Nehemiah 6:13 (KJV)

Passage

Therefore 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 as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

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

Nehemiah 6:13 Therefore 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 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on 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 "therefore", "hired", "should", "afraid", "might", "matter", "evil", and "report". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "hired", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And lo I perceived that God had..." into verse 14's "My God think thou upon Tobiah and...", so "therefore" 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 "therefore" and "hired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.