HAVE YOU ALREADY REFLECTED ABOUT IT?

The Brief of Life

 The Bible contains many warnings about the brevity of life. That's why, TODAY is the day of salvation! Today is the time of opportunity! to recognize and serve the Eternal (YHWH).

"Tomorrow is the day when the lazy will work and the fools will repent. Tomorrow is the day of Satan; he does not care what good resolutions you make if only you are determined to leave them for tomorrow." Satan will always tempt you to leave important and eternal decisions for tomorrow!

The Bible warns us to live life wisely by exercising love, forgiveness, charity, longing, friendship, patience, understanding, empathy, spreading joy, faith, hope, and love.

LOVE, FORGIVE, RECONCILATE TODAY. DON'T LEAVE TO TOMORROW SO, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL SUCCESS? We have the power of decision today !!!

Tomorrow doesn't belong to us ...

II PETER 1: 10-16

10 Therefore, brethren, seek to make your calling and election ever stronger; For in so doing you will never stumble.

11 For thus will you be fully granted entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I will not fail to exhort you always concerning these things, though ye may know them, and be established in the present truth.

13 And I think it is right, while I am in this tabernacle, to arouse you with admonitions,

14 Knowing that I will shortly leave this tabernacle of mine, as our Lord Jesus Christ has already revealed to me.

15 But I will also seek at all times that after my death ye may remember these things.

16 For we have not made known to you the virtue and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following artificially composed fables; but we ourselves have seen his majesty.

I TIMOTHY 6: 9-14

9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, and snare, and into many foolish and wicked lusts, which submerge men in perdition and ruin.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil; and in this covetousness some turned from the faith, and pierced themselves with much pain.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12 Fight the good militia of faith, take possession of eternal life, to which you were called, having made a good confession before many witnesses.

13 I beseech thee before God, who quickeneth all things, and Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate bore the testimony of good confession.

14 Keep this commandment without blemish and rebuke, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ;

“For we are strangers before you, and sojourners like all our fathers; as the shadow is our days upon the earth, and there is no other hope. ”(1Ch 29:15)

“My days are faster than the Weaver's Launcher and perish without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; My eyes will never see the good again. The eyes of those who see me now will see me no more; Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be. As the CLOUD falls and passes away, he who goes down to the grave will never rise again. ”(Job 7: 6-9)

“Because we are from yesterday and we know nothing; for our days on earth are as a shadow. ”(Job 8: 9)

“And my days are faster than a runner; They fled and never saw good. They pass like FAST SHIPS, like eagles throwing themselves into food. ”(Job 9: 25-26)

“It goes out like the flower and dries up; it also flees like the SHADOW and does not remain. ”(Job 14: 2)

“For all our days go by in your wrath; Our years are over as a light tale. ”(Ps 90: 9)

“For man are his days as the herb; like the flower of the field, so it flourishes; for the wind passes through it, and it is gone, and its place no longer knows. ”(Ps 103: 15-16)

“Man is like vanity; his days are as the passing shadow. ”(Ps 144: 4)

“I tell you, you do not know what will happen tomorrow. Why is your life? It is a STEAM that appears for a while and then fades away. ”(Jas 4:14)

Ecclesiastes 5: 10-20

10 Who Loves Money

will never have enough;

He who loves riches will never be

pleased with your income.

This also makes no sense.

11 When goods increase,

also increase

those who consume them.

And what benefit do the goods bring

who owns them,

otherwise give a little joy

in your eyes?

12 The worker's sleep is mild,

whether you eat too much or eat too much,

but the abundance of a rich man

does not give you peace of mind to sleep.

13 There is a terrible evil that I saw under the sun:

Accumulated Riches

to the unhappiness of its owner.

14 If his riches are lost

in a bad deal,

nothing will be left for the son

that is born to him.

15 A man comes out naked from his mother's womb,

and as it comes, so it goes.

From all the hard work

Nothing will take with you.

16 There is also another terrible evil:

As man comes, so he goes,

and what you get from all your effort

in search of the wind?

17 He spends his whole life in darkness.

with great frustration,

disease and bitterness.

18 Thus I found that for man the best and most worthwhile thing is to eat, drink, and enjoy the result of all the effort that is made under the sun during the few days of life God gives him, for this It is your reward.

