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Nehemiah 9-13
New American Standard Bible

The People Confess Their Sin

9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of (A)this month the sons of Israel assembled (B)with fasting, in sackcloth and with (C)dirt upon them. 2 The [a](D)descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and (E)confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers. 3 While (F)they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 (G)Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!

May Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 (H)You alone are the Lord.
(I)You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their [b]lights,
The earth and everything that is on it,
The seas and everything that is in them.
(J)You give life to all of them,
And the heavenly [c]lights bow down before You.
7 You are the Lord God,
(K)Who chose Abram
And brought him out from (L)Ur of the Chaldees,
And (M)gave him the name Abraham.
8 You found (N)his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
To give it to his [d]descendants.
And You (O)have fulfilled Your [e]promise,
Because You are righteous.

9 “(P)You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (Q)heard their cry by the [f]Red Sea.
10 Then You performed (R)signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that (S)they acted arrogantly toward them,
And You (T)made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 (U)You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And You hurled (V)their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into [g]raging waters.
12 And with a pillar of cloud (W)You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 Then (X)You came down on Mount Sinai,
And (Y)spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them (Z)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 So You made known to them (AA)Your holy Sabbath,
And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 You (AB)provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You (AC)brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You (AD)told them to enter in order to take possession of
The land which You [h]swore to give them.

16 “But they, our fathers, (AE)acted arrogantly;
They [i](AF)became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen,
And (AG)did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and (AH)appointed a leader to return to their slavery in [j]Egypt.
But You are a God (AI)of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in [k]mercy;
And You did not abandon them.
18 Even when they (AJ)made for themselves
A calf of cast metal
And said, ‘This is your [l]god
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great blasphemies,
19 (AK)You, in Your great compassion,
Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
(AL)The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 Instead, (AM)You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 Indeed, for (AN)forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
22 You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a [m]boundary.
(AO)They took possession of the land of Sihon [n]the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 You made their sons as numerous as (AP)the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 (AQ)So their sons entered and took possession of the land.
And (AR)You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You handed them over to them, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them [o]as they desired.
25 (AS)They captured fortified cities and a [p](AT)fertile land.
They took possession of (AU)houses full of every good thing,
Carved out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and (AV)put on fat,
And (AW)lived luxuriously in Your great goodness.

26 “(AX)But they became rebellious and revolted against You,
And (AY)threw Your Law behind their backs
And (AZ)killed Your prophets who had (BA)admonished them
In order to bring them back to You,
And (BB)they committed great blasphemies.
27 Therefore You (BC)handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them,
But when they cried out to You (BD)in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You (BE)gave them [q]people who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 But (BF)as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried out again to You, You heard from heaven,
And (BG)many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And (BH)admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law.
Yet (BI)they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
(BJ)Which, if a person [r]follows them, then he will live by them.
And they [s](BK)turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 (BL)However, You remained patient with them for many years,
And (BM)admonished them by (BN)Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not listen.
Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You (BO)did not make an end of them or abandon them,
For You are (BP)a gracious and compassionate God.

32 “Now then, our God, (BQ)the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people,
(BR)From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 However, (BS)You are righteous in everything that has happened to us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your [t]admonitions with which You have [u]admonished them.
35 But (BT)they, in their own kingdom,
(BU)With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You placed before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 Behold, (BV)we are slaves today,
And as for the land which You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves on it.
37 And (BW)its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.

A Covenant Results

38 “[v]Now because of all this
(BX)We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the (BY)sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests.”

Signers of the Document

10 [w]Now on the (BZ)sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the [x]governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9 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 (CA)the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and (CB)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 [y](CC)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 [z]comply with all the commandments of [aa]God our Lord, and His ordinances and statutes; 30 and (CD)that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 As (CE)for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not [ab]buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day; and we will forgo the crops of the (CF)seventh year and [ac](CG)every debt.

32 We also imposed [ad]on ourselves the obligation to contribute yearly (CH)a third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the (CI)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 (CJ)we cast lots (CK)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 (CL)the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually, 36 and (CM)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 (CN)We will also bring the first of our [ae]dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine, and the oil (CO)to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the (CP)tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns. 38 And (CQ)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 (CR)the storehouse. 39 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the (CS)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 (CT)we will not [af]neglect the house of our God.

