Rebuilding the wall
“Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved; for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.””Nehemiah 8:10 · WEB
Seventy years later a Jewish official in the Persian court hears that Jerusalem's walls are still rubble, and he weeps, fasts and prays for days before he says a word to anyone. Then he asks the king for leave, timber and letters, and gets all three. Nehemiah arrives, inspects the ruins by night, and organises the entire city: each family repairs the section in front of its own house. The opposition is mockery first, then threats, then plots. He answers by praying and posting guards, and the workers build with one hand and hold a weapon in the other. Fifty-two days. When Ezra later reads the law aloud and the people weep at how far they had drifted, they are told it is a holy day: the joy of the LORD is your strength.