19 And when God gives someone wealth and goods and enables them to enjoy them, to accept their lot, and to be happy in their work, it is a gift from God.

20 Rarely does this person think about the brevity of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of the heart.

LUCAS 12: 13-48

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 And one of the multitude said unto him, Master, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

14 But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider unto you?

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; because one's life does not consist in the abundance of one's possessions.

16 And he offered him a parable, saying, The inheritance of a rich man had produced abundantly;

17 And he reasoned with himself, saying, What shall I do? I do not have where to harvest my fruits.

18 And he said, I will do this, I will tear down my barns, and build larger ones, and will gather all my goods and my goods;

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods in store for many years; rest, eat, drink and take time off.

20 But God said to him, Crazy! tonight your soul will ask you; And what have you prepared for whom?

21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Caring for our life

(Mt 6: 25-34)

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23 More is life than food, and the body more than clothes.

24 Consider the ravens, that they neither sow, nor reap, nor have their storehouses, nor barn, and God feedeth them; How much more are you worth than birds?

25 And which of you, being caring, can add a cubit to his stature?

26 For if you cannot even the smallest things, why are you anxious for others?

27 Consider the lilies as they grow; they neither work nor spin; and I say unto you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of them.

28 And if God thus clothe the grass that is in the field today, and is cast into the oven tomorrow, how much more to you men of little faith?

29 Ask not therefore that ye shall eat, or that ye shall drink, and be not restless.

30 For the nations of the world seek after all these things; but your Father knows that you need them.

31 But seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

32 Fear not, O little flock, for your Father pleased to give you the kingdom.

33 Sell what ye have, and give alms. Make for yourselves purses that are not old; treasure in heaven that never ends, where no thief arrives and the moth does not gnaw.

34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Parable of the Watchful Servant

(Mt. 24: 45-51)

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning.

36 And be ye like unto men that wait upon their lord when he shall return from the marriage, that when he cometh, and knocketh, they may soon open unto him.

37 Blessed are those servants whom, when the Lord comes, he will find watching! Verily I say unto you, He shall gird himself, and make them sit down, and when he cometh, he shall serve them.

38 And if he come in the second watch, and come in the third watch, and find them thus, blessed are the servants.

39 But know this, that if the householder knew at what time the thief was to come, he would watch, and would not let his house be undermined.

40 Therefore be ye also aware; For the Son of man will come at a time you do not imagine.

41 Peter said to him, "Lord, do you speak this parable to us or to all?"

42 And the LORD said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward whom he hath put over his servants, to give them their portion in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Verily I say unto you, That he shall put it upon all his goods.

45 But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and begin beating the servants and maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk,

46 And the lord of that servant shall come in the day that expecteth him not, and in an hour that he knoweth not, and shall separate him, and give him his portion with the unbelievers.

47 And the servant who knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48 But he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And whoever is given much will be asked for much, and much has been entrusted to him, much more will be asked.

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FOR ANALYSIS ...

Jezebel is used biblically as a kind of “power that caused the great medieval apostasy in its day.

Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, who reigned over the ten tribes of northern Israel from 874 to 853 BC. Ahab was noted for military and political success, but was “weak in religious matters,” for “did Ahab the son of Omri. which was evil before the Lord above all that were before him ”(1 Kings 6:30). He chose to marry Jezebel, daughter of Etbaal, a high priest and pagan king.

According to the biblical account concerning Ahab: “He took as wife Jezebel, daughter of Etbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal, and worshiped him ”(1 Kings 16: 30-31). “Ahab's evil wife Jezebel came from the Phoenician city of Tire, from where her father had been high priest and king. Jezebel worshiped the god Baal. ”1 Given that Baal simply means“ lord ”2, Jezebel and Ahab introduced a counterfeit of God and his religion into Israel. Therefore, Ahab, “prompted by Jezebel,” introduced Baal worship in Israel (1 Kings 21: 25-26).

