Translation in British English (The Book of Nehemiah)
1:1 The narrative of Nehemiah, son of Hachaliah unfolds. It so happened in the month of Chisleu, in the twentieth year, whilst I resided in Shushan the citadel,
1:2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with certain men from Judah; I questioned them about the Jews who had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.
1:3 They relayed to me that the survivors remaining from the captivity in the province were enduring great hardship and disgrace: Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins, and its gates had been consumed by fire.
1:4 Upon hearing these accounts, I sat down, wept, mourned for days on end, fasted, and offered prayers before the God of the heavens,
1:5 saying, “I implore You, O LORD, God of the heavens, the immense and formidable God, who maintains Your covenant and kindness with those who love You and observe Your commandments:
1:6 Let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant, which I am praying before You day and night, on behalf of the children of Israel, Your servants, confessing the sins of the children of Israel which we have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.
1:7 We have acted very wickedly against You and have not obeyed the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgements, which You commanded Your servant Moses.
1:8 Remember, I beseech You, the decree You issued to Your servant Moses, stating, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;
1:9 but if you return to Me, keep My commandments and carry them out, even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’
1:10 Now, these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great strength and mighty hand.
1:11 O LORD, I beseech You, let now Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your Name. Grant success to Your servant today, and let him find compassion in the presence of this man.” For I was the cupbearer to the king.
2:1 And it happened in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before.
2:2 Therefore, the king said to me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid,
2:3 but said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
2:4 The king asked me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven.
2:5 And I answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, so I can rebuild it.”
2:6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
2:7 I also said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe passage until I arrive in Judah?
2:8 And a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the city wall, and for the residence I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.
2:9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
2:10 However, when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
2:11 I arrived in Jerusalem and stayed there three days.
2:12 Then I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me, except the one I was riding.
2:13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate towards the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, reviewing the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
2:14 I moved on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through;
2:15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and re-entered through the Valley Gate.
2:16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
2:18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
2:20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We, His servants, will start building, but as for you, you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”
3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his fellow priests and built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel.
3:2 Next to him, the men of Jericho built, and next to them, Zaccur son of Imri built.
3:3 The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.
3:4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him, Meshullam son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him, Zadok son of Baana also made repairs.
3:5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.
3:6 The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.
3:7 Next to them, repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite—the men of Gibeon and Mizpah—to the seat of the governor of the region beyond the River.
3:8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs next to him. Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to him. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
3:9 Rephaiah son of Hur, the ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs next to them.
3:10 Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
3:11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hashub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.
3:12 Next to him, Shallum son of Hallohesh, the ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
3:13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
3:14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth Haccherem. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
3:15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloah by the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David.
3:16 After him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, the ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Warriors.
3:17 After him, the Levites, Rehum son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.
3:18 After him, their brothers, Bavvai son of Henadad, ruler of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs.
3:19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the Angle.
3:20 After him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section from the Angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
3:21 After him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of his house.
3:22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region.
3:23 After them, Benjamin and Hashub made repairs in front of their house. After them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
3:24 After him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section from Azariah’s house to the Angle and the Corner.
3:25 Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. After him, Pedaiah son of Parosh worked,
3:26 and the temple servants living on Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.
3:27 After them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.
3:28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.
3:29 After them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. After him, Shemaiah son of Shechaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs.
3:30 After him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him, Meshullam son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.
3:31 After him, Malchiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the upper chamber of the corner.
3:32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.
4:1 But when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry, mocking the Jews.
4:2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from the heaps of rubble, burned as they are?”
4:3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their stone wall!”
4:4 “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.
4:5 Do not cover their guilt or blot out their sins from Your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.”
4:6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
4:7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
4:8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
4:9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
4:10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
4:11 Our adversaries thought, “They will not know or see anything until we enter among them and kill them and put an end to the work.”
4:12 When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us,”
4:13 I stationed people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
4:14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.”
4:15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
4:16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officials positioned themselves behind all the people of Judah
4:17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
4:18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
4:19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
4:21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.
4:22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so they can serve as a guard by night and work by day.”
4:23 Neither I, nor my brothers, nor my men, nor the guards with me, took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when washing.
5:1 Now there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
5:2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”
5:3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
5:4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
5:5 Though we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
5:6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.
5:7 After giving the matter careful thought, I rebuked the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called a large meeting to deal with them
5:8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet because they could find nothing to say.
5:9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
5:10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!
5:11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”
5:12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
5:13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!” At this, the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
5:14 Moreover, from the day I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
5:15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that.
5:16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
5:17 Furthermore, at my table were one hundred and fifty people, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.
5:18 Now what was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. Yet with all this, I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on this people.
5:19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.
6:1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—
6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
6:3 So I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”
6:4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
6:5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his servant to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter
6:6 in which was written: “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says it is true, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king
6:7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”
6:8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
6:9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
6:10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because they are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
6:11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!”
6:12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
6:13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would have something to use to discredit me.
6:14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; also remember the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.
6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
6:16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
6:17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them.
6:18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
6:19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
7:1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the singers and the Levites were appointed.
7:2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do.
7:3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.”
7:4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.
7:5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return, and I found written therein:
7:6 These are the people of the province who came back from the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city,
7:7 who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
7:8 the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.
7:9 The offspring of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
7:10 The offspring of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.
7:11 The offspring of Pahathmoab, from the lineage of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.
7:12 The offspring of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
7:13 The offspring of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.
7:14 The offspring of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
7:15 The offspring of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.
7:16 The offspring of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.
7:17 The offspring of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.
7:18 The offspring of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.
7:19 The offspring of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.
7:20 The offspring of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.
7:21 The offspring of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
7:22 The offspring of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.
7:23 The offspring of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.
7:24 The offspring of Hariph, one hundred twelve.
7:25 The offspring of Gibeon, ninety-five.
7:26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight.
7:27 The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.
7:28 The men of Bethazmaveth, forty-two.
7:29 The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.
7:30 The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty-one.
7:31 The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.
7:32 The men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three.
7:33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
7:34 The offspring of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
7:35 The offspring of Harim, three hundred twenty.
7:36 The offspring of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.
7:37 The offspring of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.
7:38 The offspring of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.
7:39 The priests: the offspring of Jedaiah, from the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
7:40 The offspring of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.
7:41 The offspring of Pashur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.
7:42 The offspring of Harim, one thousand seventeen.
7:43 The Levites: the offspring of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the offspring of Hodevah, seventy-four.
7:44 The singers: the offspring of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.
7:45 The gatekeepers: the offspring of Shallum, the offspring of Ater, the offspring of Talmon, the offspring of Akkub, the offspring of Hatita, the offspring of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.
7:46 The temple servants: the offspring of Ziha, the offspring of Hasupha, the offspring of Tabbaoth,
7:47 The offspring of Keros, the offspring of Sia, the offspring of Padon,
7:48 The offspring of Lebanah, the offspring of Hagabah, the offspring of Shalmai,
7:49 The offspring of Hanan, the offspring of Giddel, the offspring of Gahar,
7:50 The offspring of Reaiah, the offspring of Rezin, the offspring of Nekoda,
7:51 The offspring of Gazzam, the offspring of Uzza, the offspring of Paseah,
7:52 The offspring of Besai, the offspring of the Meunim, the offspring of the Nephishesim,
7:53 The offspring of Bakbuk, the offspring of Hakupha, the offspring of Harhur,
7:54 The offspring of Bazluth, the offspring of Mehida, the offspring of Harsha,
7:55 The offspring of Barkos, the offspring of Sisera, the offspring of Tamah,
7:56 The offspring of Neziah, the offspring of Hatipha.
7:57 The offspring of Solomon’s servants: the offspring of Sotai, the offspring of Sophereth, the offspring of Peruda,
7:58 The offspring of Jaala, the offspring of Darkon, the offspring of Giddel,
7:59 The offspring of Shephatiah, the offspring of Hattil, the offspring of Pochereth of Zebaim, the offspring of Ami.
7:60 All the temple servants and the offspring of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety-two.
7:61 And these were they who ascended from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not show their father’s house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel:
7:62 The offspring of Delaiah, the offspring of Tobiah, the offspring of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.
7:63 And among the priests: the offspring of Habaiah, the offspring of Koz, the offspring of Barzillai, which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was named after their name.
7:64 These sought their listing among those that were registered by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore, were they deemed unclean and excluded from the priesthood.
7:65 And the governor said unto them that they should not partake of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.
7:66 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,
7:67 Besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven: and they had two hundred forty-five singers and songstresses.
7:68 Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
7:69 Their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred twenty.
7:70 And some of the chief of the fathers contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury a thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priestly garments.
7:71 And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.
7:72 And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments.
7:73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, settled in their towns; and when the seventh month arrived, the children of Israel were in their own towns.
8:1 And all the people assembled as one man into the square before the Water Gate; and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel.
8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
8:3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
8:4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
8:7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people remained in their place.
8:8 So they read in the book, in the Law of God, distinctly; and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
8:9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.
8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
8:11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
8:12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions, and to make great joy, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
8:13 On the second day, the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe in order to understand the words of the Law.
8:14 And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month,
8:15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills and bring olive branches, branches of wild olive, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
8:16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.
8:17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. For since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
8:18 Day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast for seven days; and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
9:1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with earth upon them.
9:2 And the descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
9:3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter they confessed and worshipped the LORD their God.
9:4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God.
9:5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever: and blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
9:6 You alone are the LORD. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. And the host of heaven worships You.
9:7 You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham;
9:8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites—to give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, for You are righteous.
9:9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea.
9:10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted arrogantly against them. So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
9:11 And You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land; and their persecutors You threw into the deep, as a stone into mighty waters.
9:12 Moreover, You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way in which they should go.
9:13 You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.
9:14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses Your servant.
9:15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promised them that they should go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them.
9:16 But they and our fathers acted proudly, hardened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments.
9:17 They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.
9:18 Even when they made a molded calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your god that brought you up out of Egypt,’ and worked great provocations,
9:19 Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on the road; nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way they should go.
9:20 You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
9:21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
9:22 Moreover, You gave them kingdoms and nations, and divided them into districts. So they took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
9:23 You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land which You had told their fathers to go in and possess.
9:24 So the children went in and possessed the land; You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they wished.
9:25 And they took strong cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat, and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
9:26 Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs, and killed Your prophets who testified against them to turn them to Yourself; and they worked great provocations.
9:27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who oppressed them; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard from heaven; and according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
9:28 But after they had rest, they again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried to You, You heard from heaven; and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
9:29 and testified against them, that You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your judgments, (‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’) And they turned a stubborn shoulder, stiffened their neck, and would not hear.
9:30 Yet for many years You had patience with them, and testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
9:31 Nevertheless, in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; for You are God, gracious and merciful.
9:32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy, do not let all the trouble seem small before You that has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and on all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
9:33 However, You are just in all that has befallen us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.
9:34 Neither our kings nor our princes, our priests nor our fathers, have kept Your law, nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, with which You testified against them.
9:35 For they have not served You in their kingdom, or in Your great goodness that You gave them, or in the large and rich land which You set before them; nor did they turn from their wicked works.
9:36 Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and its bounty, here we are, servants in it!
9:37 And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us because of our sins; also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle at their pleasure; and we are in great distress.
9:38 And because of all this, we make a firm covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.
10:1 Now those who placed their seal on the document were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
10:2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
10:3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,
10:4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
10:5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
10:6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
10:7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
10:8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these were the priests.
10:9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
10:10 and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
10:11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,
10:12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
10:13 Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.
10:14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
10:15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
10:16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
10:17 Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,
10:18 Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,
10:19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
10:20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
10:21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,
10:22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
10:23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,
10:24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
10:25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
10:26 and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
10:27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding,
10:29 joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His judgments and His statutes:
10:30 and that we would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;
10:31 if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exaction of every debt.
10:32 Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:
10:33 for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the new moons, for the set feasts, for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
10:34 We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law.
10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD;
10:36 also to bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God;
10:37 to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit of all kinds of trees, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities.
10:38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the treasury.
10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine, and the oil, to the chambers where the sanctuary vessels are, where the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.
11:1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities.
11:2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.
11:3 These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the cities of Judah everyone lived on his property in their cities: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.
11:4 And in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez;
11:5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite.
11:6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were four hundred sixty-eight valiant men.
11:7 These are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah.
11:8 After him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty-eight.
11:9 And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city.
11:10 From the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11:11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God,
11:12 and their brethren who did the work of the house, eight hundred twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,
11:13 and his brethren, heads of fathers’ houses, two hundred forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahasai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,
11:14 and their brethren, mighty men of valor, one hundred twenty-eight; and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the great men.
11:15 Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
11:16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, had the oversight of the external work of the house of God.
11:17 And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the leader of the praise who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
11:18 All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred eighty-four.
11:19 Moreover, the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred seventy-two.
11:20 And the rest of Israel, of the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance.
11:21 But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants.
11:22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the work of the house of God.
11:23 For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a requirement day by day.
11:24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king’s hand in all matters concerning the people.
11:25 And as for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, in Dibon and its villages, in Jekabzeel and its villages,
11:26 in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth Pelet,
11:27 in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its villages,
11:28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,
11:29 in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
11:30 Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish and its fields, at Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.
11:31 The children of Benjamin also dwelt from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,
11:32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
11:33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
11:34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
11:35 Lod, and Ono, the Valley of Craftsmen.
11:36 And of the Levites, divisions in Judah were in Benjamin.
12:1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
12:3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
12:4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
12:5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
12:6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.
12:8 Moreover, the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving prayers, he and his brethren.
12:9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in the services.
12:10 And Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim also begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada,
12:11 Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
12:12 And in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
12:13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
12:14 of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
12:15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
12:16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
12:17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
12:18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
12:19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
12:20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
12:21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
12:22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded heads of the fathers’ houses; also the priests, during the reign of Darius the Persian.
12:23 The sons of Levi, heads of the fathers’ houses, were written in the Book of the Chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
12:24 And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren across from them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch opposite watch.
12:25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storehouses of the gates.
12:26 These events unfolded during the tenure of Joiakim, son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, concurrently with Nehemiah’s governorship, and Ezra’s priestly and scribal duties.
12:27 For the consecration of Jerusalem’s wall, Levites were summoned from all quarters to celebrate the occasion with joy, offering thanks and singing, accompanied by cymbals, psalteries, and harps.
12:28 The vocalists’ descendants congregated from the surrounding plains and the villages of Netophathi; likewise from Gilgal and the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, since they had established settlements around Jerusalem.
12:29 The clergy and Levites underwent purification, as did the populace, the gates, and the wall itself.
12:30 I then led Judah’s nobles to the wall, organising two large choirs of thanks-givers, one advancing to the right towards the dung gate:
12:31 Following them were Hoshaiah and half of Judah’s princes,
12:32 and then Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
12:33 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,
12:34 with certain priests’ sons blowing trumpets, notably Zechariah, son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Michaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph;
12:35 and his kin, Shemaiah, Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, Judah, Hanani, wielding David’s musical instruments, the man of God, with Ezra the scribe leading.
12:36 Opposite them, at the fountain gate and ascending the steps of the city of David, they proceeded along the wall, passing the house of David to reach the water gate on the east.
12:37 The second choir mirrored the first, with me following along with half the populace from the tower of the furnaces to the broad wall;
12:38 passing the Ephraim gate, the old gate, the fish gate, the towers of Hananeel and Meah, ending at the sheep gate, where they paused at the prison gate.
12:39 The two choirs took their stand in the temple of God, alongside me and half the officials:
12:40 The priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;
12:41 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The vocalists projected their voices under Jezrahiah’s leadership.
12:42 That day, they offered substantial sacrifices and rejoiced greatly, for God had filled them with immense joy; wives and children shared in this joy, making Jerusalem’s happiness known far and wide.
12:43 At that juncture, appointments were made for the storerooms for the treasures, offerings, firstfruits, and tithes, collecting the statutory portions for the priests and Levites from the agricultural yields of the towns, as Judah celebrated the clergy and Levites’ service.
12:44 The singers and gatekeepers also fulfilled their duties towards their God and the purification rites, following David and Solomon’s decrees.
12:45 In the era of David and Asaph, there were prominent singers and songs of praise and thanks to God.
12:46 Throughout the times of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, Israel contributed daily provisions for the singers and gatekeepers, consecrating offerings to the Levites, who in turn sanctified them for Aaron’s descendants.
13:1 On that day, the Book of Moses was read to the people, revealing that Ammonites and Moabites should never enter God’s assembly;
13:2 for they did not greet the Israelites with food and water but hired Balaam to curse them, though God transformed the curse into a blessing.
13:3 Upon hearing the law, they segregated from Israel all those of mixed heritage.
13:4 Prior to this, Eliashib the priest, charged with overseeing our God’s temple storeroom, had allied with Tobiah by preparing a large chamber for him, previously used for offerings, incense, and temple vessels, and for the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the priestly offerings.
13:5 During all this, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I returned to the king. After some time, I secured permission from the king to return,
13:6 discovering the wrong Eliashib had done for Tobiah by providing him a chamber in the temple courts.
13:7 Upon my arrival in Jerusalem, I was made aware of the mischief Eliashib had caused on behalf of Tobiah by arranging a room for him within the precincts of God’s temple.
13:8 This news distressed me deeply; hence, I expelled all of Tobiah’s household belongings from the room.
13:9 Subsequently, I ordered the rooms to be purified. Following this, I reinstated the temple vessels, alongside the grain offerings and the incense.
13:10 It came to my notice that the Levites had not received their due shares, leading to their departure to their own fields, as well as the singers who performed the service.
13:11 I then confronted the officials, questioning, “Why is the temple of God neglected?” Gathering them together, I reinstated them to their duties.
13:12 Thereafter, the people of Judah brought the tithe of grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms.
13:13 I appointed treasurers for these stores: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and from the Levites, Pedaiah, alongside Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for their reliability; their task was to distribute to their brethren.
13:14 “Do not erase my deeds of kindness done for the temple of my God and its services,” I prayed to my God.
13:15 At that time, I observed some in Judah treading on wine presses on the Sabbath, hauling in heaps of grain, loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of loads, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I reprimanded them on the day they sold foodstuffs.
13:16 Tyrians residing there brought in fish and all kinds of goods, selling them on the Sabbath to the Judeans in Jerusalem.
13:17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah, saying, “What is this wicked act you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?
13:18 Did not your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”
13:19 As the shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the gates to be shut and not to be opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath.
13:20 Merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice.
13:21 I warned them, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do it again, I will use force against you.” From then on, they did not come on the Sabbath.
13:22 I also directed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. “Remember this also in my favour, my God, and spare me according to your great mercy.”
13:23 Additionally, in those days, I observed Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab;
13:24 and their offspring spoke half in the language of Ashdod and were unable to speak the language of the Jews, but instead spoke according to the dialect of each people.
13:25 I quarrelled with them, cursed them, struck some of them, and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.
13:26 Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin on account of such women? Despite his being beloved by his God and God making him king over all Israel, foreign women led even him into sin.
13:27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil, acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”
13:28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; hence, I expelled him from my presence.
13:29 “Remember them, my God, for they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.”
13:30 Thus, I purified them from everything foreign and established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his task;
13:31 and for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. “Remember me, O my God, for good.”
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