10Judah 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.
11Our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.
12It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, You must return to us.
13Therefore set I 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.
14I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Don`t be you 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.
15It happened, 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, everyone to his work.
16It happened from that time forth, that half of my servants worked 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.