⁵ prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, ^(A)which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. ⁶ While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for ^(B)in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes ^(C)king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses ^(A)on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, ^(B)which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And ^(C)I warned them on the day when they sold food. ¹⁶ Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! ^17 (D)Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, ^(E)profaning the Sabbath day? ^18 (F)Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster^[a] on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

¹⁹ As soon as it ^(G)began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. ^21 (H)But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. ²² Then I commanded the Levites ^(I)that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. ^(J)Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

²³ In those days also I saw the Jews ^(A)who had married women ^(B)of Ashdod, ^(C)Ammon, and ^(D)Moab. ²⁴ And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. ^25 (E)And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. ^(F)And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. ^26 (G)Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? ^(H)Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was ^(I)beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. ²⁷ Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and ^(J)act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

²⁸ And one of the sons of ^(K)Jehoiada, the son of ^(L)Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of ^(M)Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me. ^29 (N)Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood ^(O)and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

^30 (P)Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work;