18. Each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.
19. Then I spoke to the leading families, the officials, and the rest of the people. I said, “This is a very big job and we are spread out along the wall. We are far from one another.
20. So if you hear the trumpet, run to that place. We will all meet together there, and our God will fight for us!”
21. So we continued to work on the wall of Jerusalem, and half the men held spears. We worked from the first light of the morning until the stars came out at night.
22. At that time I also said this to the people, “Every builder and his helper must stay inside Jerusalem at night. Then they can be guards at night and workers during the day.”
23. So none of us took off our clothes—not me, not my brothers, not my men, and not the guards. Each of us had our weapon ready at all times, even when we went to get water.