From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers supported all the people of Judah,

who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.”

Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.

the other Nebo’s men52

the other Elam’s people1,254

So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written.”

Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.

Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples but could not speak Hebrew.