Nehemiah 13
New English Translation
Further Reforms by Nehemiah
13 On that day the book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing[a] of the people. They found[b] written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite may ever enter the assembly of God, 2 for they had not met the Israelites with food[c] and water, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.) 3 When they heard the law, they removed from Israel all who were of mixed ancestry.
4 But before this time, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been appointed over the storerooms[d] of the temple of our God. 5 He made for himself a large storeroom where previously they had been keeping[e] the grain offering, the incense, and the vessels, along with the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil as commanded for the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the offering for the priests.
6 During all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I had gone back to the king. After some time[f] I had requested leave of the king, 7 and I returned to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah by supplying him with a storeroom in the courts of the temple of God. 8 I was very upset, and I threw all of Tobiah’s household possessions out of the storeroom. 9 Then I gave instructions that the storerooms should be purified, and I brought back the equipment[g] of the temple of God, along with the grain offering and the incense.
10 I also discovered that the portions for the Levites had not been provided, and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all gone off to their fields. 11 So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking, “Why is the temple of God neglected?” Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions.[h]
12 Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil to the storerooms. 13 I gave instructions[i] that Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a certain Levite named Pedaiah be put in charge of[j] the storerooms, and that Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, be their assistant,[k] for they were regarded as trustworthy. It was then their responsibility to oversee the distribution to their colleagues.[l]
14 Please remember me for this, O my God, and do not wipe out the kindness that I have done for the temple of my God and for its services!
15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day that they sold these provisions. 16 The people from Tyre who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of merchandise and were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah—and in Jerusalem, of all places![m] 17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors[n] acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”[o]
19 When the evening shadows began to fall on[p] the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered[q] the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned[r] some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day. 20 The traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 But I warned them and said,[s] “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!”[t] From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath.[u] 22 Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love.
23 Also in those days I saw the men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half their children spoke the language of Ashdod (or the language of one of the other peoples mentioned[v]) and were unable to speak the language of Judah. 25 So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, “You will not marry off[w] your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made[x] him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin! 27 Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying[y] foreign wives?”
28 Now one of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I banished him from my sight.
29 Please remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the covenant of the priesthood,[z] and the Levites.
30 So I purified them of everything foreign, and I assigned specific[aa] duties to the priests and the Levites. 31 I also provided for[ab] the wood offering at the appointed times and also for the firstfruits.
Please remember me for good, O my God.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 13:1 tn Heb “ears.”
- Nehemiah 13:1 tn Heb “it was found.” The Hebrew verb is passive.
- Nehemiah 13:2 tn Heb “bread.” The Hebrew term is generic here, however, referring to more than bread alone.
- Nehemiah 13:4 tc The translation reads the plural rather than the singular of the MT.
- Nehemiah 13:5 tn Heb “giving.”
- Nehemiah 13:6 tn Heb “to the end of days.”
- Nehemiah 13:9 tn On the usage of this Hebrew word see HALOT 478-79 s.v. כְּלִי.
- Nehemiah 13:11 tn Heb “and I stood them on their standing.”
- Nehemiah 13:13 tc Probably one should read with the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate וָאֲצַוֶּה (vaʾatsavveh, “and I commanded”) rather than the rare denominative verb וָאוֹצְרָה (vaʾotserah, “and I appointed over the storeroom”) of the MT.
- Nehemiah 13:13 tn Heb “be over”
- Nehemiah 13:13 tn Heb “on their hand.”
- Nehemiah 13:13 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Nehemiah 13:16 tn The words “of all places” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to indicate the emphasis on Jerusalem.
- Nehemiah 13:18 tn Heb “your fathers.”
- Nehemiah 13:18 tn The words “like this” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied.
- Nehemiah 13:19 tn Heb “the gates of Jerusalem grew dark.”
- Nehemiah 13:19 tn Heb “said” (so also in v. 22).
- Nehemiah 13:19 tn Heb “caused to stand.”
- Nehemiah 13:21 tn The Hebrew text includes the words “to them,” but they have been excluded from the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Nehemiah 13:21 tn Heb “I will send a hand on you.”
- Nehemiah 13:21 sn This statement contains a great deal of restrained humor. The author clearly takes pleasure in the effectiveness of the measures that he had enacted.
- Nehemiah 13:24 tn Heb “people and people.”
