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.

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 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.

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.

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;

And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children— all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel.

This is what the Lord says:“ The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they ripped open pregnant women with their swords.

Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews,

along with all the foreigners living in that land. I also gave it to all the kings of the land of Uz and the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod.

“ The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.

The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall and will be filled with fear. Gaza will shake with terror, as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed. Gaza’s king will be killed, and Ashkelon will be deserted.Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously.“ What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked.

After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod.They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon.

Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

So the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites,who began to oppress them that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites( that is, in Gilead).The Ammonites also crossed to the west side of the Jordan and attacked Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. The Israelites were in great distress.Finally, they cried out to the Lord for help, saying,“ We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal.”The Lord replied,“ Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you.Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore.Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!”But the Israelites pleaded with the Lord and said,“ We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.”Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery.At that time the armies of Ammon had gathered for war and were camped in Gilead, and the people of Israel assembled and camped at Mizpah.The leaders of Gilead said to each other,“ Whoever attacks the Ammonites first will become ruler over all the people of Gilead.”

Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, the enemies of Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, sent a letter to Artaxerxes in the Aramaic language, and it was translated for the king.Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem.They greeted the king for all their colleagues— the judges and local leaders, the people of Tarpel, the Persians, the Babylonians, and the people of Erech and Susa( that is, Elam).They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported and relocated in Samaria and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphrates River.This is a copy of their letter:“ To King Artaxerxes, from your loyal subjects in the province west of the Euphrates River.“ The king should know that the Jews who came here to Jerusalem from Babylon are rebuilding this rebellious and evil city. They have already laid the foundation and will soon finish its walls.And the king should know that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, it will be much to your disadvantage, for the Jews will then refuse to pay their tribute, customs, and tolls to you.“ Since we are your loyal subjects and do not want to see the king dishonored in this way, we have sent the king this information.We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors’ records, where you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past. In fact, it was destroyed because of its long and troublesome history of revolt against the kings and countries who controlled it.We declare to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the province west of the Euphrates River will be lost to you.”

And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

“ All right,” Nahash said,“ but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”

Uzziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Philistia.God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with the Meunites.The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful.

Some time after this, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king.David said,“ I am going to show loyalty to Hanun just as his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death. But when David’s ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon,the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, their master,“ Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the city so they can come in and conquer it!”So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.When David heard what had happened, he sent messengers to tell the men,“ Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.” For they felt deep shame because of their appearance.

About the same time I realized that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.Furthermore, half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of some other people and could not speak the language of Judah at all.

After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.

Announce this to the leaders of Philistia and to the great ones of Egypt:“ Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.”

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, asking,“ Why have you come out to fight against my land?”The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers,“ When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they stole my land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and all the way to the Jordan. Now then, give back the land peaceably.”Jephthah sent this message back to the Ammonite king:“ This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not steal any land from Moab or Ammon.When the people of Israel arrived at Kadesh on their journey from Egypt after crossing the Red Sea,they sent messengers to the king of Edom asking for permission to pass through his land. But their request was denied. Then they asked the king of Moab for similar permission, but he wouldn’t let them pass through either. So the people of Israel stayed in Kadesh.“ Finally, they went around Edom and Moab through the wilderness. They traveled along Moab’s eastern border and camped on the other side of the Arnon River. But they never once crossed the Arnon River into Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.“ Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon, asking for permission to cross through his land to get to their destination.But King Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his land. Instead, he mobilized his army at Jahaz and attacked them.But the Lord, the God of Israel, gave his people victory over King Sihon. So Israel took control of all the land of the Amorites, who lived in that region,from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, and from the eastern wilderness to the Jordan.“ So you see, it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who took away the land from the Amorites and gave it to Israel. Why, then, should we give it back to you?You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord our God gives us.Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he try to make a case against Israel for disputed land? Did he go to war against them?“ Israel has been living here for 300 years, inhabiting Heshbon and its surrounding settlements, all the way to Aroer and its settlements, and in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why have you made no effort to recover it before now?Therefore, I have not sinned against you. Rather, you have wronged me by attacking me. Let the Lord, who is judge, decide today which of us is right— Israel or Ammon.”But the king of Ammon paid no attention to Jephthah’s message.At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites.And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said,“ If you give me victory over the Ammonites,I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory.He crushed the Ammonites, devastating about twenty towns from Aroer to an area near Minnith and as far away as Abel keramim. In this way Israel defeated the Ammonites.When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and only child; he had no other sons or daughters.When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish.“ Oh, my daughter!” he cried out.“ You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”And she said,“ Father, if you have made a vow to the Lord, you must do to me what you have vowed, for the Lord has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites.But first let me do this one thing: Let me go up and roam in the hills and weep with my friends for two months, because I will die a virgin.”“ You may go,” Jephthah said. And he sent her away for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children.When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israelfor young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah’s daughter.

When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them.

I will slaughter the people of Ashdod and destroy the king of Ashkelon. Then I will turn to attack Ekron, and the few Philistines still left will be killed,” says the Sovereign Lord.

Give the Ammonites this message from the Sovereign Lord: Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord! Because you cheered when my Temple was defiled, mocked Israel in her desolation, and laughed at Judah as she went away into exile,I will allow nomads from the eastern deserts to overrun your country. They will set up their camps among you and pitch their tents on your land. They will harvest all your fruit and drink the milk from your livestock.And I will turn the city of Rabbah into a pasture for camels, and all the land of the Ammonites into a resting place for sheep and goats. Then you will know that I am the Lord.“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped and danced and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people,I will raise my fist of judgment against you. I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his prophets.