Nehemiah 13:23-29
Holman Christian Standard Bible
23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.(A) 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples but could not speak Hebrew.[a](B) 25 I rebuked them, cursed them, beat some of their men, and pulled out their hair.(C) I forced them to take an oath(D) before God and said: “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or yourselves!(E) 26 Didn’t King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations. He was loved by his God and God made him king over all Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin.(F) 27 Why then should we hear about you doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”(G)
28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of Eliashib the high priest,(H) had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite.(I) So I drove him away from me.(J)
29 Remember them, my God, for defiling the priesthood as well as the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.(K)
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- Nehemiah 13:24 Lit Judahite
Nehemiah 13:23-29
International Standard Version
Removing Foreign Spouses(A)
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.
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