But Sanballat and Tobiah heard that Jerusalem’s walls continued to be repaired. The Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard about it too. They heard that the gaps in the wall were being filled in. So they were very angry.

参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人、亚实突人听见修造耶路撒冷城墙，着手进行堵塞破裂的地方，就甚发怒。

参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人和亚实突人听见耶路撒冷城墙正在修造，破裂的地方开始进行修补，就非常愤怒。

参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人和亚实突人听见耶路撒冷城墙正在修造，破裂的地方开始进行修补，就非常愤怒。

参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人和亚实突人听说耶路撒冷的城墙正在重建、缺口正在填补，非常愤怒，

当参巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亚扪人、亚实突人听见耶路撒冷城墙重修工程仍然进行，已经堵塞城墙的缺口，就非常忿怒。（本节在《马索拉文本》为4:1）

參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人聽見修造耶路撒冷城牆，着手進行堵塞破裂的地方，就甚發怒。

參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人和亞實突人聽見耶路撒冷城牆正在修造，破裂的地方開始進行修補，就非常憤怒。

參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人和亞實突人聽見耶路撒冷城牆正在修造，破裂的地方開始進行修補，就非常憤怒。

參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人和亞實突人聽說耶路撒冷的城牆正在重建、缺口正在填補，非常憤怒，

當參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人聽見耶路撒冷城牆重修工程仍然進行，已經堵塞城牆的缺口，就非常忿怒。（本節在《馬索拉文本》為4:1）

參巴拉、多比雅、亞拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人、聽說修復耶路撒冷城牆的事節節進行着，而破口的地方都開始堵塞住了，他們就非常惱怒。

參巴拉、多比雅、及亞拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人、聞建耶路撒冷城垣、厥工進行、破壞之處修補、則怒甚、

撒八拉、多比、及亞喇伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人、聞耶路撒冷民建邑垣、修損缺、則怒甚、

參巴拉、多比雅、亞拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人、聞耶路撒冷城垣被建、損缺之處修補、則怒甚、

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry.

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious.

When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious.

Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry.

Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,

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 wroth;

When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious.

But it came to pass,[ that] when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up,[ and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

( 4: 1) When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem had moved ahead and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry.

But 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 filled, they were very angry;

The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to make war against the rest of her children. They obey God’s commands. And they hold firmly to the truth they have said about Jesus.

We have to stop this thing. It must not spread any further among the people. We have to warn these men. They must never speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”Once again the leaders called in Peter and John. They commanded them not to speak or teach at all in Jesus’ name.

Sanballat and Tobiah heard about what was happening. Sanballat was a Horonite. Tobiah was an official from Ammon. They were very upset that someone had come to help the Israelites.

The Lord says,“ The people of Ammon have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead. They wanted to add land to their territory.

Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall. So he became very angry and upset. He made fun of the Jews.

all the people from other lands who lived there all the kings of Uz the Philistine kings of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron the Philistines still living in Ashdod

We want you to know that we went to the land of Judah. We went to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones. They are putting wooden beams in the walls. The people are working hard. The work is moving ahead very quickly under the direction of the people.

Ashkelon will see it and become afraid. Gaza will groan with pain. So will Ekron. Its hope will vanish. Gaza will no longer have a king. Ashkelon will be deserted.A people who come from several nations will take over Ashdod. The Lord says,“ I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.

But Sanballat, the Horonite, heard about it. So did Tobiah, the official from Ammon. Geshem, the Arab, heard about it too. All of them laughed at us. They made fun of us.“ What do you think you are doing?” they asked.“ Are you turning against the king?”

The Philistines had captured the ark of God. They took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.They carried the ark into the temple of their god Dagon. They set it down beside the statue of Dagon.

So be joyful, you heavens! Be glad, all you who live there! But how terrible it will be for the earth and the sea! The devil has come down to you. He is very angry. He knows his time is short.”The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given birth to the boy.