Time Passes; Heads of Provinces

11 Now (CU)the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people (CV)cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, (CW)the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men who (CX)volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3 (CY)Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah (CZ)each lived on his own property in their cities—the [ag]Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the [ah](DA)temple servants, and the [ai](DB)descendants of Solomon’s servants. 4 Some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem. From the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 able men.

7 Now these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; 8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai, 928. 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second [aj]in command of the city.

10 From the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the overseer of the house of God, 12 and their kinsmen who did the work of the [ak]temple, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13 and his kinsmen, heads of fathers’ households, 242; and Amashsai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, valiant warriors, 128. And their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of [al]Haggedolim.

15 Now from the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the [am]leaders of the Levites, who were [an]in charge of (DC)the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of [ao]Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the [ap]leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his kinsmen; and [aq]Abda the son of [ar]Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in (DD)the holy city were 284.

19 Also the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their kinsmen who kept watch at the gates, were 172.

Outside Jerusalem

20 The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each (DE)on his own inheritance. 21 But (DF)the temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were [as]in charge of the temple servants.

22 Now (DG)the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, from the sons of Asaph, who were the singers for the [at]service of the house of God. 23 (DH)For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a royal command for the singers (DI)day by day. 24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons (DJ)of Zerah the son of Judah, was the (DK)king’s [au]representative for every matter concerning the people.

25 Now as for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived in (DL)Kiriath-arba and its [av]towns, in (DM)Dibon and its [aw]towns, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua, in Moladah, and Beth-pelet, 27 and in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its towns, 28 and in Ziklag, in Meconah and in its towns, 29 and in En-rimmon, in Zorah, and in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its towns. So they camped from Beersheba as far as the Valley of Hinnom. 31 The sons of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash and Aija, at Bethel and its towns, 32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the Valley of Craftsmen. 36 And from the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.

Priests and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel

12 Now these are (DN)the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.

8 And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was [ax]in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them (DO)in their service divisions. 10 Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, Eliashib fathered Joiada, 11 Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.

12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of [ay]Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

The Chief Levites

22 As for the Levites, the heads of fathers’ households were registered in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua; so were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were registered in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24 And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, (DP)to praise and give thanks, [az]as prescribed by David the man of God, (DQ)division corresponding to division. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at (DR)the storerooms of the gates. 26 These men served in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of (DS)Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

Dedication of the Wall

27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they could celebrate the dedication with joy, with songs of thanksgiving and with songs (DT)to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the territory around Jerusalem, and from (DU)the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, because the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites (DV)purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

Procedures for the Temple

31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large [ba]choirs, [bb](DW)the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward (DX)the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, (DY)with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 At (DZ)the Fountain Gate they went directly up (EA)the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall, above the house of David to (EB)the Water Gate on the east.

38 (EC)The second [bc]choir proceeded to the [bd]left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, (ED)above the Tower of Furnaces, to (EE)the Broad Wall, 39 and above (EF)the Gate of Ephraim, by (EG)the Ancient Gate, by the (EH)Fish Gate, (EI)the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at (EJ)the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their positions in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with the trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers [be]sang, with Jezrahiah their leader, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because (EK)God had given them great joy, and the women and children rejoiced as well, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from far away.

44 On that day (EL)men were also appointed over the chambers for the supplies, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who [bf]served. 45 For they performed the [bg]worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers (EM)in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and (EN)Asaph, in ancient times, there were [bh](EO)leaders of the singers, songs of praise and songs of thanksgiving to God. 47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers (EP)as each day required, and they [bi](EQ)set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites [bj]set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.

Foreigners Excluded

13 On that day the Book of Moses was (ER)read aloud [bk]as the people listened; and there was found written in it that (ES)no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to enter the assembly of God, 2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but (ET)hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, (EU)our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 So when they heard the Law, (EV)they excluded (EW)all foreigners from Israel.

Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed

4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, (EX)who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being [bl]related to (EY)Tobiah, 5 had prepared a large [bm]room for him, where previously they used to put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil (EZ)prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the [bn]contributions for the priests. 6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in (FA)the thirty-second year of (FB)Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had come to the king. After some time, however, I requested a leave of absence from the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem and [bo]learned about the evil that Eliashib had committed for [bp]Tobiah, (FC)by preparing a [bq]room for him in the courtyards of the house of God. 8 It was very displeasing to me, so I (FD)threw all of Tobiah’s household articles out of the room. 9 Then I gave an order, and (FE)they cleansed the rooms; and I returned the utensils of the house of God there with the grain offering and the frankincense.

