Nehemiah 13:4-9

Expanded Bible

Nehemiah Returns to Jerusalem

⁴ Before that happened, Eliashib the priest, who was ·in charge of [appointed over] the ·Temple [^Lhouse] storerooms, was ·friendly with [or a relative of] Tobiah. ⁵ Eliashib let Tobiah use one of the large storerooms. Earlier it had been used for ·grain [^Lgift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:3], incense, the ·utensils [vessels], and the ·tenth offerings [tithes] of grain, new wine, and olive oil ·that belonged to [commanded/prescribed for] the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers. It had also been used for ·gifts [contributions; offerings] for the priests.

⁶ I was not in Jerusalem ·when this happened [at that time]. I had gone back to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year he was king [^C433 bc]. ·Finally [Later; After some time] I asked the king to let me leave. ⁷ When I returned to Jerusalem, I found out the evil Eliashib had done by letting Tobiah have a room in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] courtyard. ⁸ I was very ·upset [displeased; angry] at this, so I threw all of Tobiah’s ·goods [belongings; possessions] out of the room. ⁹ I ordered the rooms to be ·purified [cleansed; ^Critually], and I brought back the ·utensils [vessels] for God’s ·Temple [^Lhouse], the ·grain [^Lgift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:3], and the incense.