וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע סַנְבַלַּט וְטוֹבִיָּה וְהָעַרְבִים וְהָעַמֹּנִים וְהָאַשְׁדּוֹדִים כִּי־עָלְתָה אֲרוּכָה לְחֹמוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם כִּי־הֵחֵלּוּ הַפְּרֻצִים לְהִסָּתֵם וַיִּחַר לָהֶם מְאֹד

It was when Sanbalat and Toviya and the Arabians and the Amonites and the Ashdodites, who dwelled in the surrounding regions, heard that healing had come to the walls of Jerusalem, and that the breaches had begun to be sealed, that they were very incensed;

וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ כֻלָּם יַחְדָּו לָבוֹא לְהִלָּחֵם בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְלַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ תּוֹעָה

they all conspired to come and make war against Jerusalem, and to wreak harm upon them, the people of Jerusalem.

וַנִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַנַּעֲמִיד מִשְׁמָר עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה מִפְּנֵיהֶם

We prayed to our God, and set upon them, the residents of Jerusalem, a watch to guard day and night, because of them.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה כָּשַׁל כֹּחַ הַסַּבָּל וְהֶעָפָר הַרְבֵּה וַאֲנַחְנוּ לֹא נוּכַל לִבְנוֹת בַּחוֹמָה

The people of Judah said, after all the construction efforts and the conscription of the guards: The strength of the bearer is failing; it is hard for us to bear the loads, and the dirt is abundant; we cannot build the wall.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ צָרֵינוּ לֹא יֵדְעוּ וְלֹא יִרְאוּ עַד אֲשֶׁר־נָבוֹא אֶל־תּוֹכָם וַהֲרַגְנוּם וְהִשְׁבַּתְנוּ אֶת־הַמְּלָאכָה

In addition to our physical weakness, the threat hanging over us also impairs our resolve, as our enemies said: They, the Judeans, will not know and will not see until we come into their midst and kill them, and put a stop to the labor. Our enemies are planning a surprise attack against us.

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ הַיְּהוּדִים הַיֹּשְׁבִים אֶצְלָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָנוּ עֶשֶׂר פְּעָמִים מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר־תָּשׁוּבוּ עָלֵינוּ

It was when the Judeans who lived with them, among the nations, came to us, and ten times, on numerous occasions, they said to us, informed us, of all the places from which they would assail us. Judeans who lived among the enemy nations revealed the places where the enemies would attack.

וָאַעֲמִיד מִתַּחְתִּיּוֹת לַמָּקוֹם מֵאַחֲרֵי לַחוֹמָה בַצְּחִיחִים וָאַעֲמִיד אֶת־הָעָם לְמִשְׁפָּחוֹת עִם־חַרְבֹתֵיהֶם רָמְחֵיהֶם וְקַשְּׁתֹתֵיהֶם

Therefore, when I heard all these warnings, I deployed men in the lower levels of the space, in low spots, hidden in the ground, behind the wall, and in the crevices, between the rocks, and I deployed the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

וָאֵרֶא וָאָקוּם וָאֹמַר אֶל־הַחֹרִים וְאֶל־הַסְּגָנִים וְאֶל־יֶתֶר הָעָם אַל־תִּירְאוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם אֶת־אֲדֹנָי הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא זְכֹרוּ וְהִלָּחֲמוּ עַל־אֲחֵיכֶם בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנֹתֵיכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם וּבָתֵּיכֶם

I looked and examined our defenses, or I saw fit to act, and I rose and said to the nobles, to the senior prefects, and to the rest of the people: Do not fear them; remember the great and awesome Lord, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ אוֹיְבֵינוּ כִּי־נוֹדַע לָנוּ וַיָּפֶר הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־עֲצָתָם וַנָּשָׁב כֻּלָּנוּ אֶל־הַחוֹמָה אִישׁ אֶל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ

It was when our enemies heard that it, their plot, had become known to us, and that we were ready to do battle, that God thwarted their counsel and their plans were nullified, and all of us returned to the wall, each man to his labor.

