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Nehemiah Returns to Jerusalem

Before that happened, Eliashib the priest, who was ·in charge of [appointed over] the ·Temple [L house] storerooms, was ·friendly with [or a relative of] Tobiah. Eliashib let Tobiah use one of the large storerooms. Earlier it had been used for ·grain [L gift; 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.

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 [C 433 bc]. ·Finally [Later; After some time] I asked the king to let me leave. When I returned to Jerusalem, I found out the evil Eliashib had done by letting Tobiah have a room in the ·Temple [L house] courtyard. I was very ·upset [displeased; angry] at this, so I threw all of Tobiah’s ·goods [belongings; possessions] out of the room. I ordered the rooms to be ·purified [cleansed; C ritually], and I brought back the ·utensils [vessels] for God’s ·Temple [L house], the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:3], and the incense.

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Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms(A) of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah,(B) and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes(C) of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes(D) king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib(E) had done in providing Tobiah(F) a room in the courts of the house of God. I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.(G) I gave orders to purify the rooms,(H) and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.(I)

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