Foreigners Excluded

13 On that day ^(A)they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that ^(B)no Ammonite or Moabite should ever 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 ^[a]related to ^(H)Tobiah, ⁵ had prepared a large ^[b]room for him, where formerly they 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 ^[c]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 gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, ⁷ and I came to Jerusalem and ^[d]learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, ^(L)by preparing a ^[e]room for him in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ It was very displeasing to me, so I ^(M)threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. ⁹ Then I gave an order and ^(N)they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.

Tithes Restored

¹⁰ I also ^[f]discovered that ^(O)the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had ^[g]gone away, ^(P)each to his own field. ¹¹ So I ^[h](Q)reprimanded the officials and said, “^(R)Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts. ¹² All Judah then brought ^(S)the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses. ¹³ In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of 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 ^[i]their task to distribute to their ^[j]kinsmen. ^14 (U)Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot 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 some 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 all kinds of loads, ^(W)and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So ^(X)I admonished them on the day they sold food. ¹⁶ Also men of Tyre were living ^[k]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 ^[l]reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, ^[m]by profaning the sabbath day? ^18 (Z)Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

^19 (AA)It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut ^[n]and that they should not 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 ^[o]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 commanded the Levites that ^(AC)they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also ^(AD)remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.

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 was able to speak the language of Judah, but ^[r]the language of his own people. ²⁵ So ^(AH)I contended 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 of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. ^26 (AK)Did not Solomon king of Israel 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; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. ^27 [s]Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil ^(AN)by acting unfaithfully against our God by ^[t]marrying foreign women?” ²⁸ Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of ^(AO)Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me. ^29 (AP)Remember them, O my God, ^[u]because they have defiled the priesthood and the ^(AQ)covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

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

Babylon Is Fallen

18 After these things I saw another ^(A)angel ^(B)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was ^(C)illumined with his glory. ² And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “^[a](D)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She ^(E)has become a dwelling place of demons and a ^[b]prison of every ^(F)unclean spirit, and a ^[c]prison of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ For all the nations ^[d]have drunk of the ^(G)wine of the ^[e]passion of her immorality, and ^(H)the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the ^(I)merchants of the earth have become rich by the ^[f]wealth of her ^[g](J)sensuality.”

⁴ I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “^(K)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; ⁵ for her sins have ^[h](L)piled up as high as heaven, and God has ^(M)remembered her iniquities. ^6 (N)Pay her back even as she has paid, and ^[i]give back to her double according to her deeds; in the ^(O)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. ^7 (P)To the degree that she glorified herself and ^(Q)lived ^[j]sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘^(R)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ ⁸ For this reason ^(S)in one day her plagues will come, ^[k]pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be ^(T)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her ^(U)is strong.

Lament for Babylon

⁹ “And ^(V)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and ^(W)lived ^[l]sensuously with her, will ^(X)weep and lament over her when they ^(Y)see the smoke of her burning, ^10 (Z)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘^(AA)Woe, woe, ^(AB)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in ^(AC)one hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹ “And the ^(AD)merchants of the earth ^(AE)weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more— ¹² cargoes of ^(AF)gold and silver and precious ^[m]stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and ^[n]bronze and iron and marble, ¹³ and cinnamon and ^[o]spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and ^[p]slaves and ^[q](AG)human lives. ¹⁴ The fruit ^[r]you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. ¹⁵ The ^(AH)merchants of ^(AI)these things, who became rich from her, will ^(AJ)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, ¹⁶ saying, ‘^(AK)Woe, woe, ^(AL)the great city, she who ^(AM)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and ^[s]adorned with gold and precious ^[t]stones and pearls; ¹⁷ for in ^(AN)one hour such great wealth has been laid ^(AO)waste!’ And ^(AP)every shipmaster and every ^[u]passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, ^(AQ)stood at a distance, ¹⁸ and were ^(AR)crying out as they ^(AS)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘^(AT)What city is like ^(AU)the great city?’ ¹⁹ And they threw ^(AV)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘^(AW)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea ^(AX)became rich by her ^[v]wealth, for in ^(AY)one hour she has been laid ^(AZ)waste!’ ^20 (BA)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[w]saints and ^(BB)apostles and prophets, because ^(BC)God has ^[x]pronounced judgment for you against her.”

²¹ Then ^[y]a ^(BD)strong angel ^(BE)took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, ^(BF)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and ^(BG)will not be found any longer. ²² And ^(BH)the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the ^(BI)sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; ²³ and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the ^(BJ)voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your ^(BK)merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived ^(BL)by your sorcery. ²⁴ And in her was found the ^(BM)blood of prophets and of ^[z]saints and of ^(BN)all who have been slain on the earth.”