Opposition to the Work

1 ¹ Now when ^qSanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of ^rSamaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?² Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 ^qTobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—^sif a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 ^tHear, O our God, for we are despised. ^uTurn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 ^vDo not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.

6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7 ³ But when ^qSanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 ^wAnd they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

10 In Judah it was said,⁴ “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”⁵ 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ^x“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, ^ywho is great and awesome, ^zand fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

The Work Resumes

15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us ^aand that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and ^bcoats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to ^cthe nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. ^dOur God will fight for us.”

21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; ^eeach kept his weapon at his right hand.⁶

Nehemiah Stops Oppression of the Poor

1 Now there arose ^fa great outcry of the people and of their wives ^gagainst their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” 3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for ^hthe king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 Now ⁱour flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet ^jwe are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

6 I was very angry when I heard ^ftheir outcry and these words. 7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, ^k“You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them 8 and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, ^lhave bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk ^min the fear of our God ⁿto prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We will restore these and ^orequire nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and ^pmade them swear ^qto do as they had promised. 13 ^rI also shook out the fold⁷ of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” ^sAnd all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah’s Generosity

14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from ^tthe twentieth year to ^uthe thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, ^vneither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. 15 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration⁸ forty shekels⁹ of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, ^wbecause of the fear of God. 16 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were ^xat my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 ^yNow what was prepared at my expense¹⁰ for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this ^vI did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. 19 ^zRemember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

1 Now when ^aSanballat and Tobiah and ^bGeshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (^calthough up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of ^dOno.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem¹¹ also says it, that you and ^ethe Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” 8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God,¹² strengthen my hands.

10 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was ^fconfined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” 11 But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live?¹³ I will not go in.” 12 And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, ^gbut he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. 14 ^hRemember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also ⁱthe prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

The Wall Is Finished

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And ^jwhen all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, ^kfor they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of ^lArah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of ^mMeshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

Great Is the Lord

Of David.

The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 ^xIt was now two days before ^ythe Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes ^zwere seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, ^alest there be an uproar from the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

3 ^bAnd while he was at ^cBethany in the house of Simon the leper,¹ as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii² and ^dgiven to the poor.” And they ^escolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For ^fyou always have the poor with you, and whenever ^gyou want, you can do good for them. But ^hyou will not always have me. 8 ⁱShe has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand ^jfor burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever ^kthe gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told ^lin memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

10 ^mThen ⁿJudas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, ⁿwent to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to ^obetray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

12 ^pAnd on ^qthe first day of Unleavened Bread, when they ^rsacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent ^stwo of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ^t‘The Teacher says, Where is ^umy guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you ^va large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

17 ^wAnd when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, ^xJesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, ^yone who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is ^zone of the twelve, ^yone who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes ^aas it is written of him, but ^bwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^cIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

22 ^dAnd as they were eating, he took bread, and after ^eblessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; ^fthis is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had ^ggiven thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, ^f“This is my ^hblood of the³ covenant, which is poured out for ⁱmany. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

26 ^jAnd when they had sung a hymn, ^kthey went out to ^lthe Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will ^mstrike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, ⁿI will go before you to Galilee.” 29 ^oPeter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And ^pJesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before ^qthe rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But ^rhe said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

32 ^sAnd they went ^kto a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him ^tPeter and James and John, and began ^uto be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, ^v“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and ^wwatch.”⁴ 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground ^xand prayed that, if it were possible, ^ythe hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, ^z“Abba, Father, ^aall things are possible for you. Remove ^bthis cup from me. ^cYet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 ^wWatch and ^dpray that you may not ^eenter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, ^fsaying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^gtheir eyes were very heavy, and ^hthey did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? ⁱIt is enough; ^jthe hour has come. ^kThe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”