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.

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments and do them: though ye were cast out unto the uttermost part of heaven, yet will I gather you from thence, and will bring you from thence, even unto the place that I have chosen for my name to dwell there.'

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant of the Ammonites, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, "What is this that ye do? Will ye fall away again from the king?"

But the Well gate builded Shallum the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the fourth part of Mizphah; He builded it, covered it, and set on the doors, locks, and bars thereof, and the wall unto the pool of Siloam by the king's garden, unto the steps that go down from the city of David.

After him Baruch the son of Zabbai builded the other piece worshipfully and costly, from the corner unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

After him builded Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz the other piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even as long as the house of Eliashib extended.

After him builded Binnui the son of Henadad the other piece from the house of Azariah unto the turning, and unto the corner.

After him builded Palal the son of Uzai over against the corner and the high tower, which lieth out over from the king's house, beside the court of the prison. After him, Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

But from the Horsegate forth builded the priests, every one over against his house.

Cover not their wickedness, and let not their sin be put out from thy presence: for they have provoked the builders.

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,

which builded on the wall, and bare burdens from those that laded them. With one hand did they the work, and with the other held they their weapon.

And I said unto the principal men, and rulers, and to the other people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

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.

And I shook my lap, and said, "God shake out every man after the same manner from his house and labour, that maintaineth not this word: even thus be he shaken out, and void." And all the congregation said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did so.

And from the time forth that it was committed unto me to be a captain in the land of Judah, namely from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of king Artaxerxes - that is twelve years - I and my brethren lived not of such sustenance as was given to a captain:

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.

For they were all minded to make us afraid and thought, "They shall withdraw their hands from the work, that they shall not labour." Howbeit I strengthened my hand the more.

And at the same time were there many of the chiefs of Judah, whose letters went unto Tobiah, and from Tobiah unto them.

"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;

These sought the register of their generation, and when they found it not, they were put from the priesthood.

And read therein in the street that is before the Watergate, from the morning until the noon day before men and women, and such as could understand it: and the ears of all the people were inclined unto the book of the law.

And every day from the first day unto the last, read he in the book of the law of God. And seven days held they the feast, and on the eighth day they gathered together, according unto the manner.

and separated the seed of Israel from all the strange children and stood and acknowledged their sins, and the wickedness of their fathers,

Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest unto them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, true laws, good commandments and statutes,

and gavest them bread from heaven when they were hungry, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock when they were thirsty: and promised them, that they should go in, and take possession of the land, over which thou hadst lift up thine hand for to give them.

yet thou forsookest them not in the wilderness, according to thy great mercy. And the cloudy pillar departed not from them in the daytime to lead them the way, neither the pillar of fire in the night season, to show them light in the way that they went.

And thou gavest them thy good spirit to inform them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water when they were thirsty.

Therefore gavest thou them over into the hand of their enemies that vexed them. And in the time of their trouble they cried unto thee, and thou heardest them from heaven and through thy great mercy thou gavest them saviours, which helped them out of the hand of their enemies.

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 have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goods that thou gavest them, and in the large and plenteous land which thou gavest them; and have not converted from their wicked works.

And the other people, the priests, Levites, Porters, singers, Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people in the lands unto the law of God, with their wives, sons and daughters, as many as could understand it,

And we cast the lot among the priests, Levites and the people, for offering of the wood to be brought unto the house of our God from year to year, after the houses of our fathers that it might be burnt at times appointed, upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law:

Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages; At Lachish, and in the fields thereof; At Azekah, and in the villages thereof; And dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

And the children of the singers gathered themselves together from the plain country about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi,

and from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages about Jerusalem.

Now when they heard the Law, they separated from Israel everyone that had mixed himself therein.

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.

And one of the children of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, had made a contract with Sanballat the Horonite: but I chased him from me.

Thus cleansed I them from all such as were outlandish, and appointed the courses of the priests and Levites, every one to his office,