To please his wife, Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal (16:32). And thus promoted idolatry, 3 "until almost all Israel was going after Baal." “The Baal mentioned here was considered the god who sent rain and made the crops grow. Baal worshipers engaged in some sort of sacred fornication in the temple to praise Him as the source of life. Sometimes the people even offered their children to Baal as burnt sacrifices (Jeremiah 19: 5). ”4 Ahab's marriage to Jezebel fulfilled a political and self-serving agenda, but not God's will. Biblically, that union was a spiritual adultery and a betrayal of God. Their influence as leprosy deepened the nation's religious syncretism and apostasy. While the people professed to serve Jehovah, they also served Baal. They "limped between two thoughts" (1 Kings 18:21).

We know that Revelation also mentions Jezebel and makes a connection of it to apostasy. What does that mean?

In the message of Christ to the Church of Thyatira, Jezebel is quoted: “But I have against you to tolerate this woman, Jezebel, who declares herself a prophet, not only to teach, but to seduce my servants to practice prostitution. to eat of the things sacrificed to idols. I gave him time to repent; But she does not want to repent of her fornication. Behold, they shall fall down as a bed, and in great tribulation, that they that commit adultery with her, if they do not repent of the works which she provoke ”(Revelation 2: 20-22).

According to the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, “just as Jezebel propagated Baal worship in Israel (1 Kings 21:25), some false prophetess of John's day would be misleading the church at Thyatira.” 5 Only one must consider that the letters to the seven churches of Revelation also have prophetic application to seven definite phases of the history of Christianity.6 When “applied to the Thyatira period in Christian history, the figure of Jezebel represents the power that caused the great medieval apostasy.” 7

What three lessons do the lives of Ahab, Jezebel and Elijah leave us?

Of Ahab, “he was weak in moral ability. Their union by marriage to an idolatrous woman of purposeful character and definite temperament has resulted in disaster for both him and the nation. ”8 The usefulness of a man in serving God and his people is closely related to the character of the person he has chosen. to be your wife and mate.

Concerning Jezebel, we can see the harm this woman caused to Ahab's life and to the people of Israel. It is not difficult to conclude, therefore, that a woman's influence for good or for evil is proven to be decisive. On the other hand, given that Jezebel is used biblically as a type of the “power that caused the great medieval apostasy,” 9 we should avoid a syncretic religion that marries Christianity and paganism, between truth and lies, and promotes the spiritual adultery. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers; For what society can there be between justice and iniquity? Or what fellowship of light with darkness? ”(2 Corinthians 6: 14-15).

About the prophet Elijah, we must remember that in the days of Jezebel there were hundreds of false prophets in Israel and only one true prophet. “Then said Elijah unto the people, I am only left of the prophets of the LORD, and the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men” (1 Kings 18:22). It was the presence and performance of this true prophet of God that held back the tide of apostasy in Israel.

We should value true prophets and their teachings. To do this, we have to turn to Scripture to learn to discern between the true and the false prophet, especially in this degenerate age when the fake ones multiply. “The prophetic word is thus all the more confirmed, and you do well to attend to it, as a candle shining in a dark place, until the day is bright and the morning star is born in your heart” (2 Peter 1: 19).

Jesus Christ warned, “See that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24: 5). “False prophets will rise up and deceive many” (verse 11). Another precious lesson is that “God's plan is not to send messengers to flatter and flatter sinners.” 10 We must be humble to submit to God and His messengers. By the way, instead of spending time on soap operas, wouldn't it be fantastic to seek God's Word and come into direct contact with the pure source of truth?

Do not be yoked together with the unfaithful; Why, what society has justice with injustice? And what fellowship does light have with darkness?

And what concord is there between Christ and Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

And what consensus does the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God and they will be my people.

Therefore go out from among them, and depart, saith the LORD: and touch nothing unclean, and I will receive you;

And I will be unto you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 6: 14-18

SOURCE: https://biblia.com.br/perguntas-biblicas/segundo-a-biblia-quem-foi-jezabel-e-acabe/

Do you need to rebuild?

NEEMIA: REPAIRING BREAKS, BUILDING WALLS

I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY A LITTLE OF NEEMIA HISTORY AND HOW IT APPLIES IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE:

Nehemiah was a common man, however, God-fearing and had taken a job as butler of King Artaxerxes, king of Persia - Nehemiah 1:11. He was an important, trusted position, an influential advisor highly respected by the king. That was the condition of Nehemiah, a good job in difficult times.

