When Nehemiah got to Jerusalem he stayed there 3 days.

 

Then he got up in the night and rode a horse around the outside wall of the city to see the places that needed to be fixed.

 

 

 

He went by the valley gate and the dragon’s well.

 

 

 

 

He went to the gate of the fountain and the king’s pool.

 

 

Then he went by the brook and went back inside the valley gate.

 

 

No one knew why he had come to Jerusalem or what God had put on his heart to do.

Then he said to the children of Israel, You see what trouble you are in, how the city is ruined and the gates burned with fire; Come on, let’s build the wall so we will be safe and not be in trouble or embarrassed any more.

 

 

Then he told them how God’s hand had helped him talk to the king and what the king said.

 

 

 

 

Then the people said, Yes, Let’s get up and build. So they made their hands strong to do this work.

But when some of the leaders of the bad ones who gave them trouble heard what they planned to do, they started laughing. They hated them.

They asked, What are you doing? Are you going to go against the king?

Nehemiah told them, The God of heaven, He will help us and make our work good. We are his servants and we will build up this city: You have no place here or right to be in Jerusalem.

Then the high priest got up with his brothers and built the sheep gate and put good doors on it and built the wall clear to the tower.

Others took another part and started building and putting on the gates: the fish gate and the wall to the throne of the governor on this side of the river.

 

 

 

The broad wall was built and on to the tower of the furnaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The valley gate was repaired with doors and locks.

Another family built to the fountain gate with its doors and bars and locks down past the king’s garden.

 

More and more built around the corner to the king’s high house by the court of the prison.

The wall was finished to the water gate and opposite the great tower and from above the horse gate back around to the sheep gate again.

 

 

 

 

When a bad one nearby heard that the children of Israel were building up the wall he was mad and tried to stop them.

 

 

He made a lot of trouble. He talked bad about them to everyone around.

 

 

 

So Nehemiah prayed and said, Listen, O our God how they hate us

 

 

 

and turn this trouble back on their own heads

 

 

 

 

and let them be taken captive.

 

Do not let their sin be blotted out before you because they are making much trouble for Your builders.

The bad ones came to fight against the children of Israel to make them stop building up the wall of Jerusalem.

 

 

 

 

But Nehemiah and the people prayed to the Lord God

 

 

 

and sent men to watch against the enemy day and night.

Piles of rubbish from building were everywhere so that the watchmen couldn’t see the enemy coming. So Nehemiah set watchmen up high and down low with their families and swords, and their spears, and bows. And they kept their clothes on day and night in case they had to fight.

 

 

 

 

Nehemiah told the people, Don’t be afraid of these enemies.

 

Remember the Lord who is great and amazing, and fight for your brothers and sons and daughters and wives and houses, because the Lord will fight for us.

When the enemy heard that the children of Israel knew their plans, God stopped their plans and brought their plans to nothing.