Nehemiah Rebuilds the Wall

Far away from home, in a king's grand palace, there lived a man named Nehemiah.

He was the king's cupbearer, which means he served the king his wine. One day, his brother came to visit from Judah, the land of Nehemiah's people. He brought very sad news. The great wall around Jerusalem was broken down, and its gates had been burned with fire. Nehemiah was so sad that he sat down and cried, and for days he prayed to God.

Some time later, Nehemiah brought the king his wine. And the king noticed something. The king said, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick?" Nehemiah had never looked sad in front of the king before, and now he was very much afraid. But he bravely told the king the truth. The city of his people lay in ruins.

Then the king asked, "What is your request?" Nehemiah said a quick prayer to the God of heaven. Then he asked the king to send him to Jerusalem to build it again. And the king said yes! He even gave Nehemiah letters for a safe journey, and wood from the king's forest for the gates. Nehemiah said it was all "because of the good hand of my God on me."

When Nehemiah got to Jerusalem, he waited three days. Then, one night, he quietly rode out with a few men to look at the broken walls. The wind whistled over the ruins. Broken stones lay everywhere, and in one place there wasn't even room for the animal he rode to get through. Then Nehemiah gathered the people and said, "Come, let's build up the wall of Jerusalem." He told them how God had been good to him. And the people answered, "Let's rise up and build."

So everybody got to work! Priests and goldsmiths and perfume makers, whole families together, and even a leader named Shallum, with his daughters. Many of them built the part of the wall right next to their own homes.

But not everyone was happy. Two grumpy men named Sanballat and Tobiah laughed at the builders. Tobiah joked that if even a little fox climbed up on their wall, it would fall right down! But Nehemiah prayed, and the people kept on building. The wall rose higher and higher, because everyone worked with all their heart. Then the enemies planned to attack and stop the work, and some of the builders felt scared.

So Nehemiah prayed, and he set guards to keep watch, day and night. He told the people, "Don't be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome." From then on, half of the people built, while the other half stood guard. And every builder kept a sword at his side. A trumpet player stayed right beside Nehemiah, ready to call everyone together. And Nehemiah told them, "Our God will fight for us."

Then the enemies tried a trick. They invited Nehemiah to meet them far away, but really, they wanted to hurt him. Nehemiah sent back this answer. "I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down." They asked him four times, and four times Nehemiah gave the very same answer. They tried to frighten him with lies and tricks. But Nehemiah just prayed, "Strengthen my hands."

And then, one day, the last stone was set in place. The wall was finished, in just fifty-two days!

When their enemies heard about it, they lost their confidence. They could see that this work was done by God. Together, with God's help, they had done it!

This story teaches us that God helps us be brave and keep going, even when others laugh or try to stop us. When a job feels too big, we can pray, work together, and trust God to help us finish.