Despite his important position, this was not enough for him, as his mission was much greater. Not happy, pleased with a good job, because her mind was starting to get busy with something different, with her hometown and her people.

Nehemiah was descended from a large number of Jews who were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, who were later defeated by the Persians; This is why Nehemiah is serving a Persian king. During the time of Babylonian captivity, the city of Jerusalem had undergone a terrible destruction. However, when the Babylonians were defeated 70 years later, a group of 50,000 Jews returned to Judea and rebuilt the temple with the help of Ezra. Then an effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was thwarted by opposition from neighboring peoples who had persuaded King Artaxerxes to issue the decree to halt the work.

In the first chapter of his book, verse 3, Nehemiah quotes that he heard that "the walls of Jerusalem are broken down, and their gates are burned." The news filled Nehemiah with sadness, he cared about his people, the Will of his God. He cared about his city, his vision was not only about his life, his job, but he cared about others.

When he heard the situation in Jerusalem, where everything was in great misery and unprotected, he immediately said:

"I sat down and wept, and I mourned for a few days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven" - Nehemiah 1: 4

He might have been quiet in this butler's craft, after all, he had everything he needed, he was guaranteed, but he was born to fulfill a much more important role.

What we have learned here: Your true work is what you were born to do, this is your purpose. God's purpose is to love Him especially, one another, and to serve one another.

Your job is what you do only until you are ready to fulfill your vision and God's purpose.

God had placed in the heart of Nehemiah the vision of the rebuilding of the walls, He himself said, "I have not told anyone (yet) what my God had put in my heart to do in Jeerusalem" Nehemiah 2:12

God bothers us to work for Him, for His people, for others, for His Kingdom. This vision will bother you until you begin to act in God's favor. In Nehemiah 2: 1 - There was sadness before the King, Nehemiah was doing very well in his job until he heard about the walls of Jerusalem and was sad, so came to him the idea of ​​rebuilding it. He presented himself to God and prayed about the situation, and God told him deep in his heart to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. So it is us, we may be well at our job, but we may be sad when we see that our family it's not good, our marriage, our children are bad, our financial life needs rebuilding, the way is to pray to God and ask for direction, to do something beyond the human sphere. But for the people around us, that is, there will always be a greater vision from God.

This was an awkward sight in Nehemiah's life. Your desire to do the work of your life then began to interfere with your job.

We can also be happy and well placed with our work, sadder to know situations that weigh on our hearts and that need to be rebuilt. We often need to repair gaps, rebuild walls, and on this path, be alert to the enemy ambushes of our souls who constantly try to stop our work, our purpose.

King Artaxerxes said to Nehemiah, "Why is your face sad, if you are not sick? It must be sorrow of the heart."

But if God gives you this vision of rebuilding something that is fallen and confirming it in your heart, nothing can stop it if God has by your side.

If God speaks in your conscience and touches your heart to build, start, rehabilitate, help, invest, create or manufacture something, then it will bother you deep down, you will be sad to fulfill the vision, so you live for sure. : "I will not be satisfied until you complete this vision of mine"

Nehemiah's purpose was speaking louder in his heart: was his real job making him uncomfortable to stay at his current job? He knew he had to do harm.

God wants us to be able to go beyond simply focusing only on our job. God's vision is always broader for our lives, to rebuild relationships, rehabilitate people, help each other.

This is the vision of the Kingdom of God, expanding our efforts for brothers in Christ.

Do you know what you really want from life? We are at the center of God's purpose.

Often we, in a selfish view, want to focus on ourselves, our own interests, and we forget the interests of our Creator YHWH. God always asks us more, something collective, the world around needs your help and your collaboration

What you want?

There has to be a greater purpose to life than the things we accumulate. That something bigger is just God's purpose that will fill us

In Luke 12:15 Jesus said, "A man's life does not consist in the quantity of his goods."

There is something more important to life than trophies we like to collect, like cars, home, family, children.

In order for us to be completely satisfied, you need to be in touch with the values ​​and priorities of God's Kingdom, something that has greater power and lasting joy than you can, something that causes lives to be transformed through your effort, work in progress. in favor of others that are finalized.

