The Bible Story Part 198

This is on the east side of the city and overlooking it. There were many gates in the wall of Jerusalem to allow the coming and going of trade. Some were used for special branches of trade, which would center there in booths for the merchants. Some of the gates in ancient times were, "The Fish Gate," "The Horse Gate," "The Sheep Gate," "The Gate of Potsherds," "The Gate of the Spring," "The Water Gate," "The Gate of the Guard."

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"And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days."

_The Right Man in the Right Place_.

"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my G.o.d put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pa.s.s. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the n.o.bles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I to them, 'Ye see the evil fortune that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.'

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"And I told them of the hand of my G.o.d which was good upon me; as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, 'Let us rise up and build.'

"So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, 'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?'

"Then answered I them, and said unto them, 'The G.o.d of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'"

_Enemies Threaten_.

"But it came to pa.s.s that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

And he spoke, before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, 'What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?'

"Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, 'Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.'

"Hear, O our G.o.d; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity: and cover not their iniquity, {219} and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

"So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

"But it came to pa.s.s that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto our G.o.d, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, 'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.'

"And our adversaries said, 'They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.'

"And it came to pa.s.s that, when the Jews which dwell by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, 'Ye must return unto us.'"

_Watchful and Ready_.

"Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the s.p.a.ce behind the wall, in the open places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said to the n.o.bles, {220} and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, 'Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.'

"And it came to pa.s.s, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and G.o.d had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone unto his work. And it came to pa.s.s from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They that builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; and the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

"And I said to the n.o.bles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another: in what place soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our G.o.d shall fight for us.'

"So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, 'Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.'

"So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the {221} men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone went with his weapon to the water."

_Statesman as Well as Soldier_.

"Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, 'We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get corn, that we may eat and live.'

Some also there were that said, 'We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get corn, because of the dearth.'

"There were also that said, 'We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.'

"And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the n.o.bles and the rulers, and said unto them, 'Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother.'

"And I held a great a.s.sembly against them. And I said to them, 'We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us?'

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"Then held they their peace, and found never a word. Also I said, 'The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our G.o.d, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and corn on usury. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.'

"Then said they, 'We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest.'

"Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook out my lap, and said, 'So G.o.d shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.'

And all the congregation said, 'Amen,' and praised the Lord.

"And the people did according to this promise. Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. But the former governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bore rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of G.o.d.

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JERUSALEM, A PART OF THE WALL AND THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.

Jerusalem, like all ancient cities, was protected by walls. The first of these walls was built by David and Solomon and the later kings. This wall was broken down and overthrown when the people of the city were carried into captivity, and was rebuilt again by Nehemiah. In the time of Josephus, three walls encircled the city, the oldest being the ancient wall and the others additions necessitated by the enlargement of the boundaries. Parts of these walls have been traced, and some portions still exist. These existing portions are in places 150 feet high, and the ancient towers at the corners were probably 250 feet high. They were built of immense stones very solidly put together to resist the attack of battering rams in times of war.

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Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.

Moreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers an hundred and fifty men, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that were round about us. Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Remember unto me, O my G.o.d, for good, all that I have done for this people."

_In Spite of Foes, the Walls Are Built_.

"Now it came to pa.s.s, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and unto the rest of our enemies, that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein (though even unto that time I had not set up the doors in the gates); that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, 'Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.'

"But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?'

"And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; wherein was written, 'It is {226} reported among the nations, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause thou buildest the wall: and thou wouldest be their king, according to these words.

And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.'

"Then I sent to him, saying, 'There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.'