Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
Later I went to the house of Shemaiah (son of Delaiah, grandson of Mehetabeel), who had locked himself inside. He said to me, 'Let's meet together in God's house, inside the temple, and lock the doors behind us. They're coming to kill you—yes, they'll come to kill you tonight.'
Shemaiah tries to frighten Nehemiah into hiding in the temple by warning him that enemies are coming to assassinate him that very night.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Nehemiah's rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls around 445 BC. Nehemiah's enemies, including Sanballat and Tobiah, were using increasingly desperate tactics to stop the construction project. They had moved from mockery to threats, and now to attempted deception through false prophets who claimed to speak for God.
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