y with the other to grasp his spear.
And each builder worked with his sword fastened at his side. The man who
sounded the alarm was by me; and I said to the nobles and to the rulers
and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and spread out, and we
on the wall are far from each other. Wherever you hear the sound of the
trumpet, gather about us; our God will fight for us."

So we worked hard, while half of them held the lances from early in the
morning until the stars came out. And I said at that time to the people,
"Let each man with his servant stay in Jerusalem, that they may protect
us at night and work during the day." So neither I, nor any of my
relatives, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who accompanied me
took off our clothes, but each kept his spear in his right hand.

After fifty-two days the wall was finished. When our enemies heard of
it, all the nations around us were afraid, and it seemed very wonderful
to them, and they knew that this work had been done by our God.

After the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the
porters and the singers and the Levites had been appointed, I placed my
brother Hanani, the commander of the castle, in charge of Jerusalem, for
he was a faithful man and more God-fearing than many. And I said to
them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until after sunrise; and
at night, while the watchmen are still on guard, let them shut the doors
and bar them. Also let the people who live in Jerusalem be on guard,
each at his post opposite his own house."

Now the city was wide and large, but there were few people in it, and
the houses had not been rebuilt. So my God put it into my mind to gather
together the nobles and the officials and the people. The officials
lived in Jerusalem. The rest of the people drew lots that one out of
every ten should live in Jerusalem, the sacred city, while the others
stayed in the villages.

Then I had the officials of Judah take their place on the wall, and I
formed two great processions. The first marched to the right upon the
wall toward the Dung Gate; and behind them went Hoshaiah and half of the
officials of Judah. At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the
stairs of the City of David by the ascent along the wall above the House
of David to the Water Gate on the east of the city.

The other procession went to the left on the wall above the Tower of the
Furnaces, and I after them, with half of the people, to t