and in the presence of his colleagues and the army of Samaria he said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?"

And Judah said, "The strength of the bearers is too feeble, and there is too much dust, we are not able to build on the wall."

So we worked on, with half holding spears, from dawn till dusk.

On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.