³¹ as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool^(A) had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.^(B)

⁵ Build there an altar^(A) to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool^(B) on them. ⁶ Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. ⁷ Sacrifice fellowship offerings^(C) there, eating them and rejoicing^(D) in the presence of the Lord your God.^(E)

²⁴ “‘Make an altar^(A) of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings^(B) and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name^(C) to be honored, I will come to you and bless^(D) you. ²⁵ If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool^(E) on it.

²⁶ If Satan^(A) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

Nehemiah’s Final Reforms

13 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,^(A)

¹⁸ And they installed the priests in their divisions^(A) and the Levites in their groups^(B) for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.^(C)

¹² They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.

⁴ Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses,^(A) where the Lord commanded: “Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”^[a](B)

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law^(A) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.