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| [1]THEN when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard the news that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (though at that time we had not set up the doors upon the gates), |
[1]Forsothe it was doon, whanne Sanaballath hadde herd, and Tobie, and Gosem of Arabie, and oure other enemyes, that Y hadde bildide the wal, and nomore brekyng was therynne; sotheli `til to that tyme Y hadde not set leeuys of schittyng in the yatis; |
| [2]Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us go together and encamp as a troop in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me harm. |
[2]Sanaballath, and Tobie, and Gosem of Arabie senten to me, and seiden, Come thou, and smyte we boond of pees in calues, `in o feeld; forsothe thei thouyten for to do yuel to me. |
| [3]And I sent a messenger to them, saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down, lest the work cease, while I leave it and come down to you. |
[3]Therfor Y sente messangeris to hem, and Y seide, Y make a greet werk, and Y mai not go doun, lest perauenture it be doon retchelesli, whanne Y come, and go doun to you. |
| [4]But they sent to me four times in this manner, and I answered them after the same manner. |
[4]Sotheli thei senten to me `bi this word bi foure tymes, and Y answeride to hem by the formere word. |
| [5]Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with a letter in his hand |
[5]And Sanaballath sente to me the fyuethe tyme bi the formere word his child; and he hadde in his hond a pistle writun in this maner; |
| [6]Wherein was written, It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says it, that you and the Jews think to rebel; that is why you are building the wall, that you may be their king, according to these words. |
[6]It is herd among hethene men, and Gosem seide, that thou and the Jewis thenken for to rebelle, and therfor ye bilden, and thou wolt `reise thee king on hem; |
| [7]And you have also appointed prophets to prophesy concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, Behold, there is a king in Judah; and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together. |
[7]for which cause also thou hast set profetis, that prechen of thee in Jerusalem, and seien, A king is in Jerusalem; the king schal here these wordis; therfor come thou now, that we take counsel togidere. |
| [8]Then I sent to him, saying, There is no truth in such words as these which you say; you are saying them out of your own heart. |
[8]And Y sente to hem, and seide, It is not doon bi these wordis whiche thou spekist; for of thin herte thou makist these thingis. |
| [9]For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work; and they say to us, Do not do the work. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands |
[9]Alle these men maden vs aferd, and thouyten that oure hondis schulden ceesse fro werkis, that we schulden reste; for which cause Y coumfortide more myn hond. |
| [10]Then I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel who used to hinder me from work; and he said to me, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they are coming to slay you; yea, in the night they are coming to slay you. |
[10]And Y entride priueli in to the hows of Samaie, sone of Dalie, the sone of Methabehel, which seide, Trete we with vs silf in the hows of God, in the myddis of the temple, and close we the yatis of the hows; for thei schulen come to sle thee, `and thei schulen come `bi niyt to sle thee. |
| [11]And I said, Should I flee to men like you? God forbid that I should flee and enter into the temple! |
[11]And Y seide, Whether ony man lijk me fledde, and who as Y schal entre in to the temple, and schal lyue? |
| [12]And, lo, I perceive that God had not sent him against me; neither has it been said to me by a prophet that he will slay me, for Tobiah and Sanballet and their companions had hired him and sent him to kill me. |
[12]Y schal not entre. And Y vndurstood that God `hadde not sent hym, but `he spak as profesiynge to me; and Tobie and Sanaballath `hadden hirid hym for meede. |
| [13]Therefore he was hired, that I should be afraid and do so and sin, so that I might become to them an evil report, that they might reproach me. |
[13]For he hadde take prijs, that Y schulde be aferd, and do, and that Y schulde do synne; and thei schulden haue yuel, which thei schulden putte to me with schenschip. |
| [14]Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat and their companions according to these their impious works, and also Jodaiah the prophet and the rest of the prophets who tried to frighten me because of them |
[14]Lord, haue mynde of me, for Tobye and Sanaballath, bi siche werkis `of hem; but also of Noadie, the profete, and of othere profetis, that maden me aferd. |
| [15]So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. |
[15]Forsothe the wal was fillid in the fyue and twentithe dai of the monethe Ebul, in two and fifti daies. |
| [16]Now when all our enemies heard of it, they were afraid, and all the nations that were round about us trembled exceedingly from our presence; for they perceived that this work was wrought of God. |
[16]Sotheli it was doon, whanne alle oure enemyes hadden herd, that alle hethene men dredden, that weren in oure cumpas, and thei felden doun with ynne hem silf, and wiste, that this work was maad of God. |
| [17]Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. |
[17]But also in tho daies many pistlis of the principal men of Jewis weren sent to Tobie, and camen fro Tobie to hem. |
| [18]For there were many in Judah who had sworn to him that they would not harm him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. |
[18]For many men weren in Judee, and hadden his ooth; for he hadde weddid the douyter of Sechenye, the sone of Rotel; and Johannam, his sone, hadde take the douyter of Mosallam, sone of Barachie. |
| [19]Also they reported his good words before me, and told him anything I said. And Tobiah sent letters to frighten me |
[19]But also thei preisiden hym bifor me, and telden my wordis to hym; and Tobie sente lettris, for to make me aferd. |