Tithes Restored

10 I also [br]discovered that (FF)the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so the Levites and the singers who performed the service had [bs]gone away, (FG)each to his own field. 11 So I [bt](FH)reprimanded the officials and said, “(FI)Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. 12 All Judah then brought (FJ)the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 To be in charge of the storehouses, I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for (FK)they were considered reliable, and it was [bu]their task to distribute to their kinsmen. 14 (FL)Remember me for this, my God, and do not wipe out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

Sabbath Restored

15 In those days I saw in Judah people who were treading wine presses (FM)on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, (FN)and they were bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So (FO)I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16 Also people of Tyre were living [bv]there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17 Then (FP)I [bw]reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, [bx]by profaning the Sabbath day? 18 (FQ)Did your fathers not do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 And (FR)it came about that just as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered that the doors be shut, [by]and that they were not to open them until after the Sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then (FS)I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will [bz]use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 And I ordered the Levites that (FT)they were to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also (FU)remember me, my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your mercy.

Mixed Marriages Forbidden

23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had [ca](FV)married women from (FW)Ashdod, (FX)Ammon, and Moab. 24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them knew how to speak the language of Judah, but [cb]only the language of his own people. 25 So (FY)I quarreled with them and cursed them, and (FZ)struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and (GA)made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 (GB)Did Solomon the king of Israel not sin regarding these things? (GC)Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and (GD)he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27 Has it not then been reported about you that you have committed all this great evil (GE)by acting unfaithfully against our God, by [cc]marrying foreign women?” 28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, became a son-in-law of (GF)Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased him away from me. 29 (GG)Remember them, my God, [cd]because they have defiled the priesthood and the (GH)covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 (GI)So I purified them from everything foreign, and assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each in his work, 31 and I arranged (GJ)for the delivery of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. (GK)Remember me, my God, for good.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:2 Lit seed
  2. Nehemiah 9:6 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
  3. Nehemiah 9:6 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
  4. Nehemiah 9:8 Lit seed
  5. Nehemiah 9:8 Lit words
  6. Nehemiah 9:9 Lit Sea of Reeds
  7. Nehemiah 9:11 Lit strong, mighty
  8. Nehemiah 9:15 Lit lifted up Your hand
  9. Nehemiah 9:16 Lit stiffened their neck; so also v 17
  10. Nehemiah 9:17 As in LXX and some Heb mss; MT their rebellion
  11. Nehemiah 9:17 Or faithfulness
  12. Nehemiah 9:18 Or God; i.e., an idol intended to represent God
  13. Nehemiah 9:22 Lit side, corner
  14. Nehemiah 9:22 As in LXX and Lat; MT and the land of the king of Heshbon
  15. Nehemiah 9:24 Lit according to their desire
  16. Nehemiah 9:25 Lit fat
  17. Nehemiah 9:27 Lit deliverers
  18. Nehemiah 9:29 Lit does them
  19. Nehemiah 9:29 Lit gave
  20. Nehemiah 9:34 Lit testimonies
  21. Nehemiah 9:34 Or testified to
  22. Nehemiah 9:38 Ch 10:1 in Heb
  23. Nehemiah 10:1 Ch 10:2 in Heb
  24. Nehemiah 10:1 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title
  25. Nehemiah 10:29 Lit entering into a
  26. Nehemiah 10:29 Lit do all
  27. Nehemiah 10:29 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  28. Nehemiah 10:31 Lit take
  29. Nehemiah 10:31 Lit the loan from every hand
  30. Nehemiah 10:32 Lit commandments on us
  31. Nehemiah 10:37 Or coarse meal
  32. Nehemiah 10:39 Lit abandon
  33. Nehemiah 11:3 Lit Israel
  34. Nehemiah 11:3 Heb Nethinim
  35. Nehemiah 11:3 Lit sons
  36. Nehemiah 11:9 Lit over
  37. Nehemiah 11:12 Lit house
  38. Nehemiah 11:14 Or the great ones
  39. Nehemiah 11:16 Lit heads
  40. Nehemiah 11:16 Lit over
  41. Nehemiah 11:17 In 1 Chr 9:15, Zichri
  42. Nehemiah 11:17 Lit head
  43. Nehemiah 11:17 In 1 Chr 9:16, Obadiah
  44. Nehemiah 11:17 In 1 Chr 9:16, Shemaiah
  45. Nehemiah 11:21 Lit over
  46. Nehemiah 11:22 Or work
  47. Nehemiah 11:24 Lit hand
  48. Nehemiah 11:25 Lit daughters, and so throughout the ch
  49. Nehemiah 11:25 Lit daughters, and so throughout the ch
  50. Nehemiah 12:8 Lit over
  51. Nehemiah 12:14 In v 2, Malluch
  52. Nehemiah 12:24 Lit by the commandment of
  53. Nehemiah 12:31 Lit thanksgiving choirs
  54. Nehemiah 12:31 Heb and processions to the right
  55. Nehemiah 12:38 Lit thanksgiving choir
  56. Nehemiah 12:38 Heb uncertain, perhaps opposite
  57. Nehemiah 12:42 Lit made themselves heard
  58. Nehemiah 12:44 Lit stood
  59. Nehemiah 12:45 Lit service
  60. Nehemiah 12:46 Lit heads
  61. Nehemiah 12:47 Or gave votive offerings to
  62. Nehemiah 12:47 Or gave votive offerings to
  63. Nehemiah 13:1 Lit in the ears of the people
  64. Nehemiah 13:4 Lit close to
  65. Nehemiah 13:5 Or chamber
  66. Nehemiah 13:5 Or uplifted offerings
  67. Nehemiah 13:7 Or understood
  68. Nehemiah 13:7 An Ammonite, banned from the temple
  69. Nehemiah 13:7 Or chamber, and so in vv 8, 9
  70. Nehemiah 13:10 Or knew
  71. Nehemiah 13:10 Lit fled
  72. Nehemiah 13:11 Or contended with
  73. Nehemiah 13:13 Lit on them to
  74. Nehemiah 13:16 Lit in it
  75. Nehemiah 13:17 Or contended with
  76. Nehemiah 13:17 Lit and
  77. Nehemiah 13:19 Lit and commanded
  78. Nehemiah 13:21 Lit send a hand against
  79. Nehemiah 13:23 Lit given dwelling to
  80. Nehemiah 13:24 Lit according to the tongue of people and people
  81. Nehemiah 13:27 Lit giving dwelling to
  82. Nehemiah 13:29 Lit for the defilements of
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Nehemiah 9-13
New International Version