וַיְהִי מִן־הַיּוֹם הַהוּא חֲצִי נְעָרַי עֹשִׂים בַּמְּלָאכָה וְחֶצְיָם מַחֲזִיקִים וְהָרְמָחִים הַמָּגִנִּים וְהַקְּשָׁתוֹת וְהַשִּׁרְיֹנִים וְהַשָּׂרִים אַחֲרֵי כָּל־בֵּית יְהוּדָה

It was from that day that half of my lads who came with me from Babylonia would engage in labor, and half of them would hold the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the armor. The princes who accompanied me were constantly marching behind the entire house of Judah, to protect them.

הַבּוֹנִים בַּחוֹמָה וְהַנֹּשְׂאִים בַּסֵּבֶל עֹמְשִׂים בְּאַחַת יָדוֹ עֹשֶׂה בַמְּלָאכָה וְאַחַת מַחֲזֶקֶת הַשָּׁלַח

The builders in the wall and the bearers of burdens were burdened, those who would lift and transport the loads, each one of them with one hand was performing labor, and at the same time with one, the other hand, holding a weapon [shalah·]; alternatively, shalaḥ refers specifically to a sword;

וְהַבּוֹנִים אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ אֲסוּרִים עַל־מָתְנָיו וּבוֹנִים וְהַתּוֹקֵעַ בַּשּׁוֹפָר אֶצְלִי

and as for the builders, who required the use of both hands to perform their labor, each man had his sword girded at his side while building. The sounder of the shofar was standing with me, to call a general alarm in case of an attack.

וָאֹמַר אֶל־הַחֹרִים וְאֶל־הַסְּגָנִים וְאֶל־יֶתֶר הָעָם הַמְּלָאכָה הַרְבֵּה וּרְחָבָה וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִפְרָדִים עַל־הַחוֹמָה רְחוֹקִים אִישׁ מֵאָחִיו

I said to the nobles and to the prefects and to the rest of the people: The labor is abundant and spread out over a broad area, and we are separated on the wall, each far from the other, and therefore we cannot know what is happening in every place.

בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת־קוֹל הַשּׁוֹפָר שָׁמָּה תִּקָּבְצוּ אֵלֵינוּ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יִלָּחֶם לָנוּ

In the place where you hear the sound of the shofar, there you shall gather to us. The sound of the shofar will signal the spot from where the ambush or attack is coming, and our God will wage war for us.

ואֲנַחְנוּ עֹשִׂים בַּמְּלָאכָה וְחֶצְיָם מַחֲזִיקִים בָּרְמָחִים מֵעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר עַד צֵאת הַכּוֹכָבִים

We were performing the labor, and half of them were holding the spears from dawn until the emergence of the stars. We utilized all the available daylight hours for our labor.

גַּם בָּעֵת הַהִיא אָמַרְתִּי לָעָם אִישׁ וְנַעֲרוֹ יָלִינוּ בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְהָיוּ־לָנוּ הַלַּיְלָה מִשְׁמָר וְהַיּוֹם מְלָאכָה

It was also at that time that I said to the people: Let each man and his lad stay the night inside Jerusalem, rather than return home, and the night will be for guarding; they will perform guard duty at night, and the day is for labor.

וְאֵין אֲנִי וְאַחַי וּנְעָרַי וְאַנְשֵׁי הַמִּשְׁמָר אֲשֶׁר אַחֲרַי אֵין־אֲנַחְנוּ פֹשְׁטִים בְּגָדֵינוּ אִישׁ שִׁלְחוֹ הַמָּיִם

As for me, and my brethren, and my lads, and the men of the guard who followed me, we did not remove our garments at night, each man was with his weapon, his sword, drawn, when he went to the water. Even when one of us bathed or performed his bodily functions, he kept his weapon accessible.