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11 I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, “Why has the Temple of God been neglected?” Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.

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11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”(A) Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

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39 The people and the Levites must bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the storerooms and place them in the sacred containers near the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers.

“We promise together not to neglect the Temple of our God.”

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39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept.

“We will not neglect the house of our God.”(A)

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25 So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land.

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25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath(A) in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.(B)

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17 So I confronted the nobles of Judah. “Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?” I asked.

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17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day?

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“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.[a] Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:11 Hebrew from the devourer.

“Will a mere mortal rob(A) God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes(B) and offerings. You are under a curse(C)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe(D) into the storehouse,(E) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates(F) of heaven and pour out(G) so much blessing(H) that there will not be room enough to store it.(I) 11 I will prevent pests from devouring(J) your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,(K)” says the Lord Almighty.

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To reject the law is to praise the wicked;
    to obey the law is to fight them.

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Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
    but those who heed it resist them.

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34 Have I feared the crowd
    or the contempt of the masses,
    so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?

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34 because I so feared the crowd(A)
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent(B) and would not go outside—

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When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.

At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.

Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? 10 I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. 11 You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”

12 They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised.

13 I shook out the folds of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you like this from your homes and from your property!”

The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

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When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!”(A) So I called together a large meeting to deal with them and said: “As far as possible, we have bought(B) back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.(C)

So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach(D) of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!(E) 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest(F) you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath(G) to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook(H) out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,”(I) and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

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17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.

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17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they[a] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 2:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text people