Nehemiah

Nehemiah was cupbearer to the Persian king when he heard that Jerusalem still had no walls. The book opens with his weeping and a prayer, and continues as a management account: requesting authorization, a night inspection, dividing the work by families, responding to threats and sabotage. The walls go up in 52 days, with half the workers armed. The final section changes subject: Ezra reads the Law in the public square, the people weep as they understand it, and then comes the line that became a verse of strength — "the joy of the Lord is your strength". It is one of the best books in the Bible for anyone leading projects, and an honest portrait of opposition and fatigue.