Jesus the King of Kings is asking these questions today: what do you want out of life?

We need to be able to respond.

God always puts in our hearts His will through the events around us.

God effects the will and the fulfillment ...

BELOW: PROOF OF TEXTS SUMMARY HERE.

NEEMIAH 1: 1-11

Nehemiah, knowing the sad state of Jerusalem, prays to God

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hagaliah. And it came to pass in the month of Kishlev, in the twentieth year, when I was in Shushan the fortress;

2 That came Hanani, one of my brethren, he and some of Judah; And I asked them about the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great misery and contempt; and the wall of Jerusalem was rented and its gates burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for a few days. and I have been fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 And he said, Ah! LORD God of heaven, great and terrible God! Who keeps the covenant and kindness to those who love him and keep his commandments;

6 Therefore let your ears and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant, which I pray to you this day and night for the children of Israel your servants. I make confession for the sins of the children of Israel which we have committed against you. My father's house and I, too, have sinned.

7 We are corrupt against you, and keep not the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou hast commanded Moses thy servant.

8 Remember therefore the word which thou commanded Moses thy servant, saying, Ye shall transgress, and I will scatter you among the peoples.

9 And ye shall be converted unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; then, though your outcasts are at the extremity of heaven, I will gather them from thence, and bring them to the place which I have chosen to dwell there my name.

10 They are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed with your great strength and with your strong hand.

11 Ah! Lord, let your ears be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who desire to fear your name; and make your servant prosper today, and give him favor in the sight of this man. So I was the king's butler.

NEH 2: 1-20

Artaxerxes allows Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and build the walls

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, that wine was set before him, and I took the wine, and gave it to the king; but I had never been sad before him.

2 And the king said unto me, Why is thy face sad, because thou art not sick? This is nothing but heartache; so I was very afraid.

3 And he said unto the king, Long live the king! How could my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, is desolate, and its gates are consumed with fire?

4 And the king said unto me, What wilt thou ask me now? So I prayed to the God of heaven,

5 And he said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant be accepted in thy presence, I pray thee, send me to Judah, to the city of the tombs of my fathers, that I may build it again.

6 Then said the king unto me, while the queen sat with him, How long shall thy journey last, and when shall thou return? And it pleased the king to send me, and I pointed to him a while.

7 And he said unto the king, If it seems good unto the king, let me give letters unto the governors beyond the river, that they may pass me until I come to Judah.

8 And a letter to Asaph, the king's forest keeper, to give me wood to cover the gates of the house, to the city wall, and to the house into which I shall come. And the king gave, according to the good hand of God upon me.

9 Then I went to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. and the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.

10 And hearing that Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant greatly displeased them that any man should seek the good of the children of Israel.

11 And I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me, and told no man what my God put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; and there was no animal with me but the one on which it was mounted.

13 And I went out by night into the gate of the valley, and into the fountain of the dragon, and into the gate of the dunghill, and beheld the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken, and their gates, which had been consumed with fire.

14 And I went to the fountain gate and the king's pool. and there was no place for the animal on which to ride.

15 And I went up by the stream by night, and beheld the wall; And turning, I entered through the gate of the valley. so I came back.

16 And the magistrates knew not where I went, nor what I did; For neither the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the magistrates, nor those who did the work, had ever declared anything.

17 Then said he unto them, Ye see ye the misery that we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates are burned with fire; Come, then, and let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and let us not be a reproach.

18 Then I told them how the hand of my God had favored me, and the words of the king which he had spoken to me. Then said they, Let us rise, and build. And they strove their hands for good.

19 And hearing that Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab mocked us, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? Do you want to rebel against the king?

20 And I answered them, and said, The God of heaven shall prosper us: and we his servants shall rise and build; but you have no part, no righteousness, no memory in Jerusalem.

And the walls began to be restored ...

NEHEMIAH 4: 1-23

The enemies intend to slow down the building of the walls

1 And it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, that he burned with anger, and was very wroth. and mocked the Jews.

2 And he spake in the presence of his brethren, and of the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews do? Will you allow them this? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in one day? Shall the stones that were burned live out of the heaps of dust?

