Nehemiah 7:3-4

3I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the watchmen are still standing guard, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from the residents of Jerusalem, each at his post [on the wall], and each in front of his own house.”

4Now the city was spacious and large, but there were few people in it and the houses had not [yet] been built.