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Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
New Living Translation

61 Another group returned at this time from the towns of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Kerub, Addan,[a] and Immer. However, they could not prove that they or their families were descendants of Israel. 62 This group included the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda—a total of 642 people.

63 Three families of priests—Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai—also returned. (This Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai of Gilead, and he had taken her family name.) 64 They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests. 65 The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the Lord about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim—the sacred lots.

66 So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, 67 in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 singers, both men and women. 68 They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules,[b] 69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

70 Some of the family leaders gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins,[c] 50 gold basins, and 530 robes for the priests. 71 The other leaders gave to the treasury a total of 20,000 gold coins[d] and some 2,750 pounds[e] of silver for the work. 72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, about 2,500 pounds[f] of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.

73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel.

Ezra Reads the Law

In October,[g] when the Israelites had settled in their towns, 8 1 all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey.

2 So on October 8[h] Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. 3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.

4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10 And Nehemiah[i] continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” 12 So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.

The Festival of Shelters

13 On October 9[j] the family leaders of all the people, together with the priests and Levites, met with Ezra the scribe to go over the Law in greater detail. 14 As they studied the Law, they discovered that the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month.[k] 15 He had said that a proclamation should be made throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, wild olive,[l] myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees. They were to use these branches to make shelters in which they would live during the festival, as prescribed in the Law.

16 So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate. 17 So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy! The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua[m] son of Nun.

18 Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God on each of the seven days of the festival. Then on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, as was required by law.

The People Confess Their Sins

9 On October 31[n] the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They remained standing in place for three hours[o] while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the Lord their God with loud voices.

5 Then the leaders of the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—called out to the people: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed:

“May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!

6 “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. 8 When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.

9 “You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea.[p] 10 You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten. 11 You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land! And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like stones beneath the mighty waters. 12 You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.

13 “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good. 14 You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.

15 “You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.

16 “But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands. 17 They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt.[q] But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them, 18 even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies.

19 “But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. 20 You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!

Footnotes

  1. 7:61 As in parallel text at Ezra 2:59; Hebrew reads Addon.
  2. 7:68 As in some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Ezra 2:66); most Hebrew manuscripts lack this verse. Verses 7:69-73 are numbered 7:68-72 in Hebrew text.
  3. 7:70 Hebrew 1,000 darics of gold, about 19 pounds or 8.6 kilograms in weight.
  4. 7:71a Hebrew 20,000 darics of gold, about 375 pounds or 170 kilograms in weight; also in 7:72.
  5. 7:71b Hebrew 2,200 minas [1,300 kilograms].
  6. 7:72 Hebrew 2,000 minas [1,200 kilograms].
  7. 7:73 Hebrew In the seventh month. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of October and November 445 B.c.
  8. 8:2 Hebrew on the first day of the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 8, 445 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
  9. 8:10 Hebrew he.
  10. 8:13 Hebrew On the second day, of the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 9, 445 B.c.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.
  11. 8:14 Hebrew in the seventh month. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of September and October. See Lev 23:39-43.
  12. 8:15 Or pine; Hebrew reads oil tree.
  13. 8:17 Hebrew Jeshua, a variant spelling of Joshua.
  14. 9:1 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 31, 445 B.c.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.
  15. 9:3 Hebrew for a quarter of a day.
  16. 9:9 Hebrew sea of reeds.
  17. 9:17 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads in their rebellion.
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Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
New International Version

61 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

62 the descendants of
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda642

63 And from among the priests:

the descendants of
Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

64 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.(A)

66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. 68 There were 736 horses, 245 mules,[a] 69 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics[b] of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families(B) gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics[c] of gold and 2,200 minas[d] of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas[e] of silver and 67 garments for priests.(C)

73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants,(D) along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.(E)

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,(F) 8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.(G) They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,(H) which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

2 So on the first day of the seventh month(I) Ezra the priest brought the Law(J) before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate(K) in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform(L) built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing(M) above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands(N) and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 The Levites(O)—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed(P) the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[f] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites(Q) who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(R) For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing(S) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy(T) of the Lord is your strength.”

11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,(U) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters(V) during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.[g]

16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate(W) and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.(X) 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.(Y) From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated(Z) it like this. And their joy was very great.

18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read(AA) from the Book of the Law(AB) of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,(AC) there was an assembly.(AD)

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(AE) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(AF) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(AG) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites(AH) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(AI) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[h]”

“Blessed be your glorious name,(AJ) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.(AK) You made the heavens,(AL) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(AM) the earth(AN) and all that is on it, the seas(AO) and all that is in them.(AP) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(AQ) worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(AR) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(AS) and named him Abraham.(AT) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(AU) You have kept your promise(AV) because you are righteous.(AW)

9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(AX) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[i](AY) 10 You sent signs(AZ) and wonders(BA) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(BB) for yourself,(BC) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(BD) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(BE) like a stone into mighty waters.(BF) 12 By day(BG) you led(BH) them with a pillar of cloud,(BI) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(BJ) you spoke(BK) to them from heaven.(BL) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(BM) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(BN) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(BO) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(BP) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(BQ) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(BR) to give them.(BS)

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(BT) and they did not obey your commands.(BU) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(BV) the miracles(BW) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(BX) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(BY) But you are a forgiving God,(BZ) gracious and compassionate,(CA) slow to anger(CB) and abounding in love.(CC) Therefore you did not desert them,(CD) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(CE) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(CF)

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(CG) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(CH) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(CI) to instruct(CJ) them. You did not withhold your manna(CK) from their mouths, and you gave them water(CL) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(CM) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(CN) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(CO)

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 7:68 Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Ezra 2:66); most Hebrew manuscripts do not have this verse.
  2. Nehemiah 7:70 That is, about 19 pounds or about 8.4 kilograms
  3. Nehemiah 7:71 That is, about 375 pounds or about 170 kilograms; also in verse 72
  4. Nehemiah 7:71 That is, about 1 1/3 tons or about 1.2 metric tons
  5. Nehemiah 7:72 That is, about 1 1/4 tons or about 1.1 metric tons
  6. Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
  7. Nehemiah 8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
  8. Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
  9. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
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Nehemiah 6
Nehemiah 10
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

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