3 And Tobias the Ammonite was with him, and said, Though they build, yet a fox come, he shall easily break down his wall of stone.

4 Hear, O our God, that we are so despised, and turn his reproach upon his head, and cast them for a prey in the land of captivity.

5 And do not cover their iniquity, and let not their sin be drawn from before you, because they have angered you before the builders.

6 But we built the wall, and the whole wall was shut in half. For the hearts of the people were inclined to work.

7 And it came to pass, when hearing Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem began to grow, and the breaches were beginning to close, they were very angry.

8 And they joined one another to war against Jerusalem, to turn them from their purpose.

9 But we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night for their sakes.

10 Then said Judah, The forces of the bearers have faded, and the dust is very much, and we will not be able to build the wall.

11 And our enemies said, They shall know nothing of this, neither shall they see, until we come into their midst, and kill them; thus we will cause the work to cease.

12 And it came to pass, when the Jews that dwelt among them came, ten times unto us, saying, They will return against us from all places.

13 Then I put guards in the low places behind the wall and in the high places; And I set the people for their families with their swords, and with their spears, and with their bows.

14 And I looked, and arose, and said unto the nobles, and the rulers, and to the remnant of the people, Fear not them; Remember the great and terrible LORD, and fight for your brethren, your children, your wives, and your houses.

15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that we knew it, and that God had dispelled their counsel, we all returned to the wall, every man to his work.

16 And it came to pass, from that day, that half of my servants labored in the work, and half of them had spears, shields, bows, and breastplates; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.

17 Those who built the wall, those who carried the burdens and those who carried them, each with one hand did the work, and the other with the arms.

18 And the builders each had his girded sword by his loins, and they builded; and the one who blew the trumpet was with me.

19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and unto the remnant of the people, Great and extensive is the work, and we are far from the wall, far from one another.

20 Where ye shall hear the sound of the horn, there shall ye be gathered together with us; our God will fight for us.

21 So we worked in the work; and half of them had spears from the rising of the dawn to the rising of the stars.

22 And at that time said unto the people, Let every man with his servant abide in Jerusalem, that they may be a guard unto us by night, and by day by work.

23 Neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, let go of our garments; each had their weapons and water.

NEH 6: 1-19

Enemies plot to surprise and intimidate Nehemiah

1 And it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobias, and Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, that there was no breach in it, though I had not yet set the doors in the gates,

2 And Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come and let us gather together in the villages in the valley of Ono. But they meant to hurt me.

3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I do a great work, that I cannot come down; Why should this work cease as long as I leave it and come to you?

4 And they sent to me likewise four times; and I answered them in the same way.

5 Then Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand;

6 And it was written, It was heard among the Gentiles, and Gesem saith, Thou with the Jews intent to rebel, then build the wall; and thou shalt make them king over them according to these words;

7 And that thou hast set prophets to preach from thee to Jerusalem, saying, This is king in Judah; So the king will hear him according to these words. come now, and let us consult together.

8 But I commanded him to say, Of all that thou sayest nothing came to pass; but you invent it from your heart.

9 For they all sought to frighten us, saying, Their hands will let go of the work, and it shall not be done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

10 And when I came into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Meetabel, which was shut up, he said, Let us go into the house of God into the midst of the temple, and shut the doors of the temple; because they will come to kill you; yes, in the night they will come to kill you.

11 But I said, Would a man like me flee? And who, like me, enters the temple to live? No way will I come in.

12 And I realized that it was not God who sent him; but this prophecy spoke against me, because Tobias and Sanballat bribed him.

13 For this they bribed him, to frighten me, and to do so, and to sin, that they might have cause to reproach me, and so to reproach me.

14 Remember, my God, Tobias and Sanballat according to their works, and also the prophetess Noadia, and the most prophets that sought to frighten me.

15 And the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul; in fifty-two days.

16 And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard it, that all the peoples that were around us feared, and were very low in their own eyes; because they recognized that our God had done this work.

17 Also in those days some nobles of Judah wrote many letters to Tobiah; and Tobias's letters came to them.

18 For many in Judah were sworn to him, because he was the son in law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; And his son Johanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

19 His good deeds also counted before me, and my words spoke to him. so Tobias wrote letters to frighten me.

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