And I said to the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

And the king said to me the queen also sitting by him, For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

And I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of a force and horsemen with me.

in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; our God will fight for us.

that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?

And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them in the same manner.

Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in this manner the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,

And I sent to him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

And I perceived, and behold, God had not sent him; for he pronounced this prophecy against me; and Tobijah and Sanballat had hired him.

Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobijah, and those of Tobijah came to them.

Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. And Tobijah sent letters to put me in fear.

And he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared; for the day is holy to our Lord; and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.

And all the people went their way, to eat and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing. For they had understood the words that were declared to them.