Armed Labor and Constant Vigilance

16

From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah,

17

as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other.

18

As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me.

19

I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another.

20

But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!"

21

So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.

22

Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day."

23

I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

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