10 I also found out that (A)the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each (B)to his field. 11 (C)So I confronted the officials and said, (D)“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. 12 Then all Judah brought (E)the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 And (F)I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, (G)for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. 14 (H)Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses (I)on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, (J)which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And (K)I warned them on the day when they sold food. 16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! 17 (L)Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, (M)profaning the Sabbath day? 18 (N)Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster[a] on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 As soon as it (O)began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 (P)But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites (Q)that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. (R)Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

23 In those days also I saw the Jews (S)who had married women (T)of Ashdod, (U)Ammon, and (V)Moab.

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 13:18 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context

10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them,(A) and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.(B) 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”(C) Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

12 All Judah brought the tithes(D) of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms.(E) 13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.(F)

14 Remember(G) me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath.(H) Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath(I) to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city?(J) Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”(K)

19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath,(L) I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember(M) me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married(N) women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.(O)

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