unfoldingWord_en_tn/neh/04/04.md

# Hear, our God, ... for they have provoked the builders to anger

Here Nehemiah is praying to God. This can be stated clearly and written with quotation marks. AT: "Then I prayed, 'Hear, our God, ... for they have provoked the builders to anger'" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# Hear, our God, for we are despised

Here the word "we" refers to the Jews. This can be stated in active form. AT: "Hear, our God, for our enemies despise us" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# give them up to be plundered

This can be stated in active form. AT: "let their enemies rob them" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# Turn back their taunts on their own heads

The phrase "their taunts" refers to Sanballat's and Tobiah's insults. Here the word "heads" refers to the whole people. AT: "Turn their taunts onto themselves" or "Cause their insulting words to mock themselves" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])

# Do not cover over

This speaks of a forgiving a person's sins as if they were a object that could be physically hidden. AT: "Do not forgive" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# do not erase their sin from before you

This speaks of forgetting a person's sins as if they were something written that could be erased. AT: "do not forget their sins

# they have provoked the builders to anger

"they have angered the builders"

# So we built the wall

"So we rebuilt the wall"

# all the wall was joined together to half its height

This can be stated in active form. AT: "we joined the wall together and it was half its total height" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# half its height

"Half" means one part out of two equal parts. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-fraction]])