Neemias 4 - Bíblia Online

Sanbalate estava irritadíssimo quando se deu conta de que estávamos a reconstruir as muralhas da cidade. Encheu-se de raiva, e insultou-nos, e o mesmo fizeram os seus amigos, assim como os oficiais do exército samaritano. Mas o que é que este desprezível punhado de judeus pretende fazer? Pensarão eles que podem reconstruir as muralhas num só dia? Oferecerão eles sacrifícios? Vejam só aquelas pedras todas estragadas! Serão eles capazes de as pôr como novas? 
Tobias, atrás deles, acrescentou: Aquilo, basta uma raposa andar ali por cima, e vem tudo abaixo outra vez! 
Então orei assim: Ouve-nos, ó Senhor Deus, pois esta gente nos despreza. Que a sua troça recaia sobre as suas cabeças, e que se tornem cativos numa terra estranha! Não te esqueças do seu pecado. Não o ignores; é a ti que insultam quando dizem aquilo de nós que estamos a levantar estas muralhas. 
O trabalho chegou enfim a metade da altura dos muros, em toda a volta da cidade, porque toda a gente trabalhou duramente, com grande dedicação. 
Mas quando Sanbalate, Tobias, os árabes, os amonitas e os asdoditas verificaram que a obra progredia bem e que as brechas iam sendo tapadas, excederam na ira. Chegaram mesmo a pôr a hipótese de lançar um exército contra Jerusalém e de fazer suscitar tumúltos e confusão. 
Contudo orámos ao nosso Deus e pusemos guardas à cidade de dia e de noite para nos protegermos. 
Alguns dos líderes começaram a queixar-se que os operários iam ficando cansados - as condições de trabalho eram tais, no meio de imensa terra e pó, que achávamos que não podíamos trabalhar assim sem auxílio exterior. 
Ao mesmo tempo os nossos inimigos planeavam cair repentinamente sobre nós e matar-nos, fazendo assim acabar de vez com a obra. 
Sempre que os trabalhadores que viviam nas povoações dos arredores voltavam para casa, os nossos inimigos tentavam falar com eles para que não voltassem para a cidade. 
Coloquei pois guardas armados, de cada família, em espaços abertos por detrás das muralhas. 
Fiz então o ponto da situação, convoquei os líderes e o povo, dizendo-lhes: Não estejam com medo! Lembrem-se do Senhor que é grande e glorioso. Combatam pelos vossos irmãos, pelas vossas famílias e vossos lares! 
Os outros viram que tínhamos conhecimento dos seus planos e que fora Deus quem tinha feito descobrir e frustrar esses intentos; assim pudemos regressar ao trabalho. 
Mas a partir daí, metade trabalhava e a outra metade estava de guarda, atrás. 
Os pedreiros e os outros operários trabalhavam com as suas armas ali perto, ao alcance rápido da mão, ou então com as espadas presas à cintura. O corneteiro mantinha-se ao meu lado, para dar o alarme logo que fosse preciso. 
A obra é muito extensa, expliquei-lhes, e estamos separados uns dos outros. Quando ouvirem tocar a corneta, corram para aqui onde eu estou, e Deus lutará por nós. 
Trabalhávamos do nascer ao pôr do Sol; metade dos homens estavam sempre de guarda. 
Disse a todos os que moravam fora da cidade para se mudarem para o interior de Jerusalém, de forma que os seus criados pudessem ficar de sentinela à noite, e ajudar na obra de dia. 
Durante esse tempo nenhum de nós - tanto eu, como os meus irmãos, ou os meus servos ou qualquer dos guardas que estavam comigo - nenhum tirou a roupa que trazia, sequer. Trazíamos sempre as armas connosco. 

But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 
And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned? 
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox goes up, he will break down their stone wall. 
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity; 
and don't cover their iniquity, and don't let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have provoked [you] to anger before the builders. 
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half [the height] of it: for the people had a mind to work. 
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry; 
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion in it. 
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. 
And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. 
And our adversaries said, They will not know, neither see, until we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. 
And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, You{+} must return to us. 
Therefore I set in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set [there] the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 
And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Don't be{+} afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your{+} brothers, your{+} sons, and your{+} daughters, your{+} wives, and your{+} houses. 
And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work. 
And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my attendants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 
All of them built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; 
and the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he who sounded the trumpet was by me. 
And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another: 
in whatever place you{+} hear the sound of the trumpet, resort{+} there to us; our God will fight for us. 
So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared. 
Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his attendant lodge inside Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day. 
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my attendants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone [went with] his weapon [to] the water. 

