New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Nehemiah 6
1
Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, the Arab, heard about what I had done. So did the rest of our enemies. All of them heard I had rebuilt the wall. In fact, they heard there weren't any gaps left in it. But up to that time I hadn't put up the gates at the main entrances to the city.
Reference
2
Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message. They said, "Come. Let's talk with one another. Let's meet in one of the villages on the flatlands of Ono." But they were planning to harm me.
Reference
📍 Hakkephirim
3
So I sent messengers to them with my answer. I replied, "I'm working on a huge project. So I can't get away. Why should the work stop while I leave it? Why should I go down and talk with you?"
Reference
4
They sent me the same message four times. And I gave them the same answer each time.
5
Sanballat sent his helper to me a fifth time. He brought the same message. He was carrying a letter that wasn't sealed.
6
It said, "A report is going around among the nations. Geshem says it's true. We hear that you and the other Jews are planning to turn against the Persian rulers. And that's why you are building the wall. "It's also reported that you are about to become their king.
Reference
7
People say that you have even appointed prophets to make an announcement about you. In Jerusalem they are going to say, 'Judah has a king!' That report will get back to the king of Persia. So come. Let's talk things over."
8
I sent a reply to Sanballat. I said, "What you are saying isn't really happening. You are just making it up."
Reference
9
All of them were trying to frighten us. They thought, "Their hands will get too weak to do the work. So it won't be completed." But I prayed to God. I said, "Make my hands stronger."
Reference
Creation
2 Corinthians 12:9
Parallel theme
Psalm 138:3
Hebrews 12:12
Philippians 4:13
Jeremiah 38:4
Ephesians 6:10
Ephesians 3:16
References God
Isaiah 41:10
1 Samuel 30:6
1 Peter 5:10
10
One day I went to Shemaiah's house. He was the son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had shut himself up in his home. He said, "Let's go to God's house. Let's meet inside the temple. Let's close the temple doors. Some people want to kill you. They will come at night."
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 36:5
11
But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Should someone like me go into the temple just to save his life? No! I won't go!"
Reference
12
I realized that God hadn't sent Shemaiah. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. That's why he had prophesied lies about me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 13:22
13
They had hired him to scare me. They wanted me to commit a sin by doing what he said. That would give me a bad name in the community. People would find fault with me and my work.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 20:10
Proverbs 29:5
Jeremiah 18:18
Nehemiah 6:6
2 Timothy 1:7
Sin
James 4:17
14
You are my God. Remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Also remember the prophet Noadiah. She and the rest of the prophets have been trying to scare me.
Reference
People
References God
Nehemiah 13:29
15
So the city wall was completed on the 25th day of the month of Elul. It was finished in 52 days.
Reference
16
All of our enemies heard about it. All of the nations that were around us became afraid. They weren't sure of themselves anymore. They realized that our God had helped us finish the work.
Reference
Parallel theme
Joshua 5:1
Psalm 126:2
Nehemiah 4:7
Nehemiah 2:10
Nehemiah 4:1
Acts 5:38
Exodus 14:25
References God
Numbers 23:23
17
In those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah. And replies from Tobiah came back to them.
18
Many people in Judah had taken an oath that they would be faithful to him. That's because he was Shecaniah's son-in-law. Shecaniah was the son of Arah. Tobiah's son Jehohanan had married Meshullam's daughter. Meshullam was the son of Berekiah.
Reference
People
19
Tobiah's friends kept reporting to me the good things he did. They also kept telling him what I said. And Tobiah himself sent letters to scare me.
Summary of Nehemiah 6
Nehemiah Chapter 6 describes the final stages of the wall's reconstruction and the increasingly sophisticated attempts by Nehemiah's enemies to stop him. As the wall approached completion, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem changed their strategy. Instead of openly attacking the workers, they tried to isolate and manipulate Nehemiah personally. They repeatedly invited him to meet them in the plain of Ono, pretending that they wanted to discuss matters peacefully. Nehemiah recognized the danger and refused to leave the work.
After four unsuccessful invitations, Sanballat sent an open letter accusing Nehemiah of planning a rebellion against the Persian king and attempting to make himself king of Jerusalem. This was a serious accusation because rebellion against Persia could have resulted in military intervention. Nehemiah immediately rejected the claims, recognizing that the rumors were invented to frighten the people and weaken their determination. He responded with prayer, asking God to strengthen him for the work.
The enemies then attempted another strategy involving Shemaiah, who presented himself as someone giving Nehemiah religious advice. Shemaiah urged Nehemiah to hide inside the Temple because assassins were supposedly coming to kill him. Nehemiah recognized that the proposal was a trap. Entering a restricted area of the Temple would have violated religious regulations and could have damaged his reputation. He correctly concluded that Shemaiah had been hired or influenced by his enemies to frighten him into making a serious mistake.
Despite all these attempts, Nehemiah remained focused. The wall was finally completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, after only fifty-two days of work. The completion was a remarkable achievement considering the ruined condition of the city, the physical demands of construction, internal economic problems, and continuous external opposition.
The enemies were deeply discouraged when they heard that the wall had been completed. They recognized that the success of the project was evidence of God's help. However, the chapter shows that the opposition did not disappear completely. Several nobles of Judah maintained close relationships with Tobiah, including family connections through marriage. They praised Tobiah to Nehemiah and communicated information between him and the Jewish leadership. Tobiah also continued sending letters intended to frighten Nehemiah.
The chapter therefore emphasizes that opposition can take many forms. At first, Nehemiah's enemies used ridicule, then threats, military pressure, false accusations, and finally religious manipulation and internal political relationships. Nehemiah succeeded because he remained focused on the work and refused to allow fear or deception to determine his actions.
The completion of the wall was therefore more than a construction achievement. It demonstrated that a determined community could accomplish a major restoration project despite opposition. Nehemiah's leadership throughout the chapter shows the importance of discernment, courage, perseverance, prayer, and the ability to recognize manipulation. He did not allow repeated invitations, rumors, threats, or false religious advice to distract him from the task. The wall was completed because Nehemiah and the people remained committed until the work was finished.
After four unsuccessful invitations, Sanballat sent an open letter accusing Nehemiah of planning a rebellion against the Persian king and attempting to make himself king of Jerusalem. This was a serious accusation because rebellion against Persia could have resulted in military intervention. Nehemiah immediately rejected the claims, recognizing that the rumors were invented to frighten the people and weaken their determination. He responded with prayer, asking God to strengthen him for the work.
The enemies then attempted another strategy involving Shemaiah, who presented himself as someone giving Nehemiah religious advice. Shemaiah urged Nehemiah to hide inside the Temple because assassins were supposedly coming to kill him. Nehemiah recognized that the proposal was a trap. Entering a restricted area of the Temple would have violated religious regulations and could have damaged his reputation. He correctly concluded that Shemaiah had been hired or influenced by his enemies to frighten him into making a serious mistake.
Despite all these attempts, Nehemiah remained focused. The wall was finally completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, after only fifty-two days of work. The completion was a remarkable achievement considering the ruined condition of the city, the physical demands of construction, internal economic problems, and continuous external opposition.
The enemies were deeply discouraged when they heard that the wall had been completed. They recognized that the success of the project was evidence of God's help. However, the chapter shows that the opposition did not disappear completely. Several nobles of Judah maintained close relationships with Tobiah, including family connections through marriage. They praised Tobiah to Nehemiah and communicated information between him and the Jewish leadership. Tobiah also continued sending letters intended to frighten Nehemiah.
The chapter therefore emphasizes that opposition can take many forms. At first, Nehemiah's enemies used ridicule, then threats, military pressure, false accusations, and finally religious manipulation and internal political relationships. Nehemiah succeeded because he remained focused on the work and refused to allow fear or deception to determine his actions.
The completion of the wall was therefore more than a construction achievement. It demonstrated that a determined community could accomplish a major restoration project despite opposition. Nehemiah's leadership throughout the chapter shows the importance of discernment, courage, perseverance, prayer, and the ability to recognize manipulation. He did not allow repeated invitations, rumors, threats, or false religious advice to distract him from the task. The wall was completed because Nehemiah and the people remained committed until the work was finished.