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)

³ No Ammonite^(A) or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.^{(B) 4} For they did not come to meet you with bread and water^(C) on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam^(D) son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim^[a](E) to pronounce a curse on you.^{(F) 5} However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse^(G) into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves^(H) you.

³ They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

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

¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear^(A) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose,^(B) you shall read this law^(C) before them in their hearing. ¹² Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn^(D) to fear^(E) the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.

A Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against^(A) the Ammonites^(B) and prophesy against them.^{(C) 3} Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said “Aha!^(D)” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated^(E) and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,^{(F) 4} therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East^(G) as a possession. They will set up their camps^(H) and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.^{(I) 5} I will turn Rabbah^(J) into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep.^(K) Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands^(L) and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel,^{(M) 7} therefore I will stretch out my hand^(N) against you and give you as plunder^(O) to the nations. I will wipe you out from among the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy^(P) you, and you will know that I am the Lord.^(Q)’”

A Prophecy Against Moab

⁸ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Moab^(R) and Seir^(S) said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations,” ⁹ therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns—Beth Jeshimoth^(T), Baal Meon^(U) and Kiriathaim^(V)—the glory of that land. ¹⁰ I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered^(W) among the nations; ¹¹ and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”^(X)

² He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read^(A) in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant,^(B) which had been found in the temple of the Lord.

²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(A)

¹⁵ After the reading from the Law^(A) and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”