Neemias 5

Sanbalate estava irritadíssimo quando se deu conta de que estávamos a reconstruir as muralhas da cidade. Encheu-se de raiva, e insultou-nos, e o mesmo fizeram os seus amigos, assim como os oficiais do exército samaritano. Mas o que é que este desprezível punhado de judeus pretende fazer? Pensarão eles que podem reconstruir as muralhas num só dia? Oferecerão eles sacrifícios? Vejam só aquelas pedras todas estragadas! Serão eles capazes de as pôr como novas? 
Tobias, atrás deles, acrescentou: Aquilo, basta uma raposa andar ali por cima, e vem tudo abaixo outra vez! 
Então orei assim: Ouve-nos, ó Senhor Deus, pois esta gente nos despreza. Que a sua troça recaia sobre as suas cabeças, e que se tornem cativos numa terra estranha! Não te esqueças do seu pecado. Não o ignores; é a ti que insultam quando dizem aquilo de nós que estamos a levantar estas muralhas. 
O trabalho chegou enfim a metade da altura dos muros, em toda a volta da cidade, porque toda a gente trabalhou duramente, com grande dedicação. 
Mas quando Sanbalate, Tobias, os árabes, os amonitas e os asdoditas verificaram que a obra progredia bem e que as brechas iam sendo tapadas, excederam na ira. Chegaram mesmo a pôr a hipótese de lançar um exército contra Jerusalém e de fazer suscitar tumúltos e confusão. 
Contudo orámos ao nosso Deus e pusemos guardas à cidade de dia e de noite para nos protegermos. 
Alguns dos líderes começaram a queixar-se que os operários iam ficando cansados - as condições de trabalho eram tais, no meio de imensa terra e pó, que achávamos que não podíamos trabalhar assim sem auxílio exterior. 
Ao mesmo tempo os nossos inimigos planeavam cair repentinamente sobre nós e matar-nos, fazendo assim acabar de vez com a obra. 
Sempre que os trabalhadores que viviam nas povoações dos arredores voltavam para casa, os nossos inimigos tentavam falar com eles para que não voltassem para a cidade. 
Coloquei pois guardas armados, de cada família, em espaços abertos por detrás das muralhas. 
Fiz então o ponto da situação, convoquei os líderes e o povo, dizendo-lhes: Não estejam com medo! Lembrem-se do Senhor que é grande e glorioso. Combatam pelos vossos irmãos, pelas vossas famílias e vossos lares! 
Os outros viram que tínhamos conhecimento dos seus planos e que fora Deus quem tinha feito descobrir e frustrar esses intentos; assim pudemos regressar ao trabalho. 
Mas a partir daí, metade trabalhava e a outra metade estava de guarda, atrás. 
Os pedreiros e os outros operários trabalhavam com as suas armas ali perto, ao alcance rápido da mão, ou então com as espadas presas à cintura. O corneteiro mantinha-se ao meu lado, para dar o alarme logo que fosse preciso. 
A obra é muito extensa, expliquei-lhes, e estamos separados uns dos outros. Quando ouvirem tocar a corneta, corram para aqui onde eu estou, e Deus lutará por nós. 
Trabalhávamos do nascer ao pôr do Sol; metade dos homens estavam sempre de guarda. 
Disse a todos os que moravam fora da cidade para se mudarem para o interior de Jerusalém, de forma que os seus criados pudessem ficar de sentinela à noite, e ajudar na obra de dia. 
Durante esse tempo nenhum de nós - tanto eu, como os meus irmãos, ou os meus servos ou qualquer dos guardas que estavam comigo - nenhum tirou a roupa que trazia, sequer. Trazíamos sempre as armas connosco. 

But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 
And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned? 
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox goes up, he will break down their stone wall. 
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity; 
and don't cover their iniquity, and don't let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have provoked [you] to anger before the builders. 
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half [the height] of it: for the people had a mind to work. 
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry; 
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion in it. 
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. 
And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. 
And our adversaries said, They will not know, neither see, until we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. 
And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, You{+} must return to us. 
Therefore I set in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set [there] the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 
And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Don't be{+} afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your{+} brothers, your{+} sons, and your{+} daughters, your{+} wives, and your{+} houses. 
And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work. 
And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my attendants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 
All of them built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; 
and the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he who sounded the trumpet was by me. 
And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another: 
in whatever place you{+} hear the sound of the trumpet, resort{+} there to us; our God will fight for us. 
So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared. 
Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his attendant lodge inside Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day. 
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my attendants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone [went with] his weapon [to] the water. 

Neemias 5