14 Now at Iconium [also Paul and Barnabas] went into the Jewish synagogue together and spoke with such power that a great number both of Jews and of Greeks believed (became Christians);

² But the unbelieving Jews [who rejected their message] aroused the Gentiles and embittered their minds against the brethren.

³ So [Paul and Barnabas] stayed on there for a long time, speaking freely and fearlessly and boldly in the Lord, Who continued to bear testimony to the Word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed by their hands.

⁴ But the residents of the town were divided, some siding with the Jews and some with the apostles.

⁵ When there was an attempt both on the part of the Gentiles and the Jews together with their rulers, to insult and abuse and molest [Paul and Barnabas] and to stone them,

⁶ They, aware of the situation, made their escape to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and the neighboring districts;

⁷ And there they continued to preach the glad tidings (Gospel).

⁸ Now at Lystra a man sat who found it impossible to use his feet, for he was a cripple from birth and had never walked.

⁹ He was listening to Paul as he talked, and [Paul] gazing intently at him and observing that he had faith to be healed,

¹⁰ Shouted at him, saying, Stand erect on your feet! And he leaped up and walked.

¹¹ And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, lifted up their voices, shouting in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in human form!

¹² They called Barnabas Zeus, and they called Paul, because he led in the discourse, Hermes [god of speech].

¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose [temple] was at the entrance of the town, brought bulls and garlands to the [city’s] gates and wanted to join the people in offering sacrifice.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothing and dashed out among the crowd, shouting,

¹⁵ Men, why are you doing this? We also are [only] human beings, of nature like your own, and we bring you the good news (Gospel) that you should turn away from these foolish and vain things to the living God, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that they contain.^(A)

¹⁶ In generations past He permitted all the nations to walk in their own ways;

¹⁷ Yet He did not neglect to leave some witness of Himself, for He did you good and [showed you] kindness and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with nourishment and happiness.

¹⁸ Even in [the light of] these words they with difficulty prevented the people from offering sacrifice to them.

¹⁹ But some Jews arrived there from Antioch and Iconium; and having persuaded the people and won them over, they stoned Paul and [^[a]afterward] dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead.

²⁰ But the disciples formed a circle about him, and he got up and went back into the town; and on the morrow he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

²¹ When they had preached the good news (Gospel) to that town and made disciples of many of the people, they went back to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch,

²² Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

²³ And when they had appointed and ordained elders for them in each church with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in Whom they had come to believe [being full of joyful trust that He is the Christ, the Messiah].

²⁴ Then they went through Pisidia and arrived at Pamphylia.

²⁵ And when they had spoken the Word in Perga [the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God], they went down to Attalia;

²⁶ And from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had [first] been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had [now] completed.

²⁷ Arriving there, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had accomplished with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom we obtain salvation in the kingdom of God].

²⁸ And there they stayed no little time with the disciples.

11 Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people also cast lots to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths dwelt in other towns and villages.

² And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

³ These are the province chiefs who dwelt in Jerusalem, but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property there—Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.

⁴ And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the sons of Judah and Benjamin. Of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez;

⁵ Maaseiah 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.

⁶ All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were 468 valiant men.

⁷ These are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,

⁸ And after him Gabbai and Sallai, 928.

⁹ Joel son of Zichri was overseer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second over the city.

¹⁰ Of the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib; Jachin;

¹¹ Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God,

¹² And their brethren, who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,

¹³ And his brethren, chiefs of fathers’ houses, 242; and Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,

¹⁴ And their brethren, mighty men of valor, 128. Their overseer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim [one of the great men].

¹⁵ And of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

¹⁶ And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God;

¹⁷ Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer; and Bakbukiah, second among his brethren; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

¹⁸ The Levites in the holy city were 284.

¹⁹ The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren, who kept watch, were 172.

²⁰ And the rest of Israel, with the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each in his inheritance.

²¹ But the temple servants dwelt on [the hill] Ophel; Ziha and Gishpa were over [them].

²² Overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem and the work of God’s house was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of Asaph’s sons, the singers.

²³ For the [Persian] king had ordered concerning them that a certain provision be made for the singers, as each day required.

²⁴ Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah son of Judah, was at the king’s hand in all matters concerning the people.

²⁵ As for the villages with their fields, some people of Judah dwelt in Kiriath-arba, Dibon, and Jekabzeel, and their villages,

²⁶ In Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet,

²⁷ Hazar-shual, Beersheba and its villages,

²⁸ Ziklag, Meconah and its villages,

²⁹ En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,

³⁰ Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Hinnom Valley.

³¹ The people of Benjamin also dwelt from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,

³² At Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

³⁵ Lod, and Ono, the Valley of the Craftsmen.

³⁶ And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were joined to Benjamin.

12 Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

³ Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

⁴ Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

⁵ Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

⁶ Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

⁸ And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his brethren, was over the thanksgiving [choirs].

⁹ Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood opposite them according to their offices.

¹⁰ And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim of Eliashib, Eliashib of Joiada,

¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan of Jaddua.

¹² And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers’ houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

¹³ Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

¹⁴ Of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

¹⁵ Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

¹⁶ Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

¹⁷ Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai;

¹⁸ Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

¹⁹ Of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

²⁰ Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

²¹ Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²² As for the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of fathers’ houses were recorded, as well as the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian.

²³ The sons of Levi, heads of fathers’ houses, were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

²⁴ And the chiefs of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brethren opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, as David, God’s man, commanded, [one] watch [singing] in response to [the men in the opposite] watch.

²⁵ Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers guarding at the storehouses of the gates.

²⁶ These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

²⁷ And for the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites in all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, cymbals, harps, and lyres.

²⁸ And the sons of the singers gathered together from the plain and circuit around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,

²⁹ And also from Beth-gilgal and the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.

³⁰ And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, the people, the gates, and the wall.

³¹ Then I brought the princes of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great companies of them who gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the right upon the wall toward the Dung Gate.

³² And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the princes of Judah,

³³ And Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

³⁵ And certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

³⁶ And his kinsmen—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, Hanani—with the musical instruments of David, God’s man. And Ezra the scribe went before them.

³⁷ At the Fountain Gate they went up straight ahead by the stairs of the City of David at the wall’s ascent above David’s house to the Water Gate on the east.

³⁸ The other company of those who gave thanks went to the left; I followed with half of the people upon the wall, above the Tower of the Furnaces to the Broad Wall,

³⁹ And above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate and by the Fish Gate and by the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of Hammeah, even to the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

⁴⁰ So the two companies of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I, and the half of the officials with me;

⁴¹ And the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

⁴² And Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang and made themselves heard, with Jezrahiah as leader.

⁴³ Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women also and the children rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

⁴⁴ On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by law for the priests and the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served [faithfully].

⁴⁵ And they performed the due service of their God and of the purification; so did the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had commanded.

⁴⁶ For in the days of David and Asaph of old, there was a chief of singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

⁴⁷ And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and [later] of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart what was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart what was for the sons of Aaron [the priests].

13 On that day they read in the Book of Moses in the audience of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God,

² For they met not the Israelites with food and drink but hired Balaam to curse them; yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.^(A)

³ When [the Jews] heard the law, they separated from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

⁴ Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and was related [by marriage] to Tobiah [our adversary],

⁵ Prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where previously they had put the cereal offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil which were given by commandment to the Levites, the singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.

⁶ But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes [Persian] king of Babylon I went to the king. Then later I asked leave of him

⁷ And came to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in preparing him [an adversary] a chamber in the courts of the house of God!

⁸ And it grieved me exceedingly, and I threw all the house furnishings of Tobiah out of the chamber.

⁹ Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers; and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the cereal offerings and the frankincense.

¹⁰ And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who did the work [forced by necessity] had each fled to his field.

¹¹ Then I contended with the officials and said, Why is the house of God neglected and forsaken? I gathered the Levites and singers and set them in their stations.

¹² Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the storerooms.

¹³ I set treasurers over the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites; assisting them was Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were counted faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.

¹⁴ O my God, [earnestly] remember me concerning this and wipe not out my good deeds and kindnesses done for the house of my God and for His service.

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah men treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in sheaves or heaps of grain with which they loaded donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I protested and warned them on the day they sold the produce.

¹⁶ There dwelt men of Tyre there also who brought fish and all kinds of wares and sold on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in Jerusalem.

¹⁷ Then I reproved the nobles of Judah and said, What evil thing is this that you do—profaning the Sabbath day?

¹⁸ Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.

¹⁹ And when it began to get dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath [day began], I commanded that the gates should be shut and not be opened till after the Sabbath. And I set some of my servants at the gates to prevent any burden being brought in on the Sabbath day.

²⁰ So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

²¹ But I reproved and warned them, saying, Why do you lodge by the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you. Then they stopped coming on the Sabbath.

²² And I commanded the Levites to cleanse themselves and come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. O my God, [earnestly] remember me concerning this also and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy and loving-kindness.

²³ In those days also I saw Jews who had married wives from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

²⁴ And their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak the Hebrew, but in the language of each people.

²⁵ And I contended with them and reviled them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair and made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel act treacherously against God and miss the mark on account of such women? Among many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet strange women even caused him to sin [when he was old he turned treacherously away from the Lord to other gods, and God rent his kingdom from him].^(B)

²⁷ Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying strange (heathen) women?

²⁸ One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me.

²⁹ O my God, [earnestly] remember them, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priests and Levites.

³⁰ Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign (heathen), and I defined the duties of the priests and Levites, everyone in his work;

³¹ And I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. O my God, [earnestly] remember me for good and imprint me [on Your heart]!