Nehemiah 13:4-14

New American Standard Bible 1995

Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed

⁴ Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, ^(A)who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being ^[a]related to ^(B)Tobiah, ⁵ had prepared a large ^[b]room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil ^(C)prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the ^[c]contributions for the priests. ⁶ But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in ^(D)the thirty-second year of ^(E)Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, ⁷ and I came to Jerusalem and ^[d]learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, ^(F)by preparing a ^[e]room for him in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ It was very displeasing to me, so I ^(G)threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. ⁹ Then I gave an order and ^(H)they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.

Tithes Restored

¹⁰ I also ^[f]discovered that ^(I)the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had ^[g]gone away, ^(J)each to his own field. ¹¹ So I ^[h](K)reprimanded the officials and said, “^(L)Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts. ¹² All Judah then brought ^(M)the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses. ¹³ In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for ^(N)they were considered reliable, and it was ^[i]their task to distribute to their ^[j]kinsmen. ^14 (O)Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.