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(A) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(B) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(C) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites(D) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(E) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[a]”

“Blessed be your glorious name,(F) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.(G) You made the heavens,(H) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(I) the earth(J) and all that is on it, the seas(K) and all that is in them.(L) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(M) worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(N) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(O) and named him Abraham.(P) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(Q) You have kept your promise(R) because you are righteous.(S)

9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(T) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[b](U) 10 You sent signs(V) and wonders(W) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(X) for yourself,(Y) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(Z) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(AA) like a stone into mighty waters.(AB) 12 By day(AC) you led(AD) them with a pillar of cloud,(AE) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(AF) you spoke(AG) to them from heaven.(AH) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(AI) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(AJ) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(AK) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(AL) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(AM) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(AN) to give them.(AO)

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(AP) and they did not obey your commands.(AQ) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(AR) the miracles(AS) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(AT) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(AU) But you are a forgiving God,(AV) gracious and compassionate,(AW) slow to anger(AX) and abounding in love.(AY) Therefore you did not desert them,(AZ) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(BA) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(BB)

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(BC) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(BD) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(BE) to instruct(BF) them. You did not withhold your manna(BG) from their mouths, and you gave them water(BH) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(BI) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(BJ) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(BK)

22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon[c](BL) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.(BM) 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,(BN) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land.(BO) You subdued(BP) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land;(BQ) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,(BR) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;(BS) they reveled in your great goodness.(BT)

26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.(BU) They killed(BV) your prophets,(BW) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.(BX) 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,(BY) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion(BZ) you gave them deliverers,(CA) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.(CB) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion(CC) you delivered them(CD) time after time.

29 “You warned(CE) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant(CF) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’(CG) Stubbornly they turned their backs(CH) on you, became stiff-necked(CI) and refused to listen.(CJ) 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.(CK) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.(CL) 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end(CM) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful(CN) God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty(CO) and awesome,(CP) who keeps his covenant of love,(CQ) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship(CR) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;(CS) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.(CT) 34 Our kings,(CU) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors(CV) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness(CW) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you(CX) or turn from their evil ways.

36 “But see, we are slaves(CY) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.(CZ)

The Agreement of the People

38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,(DA) putting it in writing,(DB) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”[d]

10 [e]Those who sealed it were:

Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hakaliah.

Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah,(DC) Azariah, Jeremiah,

3 Pashhur,(DD) Amariah, Malkijah,

4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk,

5 Harim,(DE) Meremoth, Obadiah,

6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

8 Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah.

These were the priests.(DF)

9 The Levites:(DG)

Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

10 and their associates: Shebaniah,

Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11 Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12 Zakkur, 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,(DH)

17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,(DI)

21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

23 Hoshea, Hananiah,(DJ) Hasshub,

24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

27 Malluk, Harim and Baanah.

28 “The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants(DK) and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples(DL) for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand— 29 all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath(DM) to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.

30 “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.(DN)

31 “When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath,(DO) we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land(DP) and will cancel all debts.(DQ)

32 “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel[f] each year for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the bread set out on the table;(DR) for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon(DS) feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings[g] to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.(DT)

34 “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots(DU) to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood(DV) to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.

35 “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits(DW) of our crops and of every fruit tree.(DX)

36 “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn(DY) of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.(DZ)

37 “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil.(EA) And we will bring a tithe(EB) of our crops to the Levites,(EC) for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.(ED) 38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes(EE) up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept.

“We will not neglect the house of our God.”(EF)

The New Residents of Jerusalem(EG)

11 Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem,(EH) the holy city,(EI) while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns.(EJ) 2 The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3 These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem (now some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants lived in the towns of Judah, each on their own property in the various towns,(EK) 4 while other people from both Judah and Benjamin(EL) lived in Jerusalem):(EM)

From the descendants of Judah:

Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Kol-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah. 6 The descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 men of standing.

7 From the descendants of Benjamin:

Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his followers, Gabbai and Sallai—928 men. 9 Joel son of Zikri was their chief officer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the New Quarter of the city.

10 From the priests:

Jedaiah; the son of Joiarib; Jakin; 11 Seraiah(EN) son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub,(EO) the official in charge of the house of God, 12 and their associates, who carried on work for the temple—822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah, 13 and his associates, who were heads of families—242 men; Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14 and his[h] associates, who were men of standing—128. Their chief officer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.

15 From the Levites:

Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 Shabbethai(EP) and Jozabad,(EQ) two of the heads of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God; 17 Mattaniah(ER) son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph,(ES) the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.(ET) 18 The Levites in the holy city(EU) totaled 284.

19 The gatekeepers:

Akkub, Talmon and their associates, who kept watch at the gates—172 men.

20 The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, each on their ancestral property.

21 The temple servants(EV) lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

22 The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah,(EW) the son of Mika. Uzzi was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the musicians responsible for the service of the house of God. 23 The musicians(EX) were under the king’s orders, which regulated their daily activity.

24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah(EY) son of Judah, was the king’s agent in all affairs relating to the people.

25 As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba(EZ) and its surrounding settlements, in Dibon(FA) and its settlements, in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 in Jeshua, in Moladah,(FB) in Beth Pelet,(FC) 27 in Hazar Shual,(FD) in Beersheba(FE) and its settlements, 28 in Ziklag,(FF) in Mekonah and its settlements, 29 in En Rimmon, in Zorah,(FG) in Jarmuth,(FH) 30 Zanoah,(FI) Adullam(FJ) and their villages, in Lachish(FK) and its fields, and in Azekah(FL) and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba(FM) to the Valley of Hinnom.

31 The descendants of the Benjamites from Geba(FN) lived in Mikmash,(FO) Aija, Bethel(FP) and its settlements, 32 in Anathoth,(FQ) Nob(FR) and Ananiah, 33 in Hazor,(FS) Ramah(FT) and Gittaim,(FU) 34 in Hadid, Zeboim(FV) and Neballat, 35 in Lod and Ono,(FW) and in Ge Harashim.

36 Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.

Priests and Levites

12 These were the priests(FX) and Levites(FY) who returned with Zerubbabel(FZ) son of Shealtiel(GA) and with Joshua:(GB)

Seraiah,(GC) Jeremiah, Ezra,

2 Amariah, Malluk, Hattush,

3 Shekaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4 Iddo,(GD) Ginnethon,[i] Abijah,(GE)

5 Mijamin,[j] Moadiah, Bilgah,

6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,(GF)

7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah.

These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Joshua.

8 The Levites were Jeshua,(GG) Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah,(GH) who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.

