¹⁵ So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Opposition to the Completed Wall

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.

¹⁷ Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. ¹⁸ For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 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 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers,^(A) the musicians^(B) and the Levites^(C) were appointed. ² I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani,^(D) along with Hananiah^(E) the commander of the citadel,^(F) because he was a man of integrity and feared^(G) God more than most people do. 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 the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

The List of the Exiles Who Returned^(H)

⁴ Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it,^(I) and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ⁵ So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

The list of the men of Israel:

³⁹ The priests:

⁴³ The Levites:

⁴⁴ The musicians:^(T)

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers:^(U)

⁴⁶ The temple servants:^(V)

⁶³ And from among the priests:

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,^(AC)

Jesus Like Melchizedek

¹¹ If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people^(A) established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,^(B) one in the order of Melchizedek,^(C) not in the order of Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. ¹³ He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,^(D) and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.^{(E) 14} For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,^(F) and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. ¹⁵ And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, ¹⁶ one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is declared:

¹⁸ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless^{(H) 19} (for the law made nothing perfect),^(I) and a better hope^(J) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.^(K)

²⁰ And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹ but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

²² Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.^(N)

²³ Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.^{(O) 25} Therefore he is able to save^(P) completely^[c] those who come to God^(Q) through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.^(R)

²⁶ Such a high priest^(S) truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,^(T) exalted above the heavens.^{(U) 27} Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices^(V) day after day, first for his own sins,^(W) and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all^(X) when he offered himself.^{(Y) 28} For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;^(Z) but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son,^(AA) who has been made perfect^(AB) forever.