Foreigners Excluded

13 On that day the Book of Moses was ^(A)read aloud ^[a]as the people listened; and there was found written in it that ^(B)no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to enter the assembly of God, ² because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but ^(C)hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, ^(D)our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ So when they heard the Law, ^(E)they excluded ^(F)all foreigners from Israel.

Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed

⁴ Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, ^(G)who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being ^[b]related to ^(H)Tobiah, ⁵ had prepared a large ^[c]room for him, where previously they used to put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil ^(I)prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the ^[d]contributions for the priests. ⁶ But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in ^(J)the thirty-second year of ^(K)Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had come to the king. After some time, however, I requested a leave of absence from the king, ⁷ and I came to Jerusalem and ^[e]learned about the evil that Eliashib had committed for ^[f]Tobiah, ^(L)by preparing a ^[g]room for him in the courtyards of the house of God. ⁸ It was very displeasing to me, so I ^(M)threw all of Tobiah’s household articles out of the room. ⁹ Then I gave an order, and ^(N)they cleansed the rooms; and I returned the utensils of the house of God there with the grain offering and the frankincense.

Tithes Restored

¹⁰ I also ^[h]discovered that ^(O)the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so the Levites and the singers who performed the service had ^[i]gone away, ^(P)each to his own field. ¹¹ So I ^[j](Q)reprimanded the officials and said, “^(R)Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. ¹² All Judah then brought ^(S)the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. ¹³ To be in charge of the storehouses, I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for ^(T)they were considered reliable, and it was ^[k]their task to distribute to their kinsmen. ^14 (U)Remember me for this, my God, and do not wipe out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

Sabbath Restored

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah people who were treading wine presses ^(V)on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, ^(W)and they were bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So ^(X)I admonished them on the day they sold food. ¹⁶ Also people of Tyre were living ^[l]there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Then ^(Y)I ^[m]reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, ^[n]by profaning the Sabbath day? ^18 (Z)Did your fathers not do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

¹⁹ And ^(AA)it came about that just as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered that the doors be shut, ^[o]and that they were not to open them until after the Sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. ²¹ Then ^(AB)I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will ^[p]use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. ²² And I ordered the Levites that ^(AC)they were to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also ^(AD)remember me, my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your mercy.

Mixed Marriages Forbidden

²³ In those days I also saw that the Jews had ^[q](AE)married women from ^(AF)Ashdod, ^(AG)Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴ As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them knew how to speak the language of Judah, but ^[r]only the language of his own people. ²⁵ So ^(AH)I quarreled with them and cursed them, and ^(AI)struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and ^(AJ)made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. ^26 (AK)Did Solomon the king of Israel not sin regarding these things? ^(AL)Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and ^(AM)he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet the foreign women caused even him to sin. ²⁷ Has it not then been reported about you that you have committed all this great evil ^(AN)by acting unfaithfully against our God, by ^[s]marrying foreign women?” ²⁸ Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, became a son-in-law of ^(AO)Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased him away from me. ^29 (AP)Remember them, my God, ^[t]because they have defiled the priesthood and the ^(AQ)covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

^30 (AR)So I purified them from everything foreign, and assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each in his work, ³¹ and I arranged ^(AS)for the delivery of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. ^(AT)Remember me, my God, for good.

Paul before the Council

23 Now looking intently at ^(A)the ^[a]Council, Paul said, “^[b](B)Brothers, ^(C)I have ^[c]lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” ² But the high priest ^(D)Ananias commanded those standing beside him ^(E)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, ^(F)you whitewashed wall! Do you ^(G)sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law, order me to be struck?” ⁴ But those present said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘^(H)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

⁶ But Paul, perceiving that one group were ^(I)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in ^(J)the ^[d]Council, “^[e](K)Brothers, ^(L)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ^(M)the hope and resurrection of the dead!” ⁷ When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For ^(N)the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ And a great uproar occurred; and some of ^(O)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “^(P)We find nothing wrong with this man; ^(Q)suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ And when a great dissension occurred, the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, and he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into ^(R)the barracks.

¹¹ But on ^(S)the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, “^(T)Be courageous! For ^(U)as you have ^(V)testified to the truth about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome also.”

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, ^(W)the Jews formed a ^[f]conspiracy and ^(X)put themselves under an ^[g]oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who formed this plot. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have ^(Y)put ourselves under an ^[h]oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore, you ^[i]and ^(Z)the ^[j]Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly; and as for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes near the place.”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard about their ambush, ^[k]and he came and entered ^(AA)the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions to himself and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and led him to the commander and *said, “Paul ^(AB)the prisoner called me over to him and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” ¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” ²⁰ And he said, “^(AC)The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to ^(AD)the ^[l]Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. ²¹ So do not ^[m]listen to them, for more than forty ^[n]of them are ^(AE)in hiding to ambush him, and these men have ^(AF)put themselves under an oath not to eat or drink until they kill him; and now they are ready and waiting for assurance from you.” ²² Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”

Paul Moved to Caesarea

²³ And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by ^[o]the third hour of the night to proceed to ^(AG)Caesarea, ^[p]with seventy horsemen and two hundred ^[q]spearmen.” ²⁴ They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to ^(AH)Felix the governor. ²⁵ And he wrote a letter ^[r]with the following content:

³¹ So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² But on the next day they let ^(AU)the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to ^(AV)the barracks. ³³ When these horsemen had come to ^(AW)Caesarea and delivered the letter to ^(AX)the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ Now when he had read it, he also asked from what ^(AY)province Paul was, and when he learned that ^(AZ)he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your ^(BA)accusers arrive as well,” giving orders for ^[w]Paul to be ^(BB)kept in Herod’s ^[x]Praetorium.