, or they will not come unto thee.
10 Many sorrows hath the wicked; but he that confideth in Jehovah, loving-kindness shall encompass him.
11 Rejoice in Jehovah, and be glad, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye upright in heart.
5 The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty, only to want.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting breath of them that seek death.
7 The devastation of the wicked sweepeth them away, because they refuse to do what is right.
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