So the Lord became very angry with them. He handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.That year they broke Israel’s power completely. They treated the Israelites badly for 18 years. The people who did this lived east of the Jordan River. They lived in Gilead. That was the land of the Amorites.The Ammonites also went across the Jordan. They crossed over to fight against the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. Israel was suffering terribly.Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said,“ We have sinned against you. We have deserted our God. We have served gods that are named Baal.”The Lord replied,“ The Egyptians and Amorites treated you badly. So did the Ammonites and Philistines.And so did the Amalekites and the people of Sidon and Maon. Each time you cried out to me for help. And I saved you from their power.But you have deserted me. You have served other gods. So I will not save you anymore.Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you get into trouble!”But the Israelites replied to the Lord,“ We have sinned. Do to us what you think is best. But please save us now.”Then they got rid of the false gods that were among them. They served the Lord. And he couldn’t stand to see Israel suffer anymore.The Ammonites were called together to fight. They camped in the land of Gilead. Then the Israelites gathered together. They camped at the city of Mizpah.The leaders of Gilead spoke to one another. They said,“ Who will lead the attack against the Ammonites? That person will be the ruler of all the people who live in Gilead.”

Then the nations around Judah tried to make its people lose hope. They wanted to make them afraid to go on building.So those nations paid some of the Jewish officials to work against the people of Judah. They wanted their plans to fail. They did it during the whole time Cyrus was king of Persia. They kept doing it until Darius became king.The enemies of the Jews brought charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. It happened when Xerxes began to rule over Persia.Then Artaxerxes became king of Persia. During his rule, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their friends wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in the Aramaic language. And it used the Aramaic alphabet.Rehum and Shimshai also wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes. Rehum was the commanding officer. Shimshai was the secretary. Their letter was against the people of Jerusalem. It said,We, Rehum and Shimshai, are writing this letter. Rehum is the commanding officer. Shimshai is the secretary. Our friends join us in writing. They include the judges, officials and managers in charge of the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon. They are also over the Elamites from Susa.And they are over those who were forced to leave their countries. The great King Ashurbanipal, who is worthy of honor, forced them to leave. He moved them to the city of Samaria. He also moved them to other places west of the Euphrates River.Here is a copy of the letter sent to Artaxerxes. We are sending this letter to you, King Artaxerxes. It is from your servants who live west of the Euphrates River.We want you to know about the people who left you and have come up to us. They have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that evil city. It has caused trouble for a long time. Those people are making its walls like new again. They are repairing the foundations.Here is something else we want you to know. Suppose this city is rebuilt. And suppose its walls are made like new again. Then no more taxes, gifts or fees will be collected. And sooner or later there will be less money for you.We owe a lot to you. We don’t want to see dishonor brought on you. So we’re sending this letter to tell you what is going on.Then you can have a search made in the official records. Have someone check the records of the kings who ruled before you. If you do, you will find out that Jerusalem is an evil city. It causes trouble for kings and countries. For a long time the city has refused to let anyone rule over it. That’s why it was destroyed.We want you to know that this city shouldn’t be rebuilt. Its walls shouldn’t be made like new again. If that happens, you won’t have anything left west of the Euphrates River.

I will make you and the woman hate each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. Her son will crush your head. And you will bite his heel.”

Nahash, the king of Ammon, replied,“ I will make a peace treaty with you. But I’ll do it only on one condition. You must let me put out the right eye of every one of you. I want to bring shame on the whole nation of Israel.”

Uzziah went to war against the Philistines. He broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. Then he rebuilt some towns that were near Ashdod. He also rebuilt some other towns where Philistines lived.God helped him fight against the Philistines. He also helped him fight against the Meunites and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal.The Ammonites brought to Uzziah the gifts he required of them. He became famous all the way to the border of Egypt. That’s because he had become very powerful.

The king of Ammon died. His son Hanun became the next king after him.David thought,“ I’m going to be kind to Hanun. His father Nahash was kind to me.” So David sent messengers to Hanun. He wanted them to tell Hanun how sad he was that Hanun’s father had died. David’s messengers went to the land of Ammon.The Ammonite commanders spoke to their master Hanun. They said,“ David has sent messengers to tell you he is sad. They say he wants to honor your father. But the real reason they’ve come is to look the city over. They want to destroy it.”So Hanun grabbed David’s messengers. He shaved off half of each man’s beard. He cut their clothes off just below the waist and left them half naked. Then he sent them away.David was told about it. So he sent messengers to his men because they were filled with shame. King David said to them,“ Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out again. Then come back here.”