10 Joshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib,(GI) Eliashib the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.

12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families:

of Seraiah’s family, Meraiah;

of Jeremiah’s, Hananiah;

13 of Ezra’s, Meshullam;

of Amariah’s, Jehohanan;

14 of Malluk’s, Jonathan;

of Shekaniah’s,[k] Joseph;

15 of Harim’s, Adna;

of Meremoth’s,[l] Helkai;

16 of Iddo’s,(GJ) Zechariah;

of Ginnethon’s, Meshullam;

17 of Abijah’s,(GK) Zikri;

of Miniamin’s and of Moadiah’s, Piltai;

18 of Bilgah’s, Shammua;

of Shemaiah’s, Jehonathan;

19 of Joiarib’s, Mattenai;

of Jedaiah’s, Uzzi;

20 of Sallu’s, Kallai;

of Amok’s, Eber;

21 of Hilkiah’s, Hashabiah;

of Jedaiah’s, Nethanel.

22 The family heads of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, as well as those of the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals. 24 And the leaders of the Levites(GL) were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.(GM)

25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. 26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law.

Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem

27 At the dedication(GN) of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals,(GO) harps and lyres.(GP) 28 The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem—from the villages of the Netophathites,(GQ) 29 from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people,(GR) the gates and the wall.

31 I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of[m] the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of[n] the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.(GS) 32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin,(GT) Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 as well as some priests with trumpets,(GU) and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zakkur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani—with musical instruments(GV) prescribed by David the man of God.(GW) Ezra(GX) the teacher of the Law led the procession. 37 At the Fountain Gate(GY) they continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the site of David’s palace to the Water Gate(GZ) on the east.

38 The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of[o] the wall, together with half the people—past the Tower of the Ovens(HA) to the Broad Wall,(HB) 39 over the Gate of Ephraim,(HC) the Jeshanah[p] Gate,(HD) the Fish Gate,(HE) the Tower of Hananel(HF) and the Tower of the Hundred,(HG) as far as the Sheep Gate.(HH) At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.

40 The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials, 41 as well as the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah with their trumpets— 42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. 43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

44 At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms(HI) for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes.(HJ) From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.(HK) 45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the musicians and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David(HL) and his son Solomon.(HM) 46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph,(HN) there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise(HO) and thanksgiving to God. 47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.(HP)

Nehemiah’s Final Reforms

13 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,(HQ) 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam(HR) to call a curse down on them.(HS) (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)(HT) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.(HU)

4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms(HV) of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah,(HW) 5 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(HX) of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes(HY) king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib(HZ) had done in providing Tobiah(IA) a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.(IB) 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms,(IC) and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.(ID)

10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them,(IE) and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.(IF) 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”(IG) Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

12 All Judah brought the tithes(IH) of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms.(II) 13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.(IJ)

14 Remember(IK) me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath.(IL) Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath(IM) to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city?(IN) Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”(IO)

19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath,(IP) I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember(IQ) me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married(IR) women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.(IS) 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language(IT) of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath(IU) in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.(IV) 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.(IW) He was loved by his God,(IX) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.(IY) 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying(IZ) foreign women?”

28 One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib(JA) the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat(JB) the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.

29 Remember(JC) them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.(JD)

30 So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign,(JE) and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31 I also made provision for contributions of wood(JF) at designated times, and for the firstfruits.(JG)

Remember(JH) me with favor, my God.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
  2. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Nehemiah 9:22 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the
  4. Nehemiah 9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.
  5. Nehemiah 10:1 In Hebrew texts 10:1-39 is numbered 10:2-40.
  6. Nehemiah 10:32 That is, about 1/8 ounce or about 4 grams
  7. Nehemiah 10:33 Or purification offerings
  8. Nehemiah 11:14 Most Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew their
  9. Nehemiah 12:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 16); most Hebrew manuscripts Ginnethoi
  10. Nehemiah 12:5 A variant of Miniamin
  11. Nehemiah 12:14 Very many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also verse 3); most Hebrew manuscripts Shebaniah’s
  12. Nehemiah 12:15 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also verse 3); Hebrew Meraioth’s
  13. Nehemiah 12:31 Or go alongside
  14. Nehemiah 12:31 Or proceed alongside
  15. Nehemiah 12:38 Or them alongside
  16. Nehemiah 12:39 Or Old
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Nehemiah 8
Esther 1
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