Four times over he sends Nehemiah a friendly invitation to a friendly conference, four times over Nehemiah steadily refuses to come.
Then, when that plot completely fails, Sanballat loses his temper.
One day a messenger arrives at the gate of Jerusalem with an insult in his hand.

The insult is in the form of a piece of parchment; it is a letter from Sanballat, an 'open letter,' ver.

5.
Letters in the East are not put into envelopes, but are rolled up like a map, then the ends are flattened and pasted together.

The Persians make up their letters in a roll about six inches long, and then gum a piece of paper round them, and put a seal on the outside.

But in writing to persons of distinction, not only is the letter gummed together, but it is tied up in several places with coloured ribbon, and then enclosed in a bag or purse.