Part 198 (1/2)

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.”

[End ill.u.s.tration]

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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 s.h.i.+elds, 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_.