OET INT FRT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
OET NEH Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13
OET NEH 6 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19
This is still an early look into the drafted text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.
6 ⇔Although we didn’t yet have any doors in the gates, when Sanvalat and Toviyah and Geshem the Aravi and the rest of our enemies heard that we’d finished building the wall so it didn’t have any gaps left in it, 2 Sanvalat and Geshem invited me, “We’d like to arrange to meet with you in one of the villages on the Ono plain.” But they were intending to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers back to them, “This work is important and extensive, so I can’t afford to abandon it and have the work stop if I travelled down to you on the plain.”
4 They tried four times to get me to go, but I kept refusing them for those same reasons.
5 Then Sanvalat sent his servant to me a fifth time with the same request, but this time in an unsealed, open letter 6 saying, “There’s rumours flying around in nearby countries, and Geshem confirms it, that you and the Yehudim (Jews) are building the wall because you’re all plotting thinking to rebel. Then you’d become their king, according to what we’re hearing. 7 We’ve also heard that you’ve set up ‘prophets’ to speak out in Yerushalem (Jerusalem) to say about you, ‘There’s a king in Yehudah (Judah).’ By now, all of that will have been heard by the Persian king. So now, come and let’s discuss this together.”
8 I sent a message straight back, “None of what you’re saying is true. It’s simply your own imagination at work.”
9 We knew that they were just trying to frighten us so that we’d stop the repairs and it would never get finished.
My god, strengthen my hands.
10 After that, I entered Shemayah’s house (the son of Meheytavel’s son Delayah) who was confined to his house, and he said, “Let’s set a time to meet in the temple—we’ll shut the temple doors because they’ll be coming to kill you—probably in the night.”
11 But I disagreed, “Would a man like me run away? Besides that, who’s allowed to live inside the temple? I won’t do that.”
12 Then I suddenly realised that God hadn’t told him to say that, but rather he was working against me because he’d been paid by Toviyah and Sanvalat. 13 They must have hired him so that I’d be afraid and take that advice and sin. Then they could have ruined my reputation and discredited me.
14 My god, remember what Toviyah and Sanvalat have done, and also the prophetess Noadyah and the other prophets who’ve been trying to scare me.
6:8 OSHB note: We agree with both BHS 1997 and BHQ on an unexpected reading.
15 So the rebuilding of the wall was finished on the 25th of September in just fifty-two days, 16 and when our enemies heard about it, the surrounding countries were afraid and discouraged because they realised that our god must have helped us.
17 During that time, the Yehudah (Judah) leading citizens were sending many letters to Toviyah, and letters from Toviyah were also coming to them, 18 because many people in Yehudah had ties with him because he was the son-in-law of Arah’s son Shekanyah, plus his son Yehohanan had married Berekyah’s daughter Meshulam. 19 Those leading citizen kept telling me about the good things he was doing, and they reported my words back to him. Toviyah also sent letters to try to frighten me.
