Nehemiah 4:15-23
Doing the Work and Holding a Weapon
15Now it happened that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that aGod had thwarted their counsel, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. 16And it happened that from that day on, half of my young men carried on the work while half of them took hold of the spears, the shields, the bows, and the breastplates; and the commanders were behind the whole house of Judah. 17Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. 18As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while 1the trumpeter stood near me. 19I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. 20“At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, there gather together to us. aOur God will fight for us.”
21So we kept doing the work with half of them holding spears from 1dawn until the stars came out. 22At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his young man spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a worker by day.” 23So neither I, my brothers, my young men, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.