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.

7 Once the wall had been rebuilt and the doors hung in the gates, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites had been appointed. 2 I put my brother Hanani and the fortress commander Hananyah in charge over Yerushalem (Jerusalem). (Hananyah was a faithful man and respected God more than many others do.) 3 I told them, “Don’t open Yerushalem’s gates until broad daylight, and then shut and bar them again while the guards are still on full alert. And assign neighbourhood watch groups among the inhabitants to keep an eye on their own areas.”