10 Afterward T came unto the houſe of Shemajah, the ſon of Delajah' 2, che ſon of Mehetabel, who was ſhur up»; and he faid, Let us meet together in the houſe of God, within the Temple 0; and tet us ſhut the doors of the Temple ; for they will come to ſlay thee ; yea, in the night will chey come to ſlay thee.
-m Probably one of the chief of the Prieſts, s Chron. 24. 26. nIn his Chamber adjoining ro the Temple, upon pretence of ſingular Devotion, Sequeitration from, the World, and ſpecial Acquaintance, and much Communion with God in hisRetirements, after the man- ner of the Prophets; and withal upon pretence of certain know- ledge, which he had by the Spirir of God and of Prophecy, concer- ning their approaching Danger, from which they could be ſafe no where burtin the Temple, whichthe very Heathens owned for a San« Ctuary, which they mightnor violate. o For the danger is fo near, that we cannot fafely tarry here fo long as to conſult what to do in this jan&ure» His deſign herein was partly to diſcourage and diſgrace Nehemia", and thereby to ſtrike a dread unto all the People, and give a ſpeedy and full ftop to the work ; partly to prepare the way tor tie Enemies to a{tault and take the City, whilit Nehemiah was lburt up. and unableto give them any oppoſition ; partly to juſtifie their Accuiation of Nek:miah to the King by his flight upon it; and partly,that there by the help of other Prieſts, who were conſcious of his Plot, he might either deitroy him, or ſecure hisPerſon till theCi- ty by foine of his Complices were betrayed into theEnemies hands.
11 And 1 ſaid, ſhould ſuch a man asI pflee? and who 2:5 there that being as I am, would gointo the tem-
ple to {ave his life q 7 I will not go in,
p Ithe chief Governour, upon whoſe preſence, and Counſel, and Condutt, the very lite and Beeing of the whole City and Nation in a great meaſure depends : T who have profeſſed ſuch Reſolution, and Courage, and confidence in God. 1 who have had ſuch emi- nent Expe: tence of God's graciousand powerful Afffiſtances, of his calling me to this Employment, and carrying me through it when our Danger was greater than now it is: Shall I now diſhonour God and Religion, and berray the People and City of God by my Cowardiſe ? God forbid. This is not the Count! of God, nor of a Friend, bur a plot of mine Enemies, as ithere follows. q As if T had an evil Caute or Conſcience ; as if I were a Malefa&or, who fled thicher for refuge ; as if I durſt nor truſt God with my Preſervation, except I wear into the Temple, which it.is nor laws
ful for INC, being LiO Pricſt, [00] do, i: And
'
4 OCIELTES
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Chap. Y[,
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; 4 Pp. VII.
f Heb. nultiplied ther letters
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pm own City and Nation.
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12 And lo, I perceived r that God had not ſent kim, but that he pronounced this prophecy againſt me : for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him,
r Partly by conſidering the ſinful Nature and pernicious Conſe- quence of this Counſel ; partly by the Suggeſtion of God's Spirit, whoſe Counſel and Help I ſought in this matter ; and partly by the Event which diſcovered that there was no ſuch Danger from tae Approach of the Enemy, as was pretendcd.
13 Theretore as he hired, that I ſhould be afraid, and do {o, and ſin s, and that they might have matter
for an evil report, that they might Reproach me -r.
ſ By going into a place forbidden to me,and that in ſuch a time, and manner, and upon ſuch an occaſion; which would have been both Sinful and Shamefi:l See on v 11. 7#£ As A Coward, and conſcious of my own guilt that fo they mightmake me contemp- tibl- and odious, both to my own People, and to of Perſia: |
14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah, and Sanbal- lat according to theſe their works, and on the prophe- teſs Noadiah «, and the reſt of the Prophets that would have put me in fear.
# One that falſly pretended to the Spirit of Propheey, todeceive and Geſtroy Nehemiah: He prays to God io remember and puniſh theſe Falte Prophets, becau.c he was n«t yet in a capacity to doit, having ſuck powerful Enemies round about him, and fo many rich and potent Jews highly diſconrented for their great loſs by his means, chap. 5.
I5 So the wall was finiſhed in the ewenty and fifth day of the month Elul x, in fifty and two days y.
x Anſwering part to our Auguſt, and part ro September. y To be computed either. 1. From the time of Sanballat's tending this Let- ter to him : Or as moſt judge, from the beginning of the work : Which though a great thing, yt it 1s not at all incredible, con- ſidering 1. That the Walls aud Gates were not wholly pulled down by the Chaldeans : For to what purpoſe ſhould they make that waite of time and labour 2. That where the Walls were thrown down, yet the Materials remained, which they now uſed. 3. That in the building of the Walls they minded not Curioſity, but only Stiength an- ſafety 4, The great numbers of the Buil- ders, and the prudent Ditiribution of the Work among them, and their admirable Leal and Diligence in the Work- 5. That there want not parallel Inſtances even in Heathen Authors; for both Curtius and Arian report, that Alexander the Great built the Walls of new Alexanaria; which contained above ſeven Miles in length, within twenty days ſpace. 6. That there was an eminent hand of God in carrying on this Work, which their very Enemies here ac- knowledge.
I6 Andit came to paſs. that when all our Enenues heard theresf, and all the Heathen that ere about us ſaw theſe things, they were much caſt down in their own eyes 2, tor they perceived « that this work was wrought of our God 5.
z 7. e. In their Opinion, or themſelves being Judges. For though ordinarily Men are very prone to judge partially, and ſtill 10 flatter themſclves with vain hopes and Fancieszyet this caſe was ſo clear and remacrkuble, that they began to deſpair, Now they ſaw that all was loſt thar their Deſignes were broken, and thar their