Nehemiah 6:13 (ASV)

Passage

For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

Nehemiah 6:12 And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nehemiah 6:13 For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nehemiah 6:14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth [day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty and two days.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cause", "hired", "should", "afraid", "might", "matter", "evil", and "report". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cause" and "hired", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And I discerned and lo God had..." into verse 14's "Remember O my God Tobiah and Sanballat...", so "cause" and "hired" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "cause" and "hired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.