# Then I sent word to him

Here "I" refers to Nehemiah and "him" to Sanballat.

# No such things have occurred as you say

"None of the things you have written have occurred"

# for within your heart you invented them

Here the "heart" refers to the "mind," that is, to one's desires and thoughts. AT: "for within your mind you invented them" or "for you have made this up in your own imagination" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# For they all wanted to make us afraid

Here "they" refers to Nehemiah's enemies, Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and their followers. The word "us" refers to the Jews.

# They will drop their hands from doing the work

This is a descriptive phrase that means that they are stopping their work on the wall. AT: "The workers on the wall will stop doing the work" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# strengthen my hands

Here Nehemiah requests for God to strengthen him by asking him to strengthen his "hands." AT: "strengthen me" or "give me courage" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])