7 ¹ But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the ^rArabs and the ^sAmmonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

10 In Judah it was said,² “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”³ 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ^t“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is ^ugreat and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

The Work Resumes

15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will ^vfight for us.”

21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.⁴

Qualifications for Overseers

1 ^bThe saying is trustworthy: ^cIf anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an ^doverseer¹ must be above reproach, ^ethe husband of one wife,² sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must ^fmanage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, ^ghow will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become ^hpuffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a ⁱsnare of the devil.

Qualifications for Deacons

8 ^jDeacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,³ not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must ^khold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And ^llet them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise⁴ must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be ^mthe husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great ⁿconfidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The Mystery of Godliness

14 ^oI hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the ^phousehold of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we ^qconfess, is the mystery of godliness: