Nehemiah 8-9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
8 1 all the people gathered together(A) at the square in front of the Water Gate.(B) They asked Ezra the scribe(C) to bring the book of the law of Moses(D) that the Lord had given Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month,(E) Ezra the priest(F) brought the law(G) before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,(H) he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively[a] to the book of the law.(I) 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform(J) made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted(K) all the people said, “Amen, Amen!”(L) Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.(M)
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,(N) who were Levites,[b](O) explained the law(P) to the people as they stood in their places. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. 9 Nehemiah the governor,(Q) Ezra the priest and scribe,(R) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day(S) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(T) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,(U) since today(V) is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.”(W) 11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still,(X) since today(Y) is holy. Do not grieve.” 12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,(Z) because they had understood the words that were explained to them.
Festival of Booths Observed
13 On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,(AA) assembled before Ezra the scribe(AB) to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month.(AC) 15 So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written.”(AD) 16 The people went out, brought back branches, and made booths for themselves on each of their rooftops,(AE) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,(AF) and the square by the Gate of Ephraim.(AG) 17 The whole community that had returned from exile(AH) made booths and lived in them. They had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.(AI) And there was tremendous joy.(AJ) 18 Ezra[c] read out of the book of the law of God(AK) every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the ordinance.(AL)
National Confession of Sin
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month(AM) the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.(AN) 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,(AO) and they stood(AP) and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers.(AQ) 3 While they stood in their places,(AR) they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day(AS) in confession(AT) and worship of the Lord their God. 4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites(AU) and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah(AV)—said, “Stand up. Praise Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting.”(AW)
Praise Your glorious name,(AX)
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 You[d] alone are Yahweh.(AY)
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,(AZ)
and the heavenly host worships You.(BA)
7 You are Yahweh,
the God who chose Abram
and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,(BB)
and changed his name to Abraham.(BC)
8 You found his heart faithful in Your sight,(BD)
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Jebusites, and Girgashites—
to give it to his descendants.(BE)
You have kept Your promise,
for You are righteous.
9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt(BF)
and heard their cry at the Red Sea.
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,(BG)
for You knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors.
You made a name for Yourself
that endures to this day.
11 You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.(BH)
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into churning waters.(BI)
12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day,
and with a pillar of fire by night,
to illuminate the way they should go.(BJ)
13 You came down on Mount Sinai,(BK)
and spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions,
and good statutes and commands.
14 You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them,
and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction
through Your servant Moses.(BL)
15 You provided bread from heaven(BM) for their hunger;
You brought them water from the rock(BN) for their thirst.
You told them to go in and possess the land
You had sworn[e] to give them.(BO)
16 But our ancestors acted arrogantly;
they became stiff-necked and did not listen to Your commands.
17 They refused to listen
and did not remember Your wonders
You performed among them.(BP)
They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader
to return to their slavery in Egypt.[f](BQ)
But You are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love,(BR)
and You did not abandon them.
18 Even after they had cast an image of a calf
for themselves and said,
“This is your God who brought you out of Egypt,”(BS)
and they had committed terrible blasphemies,
19 You did not abandon them in the wilderness
because of Your great compassion.
During the day the pillar of cloud
never turned away from them,
guiding them on their journey.
And during the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.(BT)
20 You sent Your good Spirit(BU) to instruct them.
You did not withhold Your manna(BV) from their mouths,
and You gave them water for their thirst.(BW)
21 You provided for them in the wilderness 40 years(BX)
and they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.(BY)
22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and assigned them to be a boundary.
They took possession
of the land of Sihon[g] king of Heshbon
and of the land of Og king of Bashan.(BZ)
23 You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of heaven(CA)
and brought them to the land
You told their ancestors to go in and take possession of it.
24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land:
You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them
and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them,(CB)
to do as they pleased with them.
25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land
and took possession of well-supplied houses,
cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards,
olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.(CC)
They ate, were filled,
became prosperous, and delighted in Your great goodness.
26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You.
They flung Your law behind their backs(CD)
and killed Your prophets(CE)
who warned them
in order to turn them back to You.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
27 So You handed them over to their enemies,
who oppressed them.
In their time of distress, they cried out to You,
and You heard from heaven.
In Your abundant compassion
You gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the power of their enemies.
28 But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in Your sight.
So You abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in Your compassion.(CF)
29 You warned them to turn back to Your law,
but they acted arrogantly
and would not obey Your commands.
They sinned against Your ordinances,
which a person will live by if he does them.(CG)
They stubbornly resisted,[h]
stiffened their necks, and would not obey.
30 You were patient with them for many years,
and Your Spirit warned them through Your prophets,(CH)
but they would not listen.
Therefore, You handed them over to the surrounding peoples.(CI)
31 However, in Your abundant compassion,
You did not destroy them or abandon them,(CJ)
for You are a gracious and compassionate God.(CK)
32 So now, our God—the great, mighty,
and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant(CL)—
do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us,
our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all Your people,
from the days of the Assyrian kings(CM) until today.
33 You are righteous concerning all that has come on us,
because You have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.(CN)
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors
did not obey Your law
or listen to Your commands
and warnings You gave them.
35 When they were in their kingdom,
with Your abundant goodness that You gave them,
and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them,(CO)
they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.
36 Here we are today,
slaves in the land You gave our ancestors
so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness.
Here we are—slaves in it!(CP)
37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings
You have set over us,
because of our sins.
They rule over our bodies
and our livestock as they please.(CQ)
We are in great distress.
Israel’s Vow of Faithfulness
38 [i]In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement(CR) in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.(CS)
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 8:3 Lit The ears of all the people listened
- Nehemiah 8:7 Vg, 1 Esdras 9:48; MT reads Pelaiah and the Levites
- Nehemiah 8:18 Some Hb mss, Syr read They
- Nehemiah 9:6 LXX reads And Ezra said: You
- Nehemiah 9:15 Lit lifted Your hand
- Nehemiah 9:17 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read in their rebellion
- Nehemiah 9:22 One Hb ms, LXX; other Hb mss, Vg read Sihon, even the land of the
- Nehemiah 9:29 Lit They gave a stubborn shoulder
- Nehemiah 9:38 Neh 10:1 in Hb
Acts 21
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Warnings on the Journey to Jerusalem
21 After(A) we tore ourselves away from them and set sail, we came by a direct route to Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded and set sail. 3 After we sighted Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we sailed on to Syria and arrived at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4 So we found some disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.(B) 5 When our days there were over, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, escorted us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray, 6 we said good-bye to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
7 When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we reached Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them one day.(C) 8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip(D) the evangelist,(E) who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 9 This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.(F)
10 While we were staying there many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into Gentile hands.’”(G) 12 When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”(H)
14 Since he would not be persuaded, we stopped talking and simply said, “The Lord’s will be done!”(I)
Conflict over the Gentile Mission
15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason, a Cypriot and an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.(J)
17 When we reached Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly.(K) 18 The following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.(L) 19 After greeting them, he related in detail what God did among the Gentiles through his ministry.(M)
20 When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous(N) for the law. 21 But they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, by telling them not to circumcise their children or to walk in our customs.(O) 22 So what is to be done?[a] They will certainly hear that you’ve come. 23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have obligated themselves with a vow. 24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that what they were told about you amounts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the law.(P) 25 With regard to the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter containing our decision that[b] they should keep themselves from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
The Riot in the Temple Complex
26 Then the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering for each of them would be made.(Q) 27 As the seven days were about to end, the Jews from Asia saw him in the temple complex, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him,(R) 28 shouting, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has profaned this holy place.”(S) 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple complex.[c](T)
30 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple complex, and at once the gates were shut.(U) 31 As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos. 32 Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came up, took him into custody, and ordered him to be bound with two chains.(V) He asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the mob were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.(W) 35 When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the mob’s violence, 36 for the mass of people followed, yelling, “Take him away!”(X)
Paul’s Defense before the Jerusalem Mob
37 As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, “Am I allowed to say something to you?”
He replied, “Do you know Greek? 38 Aren’t you the Egyptian who raised a rebellion some time ago and led 4,000 Assassins[d][e] into the wilderness?”(Y)
39 Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia,(Z) a citizen of an important city.[f] Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.”
40 After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language:(AA)
Footnotes
- Acts 21:22 Other mss add A multitude has to come together, since
- Acts 21:25 Other mss add they should observe no such thing, except that
- Acts 21:29 The inner temple court for Jewish men
- Acts 21:38 Lit 4,000 men of the Assassins
- Acts 21:38 In Lat, the word Sicarii is similar to the Eng word “cut-throats.”
- Acts 21:39 Lit of no insignificant city
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