- Nehemiah 13:25 tn Heb “give.”
- Nehemiah 13:26 tn Heb “gave.”
- Nehemiah 13:27 tn Heb “give a dwelling to.”
- Nehemiah 13:29 tc One medieval Hebrew ms, the Lucianic Greek recension, and the Syriac Peshitta read the plural הַכֹּהֲנִים (hakkohanim, “the priests”) rather than the singular reading of the MT, הַכְּהֻנָּה (hakkehunnah, “the priesthood”).
- Nehemiah 13:30 tn Heb “a man in his work.”
- Nehemiah 13:31 tn The words “I also provided for” are not included in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
Nehemiah 13
International Standard Version
Enemies of Israel Excluded(A)
13 Later that day the book of Moses was read aloud so the people could hear it, and a written command was discovered therein[a] permanently prohibiting the Ammonites and Moabites from coming into the congregation of God 2 because they did not greet the Israelis with food and water, but instead hired Balaam to oppose them by cursing them, even though our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When they heard the Law, they separated all those of foreign descent from Israel.
Tobiah Evicted from the Temple
4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who supervised the store rooms of the Temple of our God and who was related to Tobiah, 5 had prepared a great chamber for him, in the place where they used to place the grain offerings, incense, and vessels, along with the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that was mandated for the descendants of Levi, the singers, the gate keepers, and the priests’ offerings. 6 During all of this time, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to the king in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon. After a while I obtained permission from the king 7 to return to Jerusalem. I learned of the evil thing that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in furnishing him with a room in the courts of the Temple of God. 8 I was greatly upset, so I threw out all of Tobiah’s property from the room. 9 I ordered them to purify the chambers, and then they brought back the vessels from the Temple of God, along with the grain offerings and incense.
Neglecting Levitical Allotments
10 I also learned that the allotments for the descendants of Levi had not been distributed. As a result, the descendants of Levi and singers who were responsible for the service had each left to go back to their fields. 11 So I confronted the officials and asked, “Why is the Temple of God neglected?” Then I gathered them together and put them back in their places. 12 Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil into the storerooms. 13 I appointed over the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the descendants of Levi; and next to them Zaccur’s son Hanan, the grandson of Mattaniah, because they had been considered faithful. Their duties were to distribute to their associates.
14 Remember me, my God, concerning this, and do not erase my faithful deeds that I have undertaken for the Temple of my God, and for its services.
Prohibiting Work on the Sabbath
15 At that time I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the Sabbath, bringing in sacks of grain, loading them onto donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads. They brought them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I rebuked them on the day on which they were selling food. 16 Furthermore, Tyrians were living there who were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise, selling them to the people of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem.
17 I rebuked the officials of Judah, saying to them, “What’s this evil thing that you’re doing by profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same? And didn’t our God bring on us and on this city all of this trouble? Now you’re adding to the wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!”
19 As the Sabbath approached and it began to get dark at the gates of Jerusalem, I gave word to shut the gates, charging that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I stationed some of my men at the gates to ensure that no loads would be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 As a result, the merchants and sellers of all sorts of goods remained outside Jerusalem a couple of times. 21 I argued with them, “Why are you staying outside the wall? If you do this again, I’ll arrest you.” From that time on, they didn’t come anymore on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the descendants of Levi to purify themselves and to come as gate keepers to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, my God, and show mercy to me according to the greatness of your gracious love.
Removing Foreign Spouses(B)
23 At that time I also noticed that Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Furthermore, their children spoke half of the time in the language of Ashdod, and could not speak in the language of Judah. Instead, they spoke in the languages of various peoples. 25 So I rebuked them, cursed them, struck some of their men, tore out their hair, and made them take this oath in the name of God: “You are not to give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Didn’t Solomon, king of Israel, sin by doing these things, even though among many nations there was no king like him who was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel? Even so, foreign women caused him to sin. 27 Should we listen to you and do all of this terrible evil by transgressing against our God to marry foreign wives?” 28 One of the sons of Eliashib the high priest’s son Joiada was a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.
29 Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the descendants of Levi.
30 I purified them from everything foreign, arranged duties for the priests and the descendants of Levi, each to his task, 31 and I arranged at the appointed time for the supply of wood, and for the first fruits.
Remember me, my God, with favor.
Footnotes
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