Nehemiah 4:15-23 - Sword And Trowel

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.