In those days I also saw that some men of Judah had married women from Ashdod. Others had married women from Ammon or Moab.Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. Or they spoke the language of one of the other nations. They didn’t even know how to speak the language of Judah.

After that, the Moabites, Ammonites and some Meunites went to war against Jehoshaphat.

Speak to the people in the forts of Ashdod and Egypt. Tell them,“ Gather together on the mountains of Samaria. Look at the great trouble in that city. Its people are committing many crimes.”

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked,“ What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said,“ Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon.They said,“ Here is what Jephthah says to you. Israel didn’t take the land of Moab. They didn’t take the land of Ammon.When Israel came up out of Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea. From there they went on to Kadesh.Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said,‘ Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They sent the same message to the king of Moab. But he refused too. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.“ Next, they traveled through the desert. They traveled along the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. They passed along the east side of the country of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River. They didn’t enter the territory of Moab. The Arnon River was Moab’s border.“ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. They said to him,‘ Let us pass through your country to our own land.’But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered all his troops together. They camped at Jahaz. And they fought against Israel.“ Then the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel. Israel won the battle over them. Amorites were living in the country at that time. And Israel took over all their land.Israel captured all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached from the desert all the way to the Jordan River.“ The Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out to make room for his people. So what right do you have to take it over?You will take what your god Chemosh gives you, won’t you? In the same way, we will take over what the Lord our God has given us.Are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor? Balak was the king of Moab. Did he ever argue with Israel? Did he ever fight against them?For 300 years Israel has been living in Heshbon and Aroer. They have been living in the settlements around those cities. They have also been living in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why didn’t you take those places back during that time?I haven’t done anything wrong to you. But you are doing something wrong to me. You have gone to war against me. The Lord is the Judge. So let him decide our case today. Let him settle matters between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He went across the territories of Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah in the land of Gilead. From there he attacked the people of Ammon.Jephthah made a promise to the Lord. Jephthah said,“ Hand the Ammonites over to me.If you do, here’s what I’ll do when I come back from winning the battle. Anything that comes out the door of my house to meet me will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”Then Jephthah went over to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord handed them over to him.Jephthah destroyed 20 towns between Aroer and the area of Minnith. He destroyed them all the way to Abel Keramim. So Israel brought Ammon under their control.Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah. And guess who came out to meet him. It was his daughter! She was dancing to the beat of tambourines. She was his only child. He didn’t have any other sons or daughters.When Jephthah saw her, he was so upset that he tore his clothes. He cried out,“ Oh no, my daughter! You have filled me with trouble and sorrow. I’ve made a promise to the Lord. And I can’t break it.”“ My father,” she replied,“ you have given your word to the Lord. So do to me just what you promised to do. The Ammonites were your enemies. And the Lord has paid them back for what they did to you.But please do one thing for me,” she continued.“ Give me two months to wander around in the hills. Let me weep there with my friends. I want to do that because I’ll never get married.”“ You may go,” he said. He let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills. They were filled with sadness because she would never get married.After the two months were over, she returned to her father. He did to her just what he had promised to do. And she was a virgin. So that became a practice in Israel.Each year the young women of Israel go away for four days. They do it in honor of the daughter of Jephthah. He was from the land of Gilead.

When the leaders heard this, they became very angry. They wanted to put the apostles to death.

I will kill the king of Ashdod. He holds the ruler’s scepter in Ashkelon. I will use my power against Ekron. Every single Philistine will die,” says the Lord and King.

Tell them,‘ Listen to the message of the Lord and King. He says,“ You laughed when my temple was made‘ unclean.’ You also laughed when the land of Israel was completely destroyed. You mocked the people of Judah when they were taken away as prisoners.So I am going to hand you over to the people of the east. They will set up their tents in your land. They will camp among you. They will eat your fruit. They will drink your milk.I will turn the city of Rabbah into grasslands for camels. Ammon will become a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”The Lord and King says,“ You clapped your hands. You stamped your feet. Deep down inside, you hated the land of Israel. You were glad because of what happened to it.So I will reach out my powerful hand against you. I will give you and everything you have to the nations. I will bring you to an end among the nations. I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

The Lord sent robbers against Jehoiakim from Babylon, Aram, Moab and Ammon. He sent them to destroy Judah. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken that message through his servants the prophets.