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10 On the sealed documents were the following names:[a]

Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, along with Zedekiah,

Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,

Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

The Levites were as follows:

Jeshua[b] son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel.

10 Their colleagues[c] were as follows:

Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The leaders[d] of the people were as follows:

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.

28 “Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples[e] because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand— 29 hereby participate with their colleagues the town leaders[f] and enter into a curse and an oath[g] to adhere to[h] the law of God which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to obey[i] carefully all the commandments of the Lord our Lord,[j] along with his ordinances and his statutes.

30 “We will not give our daughters in marriage to the neighboring peoples, and we will not take their daughters in marriage for our sons. 31 We will not buy[k] on the Sabbath or on a holy day from the neighboring peoples who bring their wares and all kinds of grain to sell on the Sabbath day. We will let the fields lie fallow every seventh year, and we will cancel every loan.[l] 32 We accept responsibility for fulfilling[m] the commands to give[n] one third of a shekel each year for the work of the temple[o] of our God, 33 for the loaves of presentation and for the regular grain offerings and regular burnt offerings, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the appointed meetings, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the temple of our God.

34 “We—the priests, the Levites, and the people—have cast lots concerning the wood offerings, to bring them to the temple of our God according to our families[p] at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as is written in the law. 35 We also accept responsibility for[q] bringing the firstfruits of our land and the firstfruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the Lord. 36 We also accept responsibility, as is written in the law, for bringing the firstborn of our sons and our cattle and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks to the temple of our God, to the priests who are ministering in the temple of our God. 37 We will also bring the first of our coarse meal, of our contributions, of the fruit of every tree, of new wine, and of olive oil to the priests at the storerooms of the temple of our God, along with a tenth of the produce[r] of our land to the Levites, for the Levites are the ones who collect the tithes in all the cities where we work.[s] 38 A priest of Aaron’s line[t] will be with the Levites when the Levites collect the tithes, and the Levites will bring up a tenth of the tithes to the temple of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The Israelites and the Levites will bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil to the storerooms where the utensils of the sanctuary are kept, and where the priests who minister stay, along with the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the temple of our God.”

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 10:1 tn The words “were the following names” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. vv. 9, 10, 14.
  2. Nehemiah 10:9 tc With many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and the ancient versions the translation reads יְשׁוּעַ (yeshuaʿ, “Jeshua”) rather than the reading וְיֵשׁוּעַ (veyeshuaʿ, “and Jeshua”) of BHS.
  3. Nehemiah 10:10 tn Heb “brothers” (also in v. 29 [ET]).
  4. Nehemiah 10:14 tn Heb “heads”; ASV “chiefs.”
  5. Nehemiah 10:28 tn Heb “from the peoples of the lands.” Cf. vv. 30, 31.
  6. Nehemiah 10:29 tn Heb “the nobles.”
  7. Nehemiah 10:29 tn The expression “a curse and an oath” may be a hendiadys, meaning “an oath with penalties.”
  8. Nehemiah 10:29 tn Heb “to walk in.”
  9. Nehemiah 10:29 tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.
  10. Nehemiah 10:29 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  11. Nehemiah 10:31 tn Heb “take.”
  12. Nehemiah 10:31 tn Heb “debt of every hand,” an idiom referring to the hand that holds legally binding contractual agreements.
  13. Nehemiah 10:32 tn Heb “cause to stand on us.”
  14. Nehemiah 10:32 tc The MT reads “to give upon us.” However, the term עָלֵינוּ (ʿalenu, “upon us”) should probably be deleted, following a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate.
  15. Nehemiah 10:32 tn Heb “house” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39).
  16. Nehemiah 10:34 tn Heb “the house of our fathers.”
  17. Nehemiah 10:35 tn The words “we accept responsibility” are not included in the Hebrew text, but are inferred from v. 33 (so also in v. 36).
  18. Nehemiah 10:37 tn Heb “a tithe of our land.”
  19. Nehemiah 10:37 tn Heb “of our work.”
  20. Nehemiah 10:38 tn Heb “And the priest the son of Aaron.”

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