Nehemiah 4

¹ And alle weren gaderid togidere to come and fiyte ayens Jerusalem, and to caste tresouns. ² And we preieden oure Lord God, and we settiden keperis on the wal bi dai and niyt ayens hem. ³ Forsothe Juda seide, The strengthe of the berere is maad feble, and the erthe is ful myche, and we moun not bilde the wal. ⁴ And oure enemyes seiden, Wite thei not, and knowe thei not, til we comen in to the myddil of hem, and sleen hem, and maken the werk to ceesse. ⁵ Forsothe it was doon, whanne Jewis came, that dwelliden bisidis hem, and seiden to vs bi ten tymes, fro alle places fro whiche thei camen to vs, 6 Y ordeynede the puple in ordre, with her swerdis, and speris, and bouwis, in a place bihynde the wal bi cumpas. 7 Y bihelde, and roos, and seide to the principal men, and magistratis, and to the tother part of the comyn puple, Nyle ye drede of her face; haue ye mynde of the greet Lord, and ferdful, and fiyte ye for youre britheren, and youre sones, and youre douytris, for youre wyues, and housis. ⁸ Forsothe it was doon, whanne oure enemyes hadden herd that it was teld to vs, God distriede her counsel; and alle we turneden ayen to the wallis, ech man to his werk. ⁹ And it was doon fro that dai, the half part of yonge men made werk, and the half part was redi to batel; and speris, and scheldis, and bouwis, and harburiouns, and princes aftir hem, in al the hows of men of Juda, 10 bildynge in the wal, and berynge birthuns, and puttynge on; with her oon hond thei maden werk, and with the tother thei helden swerd. 11 For ech of the bilderis was gird with the swerd on the reynes; and thei bildiden, and sowneden with clariouns bisidis me. 12 And Y seide to the principal men, and magistratis, and to the tothir part of the comyn puple, The werk is greet and brood, and we ben departid fer in the wal, oon from anothir; 13 in what euer place ye heren the sown of the trumpe, renne ye togidere thidur to vs; for oure God schal fiyte for vs. 14 And we vs silf schal make the werk, and the half part of vs holde speris, fro the stiyng of the moreutid til that sterris go out. 15 And in that tyme Y seide to the puple, Ech man with his child dwelle in the myddil of Jerusalem, and whilis be to vs `bi nyyt and dai to worche. ¹⁶ But Y, and my britheren, and my keperis, and children, that weren after me, diden not of oure clothis; ech man was maad nakid oneli to waischyng. ¹⁸ And greet cry of the puple and of her wyues was maad ayens her britheren Jewis. ¹⁹ And there weren that seiden, Oure sones and oure douytris ben ful manye; take we wheete for the prijs of hem, and ete we, and lyue. ²⁰ And there weren that seiden, Sette we forth oure feeldis, and vyneris, and oure howsis, and take we wheete in hungur. ²¹ And othere men seiden, Take we money bi borewyng in to the tributis of the kyng, and yyue oure feeldis and vyneris. ²² And now as the fleischis of oure britheren ben, so and oure fleischis ben; and as ben the sones of hem, so and oure sones ben; lo! we han maad suget oure sones and oure douytris in to seruage, and seruauntissis ben of oure douytris, and we han not wherof thei moun be ayenbouyt; and othere men han in possessioun oure feeldis, and oure vyneris. ²³ And Y was ful wrooth, whanne Y hadde herde the cry of hem bi these wordis.