12. When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, “Everywhere you turn, they attack us.”
13. So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
14. After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.”
15. When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.