1But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2He 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?
3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.
4Hear, 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;
5and 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.
6So 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.
7But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, 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;