Nehemia 4:15

4:15 It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these matters, ¹  God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work.

Nehemia 5:9

5:9 Then I ²  said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! ³  Should you not conduct yourselves ⁴  in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?

Nehemia 6:16

6:16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw ⁵  this, they were greatly disheartened. ⁶  They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

[4:15]  ¹ tn Heb “it was known to us.”

[5:9]  ² tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).

[5:9]  ³ tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.

[5:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”

[6:16]  ⁵ tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”).

[6:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipÿlu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippale’, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).