When he arrived at Jerusalem, he didn’t tell the people why he had come. Instead, he spent three days looking over the situation. Finally he brought the leaders together and explained how the king of Persia had given him permission to rebuild the city walls. He said, “We can’t live with this disgrace any longer. It’s time to rebuild the walls!”

The leaders agreed and committed themselves to the project. It was decided that each leader would choose a section of the wall as his personal responsibility. They immediately organized their families to start building.

The non-Jewish people of the area were shocked when they saw what was happening. They laughed and told jokes. “These people are too weak to rebuild their city. Ha! I can see it now. They build a section of wall, and it falls down when a little fox jumps on it.”

Still, the builders were determined and worked faster. Soon the wall was halfway up, and they started joining the various sections. This made their enemies furious. They realized they had to stop this construction. They threatened to sneak up and kill the workers. They said, “We’ll do whatever it takes to stop this wall!”

Fear gripped the hearts of the builders, so they set up guards to watch day and night. Nehemiah said, “Don’t be afraid. God is stronger than your enemies. Be prepared to fight! Fight for your fellow Jews. Fight for your sons and daughters. Fight for your wives and your homes.”

The workers set up a warning system in case there was an attack on any section of the wall. Men were prepared to rush to that area and fight.

Everyone worked together and soon the walls were done, except for the gates. The enemy decided their only hope of stopping the project was to kill Nehemiah. To do this, they had to get him out of the city. So they sent a message asking him to meet them in a nearby village.

Nehemiah said, “I’m doing a great work here. Why should it stop so we can talk?”

They begged him to meet with them. Finally they sent a message, “People are saying you’re building the wall so you can rebel against the empire and make yourself king. Unless you meet with us, we’re going to tell the king of Persia about your rebellion.”

Nehemiah ignored their threats and continued working until the wall and the gates were finished. It only took fifty-two days to complete the project. At last the city was protected.

The people rejoiced and sang praise to God. Ezra stood before them and read the Law of Moses so all could hear. The people dedicated themselves to follow God’s commandments. The Jews who lived in the surrounding towns decided that one out of every ten families would move into the city. God had done great things for Israel, and even their enemies were amazed!