and Hanani, one of my brethren, came with certain men of Judah, and I asked them how the Jews did that were delivered and escaped from the captivity, and how it went at Jerusalem.

And when I came to the captains beyond the water, I gave them the king's letters. And the king sent captains and horsemen with me.

And when I came to Jerusalem, and had been there three days,

Then went I on in the night by the brook side, and considered the wall, and turned back and came home again to the valley port.

But when the Jews that dwelt beside them came out of all the places where they dwelt about us, and told us - as good as ten times -

And from that time forth it came to pass, that the half part of the young men did the labour, and the other half part held spears, shields, bows, and breastplates: and the rulers stood behind all the house of Judah,

and we will be laboring in the work." And the half part of them held the spears from the morning spring, till the stars came forth.

I laboured also in the work upon the wall, and bought no land. And all my servants came thither together unto the work.

Moreover there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, which came unto me, from among the Heathen that are about us.

Notwithstanding, I sent messengers unto them, saying, "I have a great business to do, I cannot come down. The work should stand still, if I were negligent, and came down to you."

And I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, and he had shut himself within, and said, "Let us come together in to the house of God, even unto the midst of the temple, and shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee, yea even in the night will they come to put thee to death."

And when all our enemies heard thereof, all the Heathen that were about us were afraid, and their courage failed them: for they perceived, that this work came of God.

And my God gave me in my heart, that I gathered together the principal men and the people to number them. And I found a register of the number of them, which came up afore out of the captivity: and found written therein:

"These are the sons of the land that went up from the captivity of the carrying away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had brought away, and came again to Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;

which came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nahum, Baanah. This is the number of the men of the people of Israel.

And Hathirsatha said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy, till there came up a Priest with light and perfectness.

In the four and twentieth day of this month came the children of Israel together with fasting, and sackcloth, and earth upon them,

But when they came to rest, they turned back again to do evil before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. So they converted, and cried unto thee, and thou heardest them from heaven; and many times hast thou delivered them according to thy great mercy,

and their lords that had rule of them, received it for their brethren. And they came to sware, and to bind themselves with an oath to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, that they would observe and do according unto all the commandments, judgments, and statutes of the LORD our God:

But in all this was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I license of the king

Then reproved I them sore, and said unto them, "Why tarry ye all night about the wall? If ye do it once again, I will lay hands upon you." From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath.