10 Those whose seals were on the document were

the governor Nehemiah(A) son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,

Seraiah,(B) Azariah, Jeremiah,

Pashhur,(C) Amariah, Malchijah,

Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.

These were the priests.

The Levites(D) were

Jeshua son of Azaniah,

Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

10 and their brothers

Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The heads of the people(E) were

Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,(F)

17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

23 Hoshea, Hananiah,(G) Hasshub,

24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

28 The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone who is able to understand(H) and who has separated themselves from the surrounding peoples(I) to obey the law of God— 29 join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath[a](J) to follow the law of God given through God’s servant Moses(K) and to obey carefully all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.

Details of the Vow

30 We will not give our daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples and will not take their daughters as wives for our sons.(L)

31 When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day.(M) We will also leave the land uncultivated in the seventh year(N) and will cancel every debt.(O)

32 We will impose the following commands on ourselves:

To give an eighth of an ounce of silver[b] yearly for the service of the house of our God:(P) 33 the bread displayed before the Lord,[c](Q) the daily grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbath and New Moon offerings,(R) the appointed festivals, the holy things, the sin offerings to atone for Israel,(S) and for all the work of the house of our God.

34 We have cast lots(T) among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral families[d] at the appointed times each year. They are to bring the wood to our God’s house to burn on the altar of the Lord our God,(U) as it is written in the law.

35 We will bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord’s house year by year.(V) 36 We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God,(W) to the priests who serve in our God’s house. 37 We will bring a loaf from our first batch of dough(X) to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our grain offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and fresh oil.(Y) A tenth of our land’s produce belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns.(Z) 38 A priest from Aaron’s descendants is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth,(AA) and the Levites are to take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.(AB) 39 For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and fresh oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept(AC) and where the priests who minister are, along with the gatekeepers and singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. 10:29 Lit and enter in a curse and in an oath
  2. 10:32 Lit give one-third of a shekel
  3. 10:33 Lit rows of bread
  4. 10:34 Lit the house of our fathers

Signers of the Document

10 [a]Now on the (A)sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the [b]governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel; 10 also their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu. 14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

Obligations of the Document

28 Now (B)the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and (C)all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, 29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are [c](D)taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to [d]comply with all the commandments of [e]God our Lord, and His ordinances and statutes; 30 and (E)that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 As (F)for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not [f]buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day; and we will forgo the crops of the (G)seventh year and [g](H)every debt.

32 We also imposed [h]on ourselves the obligation to contribute yearly (I)a third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the (J)showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, for the appointed times, for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God.

34 Likewise (K)we cast lots (L)for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites, and the people so that they could bring it to the house of our God, according to our fathers’ households, at set times annually, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law; 35 and so that they could bring the first fruits of our ground and (M)the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually, 36 and (N)bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the Law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. 37 (O)We will also bring the first of our [i]dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine, and the oil (P)to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the (Q)tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns. 38 And (R)the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of (S)the storehouse. 39 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the (T)contribution of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the chambers; the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers, and the singers are there. So (U)we will not [j]neglect the house of our God.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 10:1 Ch 10:2 in Heb
  2. Nehemiah 10:1 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title
  3. Nehemiah 10:29 Lit entering into a
  4. Nehemiah 10:29 Lit do all
  5. Nehemiah 10:29 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  6. Nehemiah 10:31 Lit take
  7. Nehemiah 10:31 Lit the loan from every hand
  8. Nehemiah 10:32 Lit commandments on us
  9. Nehemiah 10:37 Or coarse meal
  10. Nehemiah 10:39 Lit abandon