Nehemiah 7-9

Christian Standard Bible

The Exiles Return

7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,^(A) the gatekeepers,^(B) singers, and Levites were appointed. ²Then I put my brother Hanani^(C) in charge of Jerusalem,^(D) along with Hananiah,^(E) commander of the fortress,^(F) because he was a faithful man who feared God^(G) more than most. ³I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”^(H)

⁴The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.^(I) ⁵Then my God put it into my mind^(J) to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:^(K)

⁶These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar^(L) of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.^(M) ⁷They came with Zerubbabel,^(N) Jeshua,^(O) Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men included^[a]

⁸Parosh’s descendants^(P)	2,172
⁹Shephatiah’s descendants	372
¹⁰Arah’s descendants	652
¹¹Pahath-moab’s descendants:
Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants	2,818
¹²Elam’s descendants	1,254
¹³Zattu’s descendants	845
¹⁴Zaccai’s descendants	760
¹⁵Binnui’s descendants	648
¹⁶Bebai’s descendants	628
¹⁷Azgad’s descendants	2,322
¹⁸Adonikam’s descendants^(Q)	667
¹⁹Bigvai’s descendants	2,067
²⁰Adin’s descendants^(R)	655
²¹Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah	98
²²Hashum’s descendants	328
²³Bezai’s descendants	324
²⁴Hariph’s descendants	112
²⁵Gibeon’s^[b] descendants	95
²⁶Bethlehem’s^(S) and Netophah’s^(T) men	188
²⁷Anathoth’s^(U) men	128
²⁸Beth-azmaveth’s men	42
²⁹Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men	743
³⁰Ramah’s and Geba’s men	621
³¹Michmas’s men	122
³²Bethel’s and Ai’s men^(V)	123
³³the other Nebo’s men	52
³⁴the other Elam’s people	1,254
³⁵Harim’s people	320
³⁶Jericho’s people^(W)	345
³⁷Lod’s,^(X) Hadid’s, and Ono’s people	721
³⁸Senaah’s people	3,930.

³⁹The priests included

Jedaiah’s^(Y) descendants of the house of Jeshua	973
⁴⁰Immer’s descendants	1,052
⁴¹Pashhur’s descendants	1,247
⁴²Harim’s descendants	1,017.

⁴³The Levites^(Z) included

Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel
Hodevah’s descendants	74.

⁴⁴The singers^(AA) included

Asaph’s descendants

148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers^(AB) included

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,
Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,
Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants	138.

⁴⁶The temple servants^(AC) included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, ⁴⁷Keros’s descendants,

Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

⁴⁸Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Shalmai’s descendants, ⁴⁹Hanan’s descendants,

Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

⁵⁰Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, ⁵¹Gazzam’s descendants,

Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

⁵²Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,

Nephishesim’s^[c] descendants, ⁵³Bakbuk’s descendants,

Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

⁵⁴Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,

Harsha’s descendants, ⁵⁵Barkos’s descendants,

Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

⁵⁶Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.

⁵⁷The descendants of Solomon’s servants^(AD) included

Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,

Perida’s descendants, ⁵⁸Jaala’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

⁵⁹Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.

⁶⁰All the temple servants
and the descendants of Solomon’s servants^(AE)	392.

⁶¹The following^(AF) are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families^[d] and their lineage were Israelite:

⁶²Delaiah’s descendants,
Tobiah’s descendants,
and Nekoda’s descendants	642

⁶³and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. ⁶⁴These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. ⁶⁵The governor^(AG) ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.^(AH)

⁶⁶The whole combined assembly numbered	42,360
⁶⁷not including their 7,337 male and female servants,
as well as their 245 male and female singers.
⁶⁸They had 736 horses, 245 mules,^[e]
⁶⁹435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.^(AI)

⁷⁰Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,^[f] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. ⁷¹Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. ⁷²The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. ⁷³The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.^(AJ)

Public Reading of the Law

When the seventh month^(AK) came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

8 all the people gathered together^(AL) at the square in front of the Water Gate.^(AM) They asked the scribe Ezra^(AN) to bring the book of the law of Moses^(AO) that the Lord had given Israel. ²On the first day of the seventh month,^(AP) the priest Ezra^(AQ) brought the law^(AR) before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. ³While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,^(AS) he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively^[g] to the book of the law.^(AT) ⁴The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform^(AU) made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted^(AV) all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” ^(AW) Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.^(AX)

⁷Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,^(AY) who were Levites,^[h]^(AZ) explained the law^(BA) to the people as they stood in their places. ⁸They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. ⁹Nehemiah the governor,^(BB) Ezra the priest and scribe,^(BC) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day^(BD) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”^(BE) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,^(BF) since today^(BG) is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”^[i]^(BH) ¹¹And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still,^(BI) since today^(BJ) is holy. Don’t grieve.” ¹²Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,^(BK) because they had understood the words that were explained to them.

Festival of Shelters Observed

¹³On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,^(BL) assembled before the scribe Ezra^(BM) to study the words of the law. ¹⁴They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.^(BN) ¹⁵So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make shelters, just as it is written.”^(BO) ¹⁶The people went out, brought back branches, and made shelters for themselves on each of their rooftops^(BP) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,^(BQ) and the square by the Ephraim Gate.^(BR) ¹⁷The whole community that had returned from exile^(BS) made shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.^(BT) And there was tremendous joy.^(BU) ¹⁸Ezra^[j] read out of the book of the law of God^(BV) every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.^(BW)

National Confession of Sin

9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month^(BX) the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.^(BY) ²Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,^(BZ) and they stood^(CA) and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.^(CB) ³While they stood in their places,^(CC) they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day^(CD) in confession^(CE) and worship of the Lord their God. ⁴Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites^(CF) and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. ⁵Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah^(CG)—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”^(CH)

Blessed be your glorious name,^(CI)
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
⁶You,^[k] Lord, are the only God.^[l]^(CJ)
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their stars,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,^(CK)
and all the stars of heaven worship you.^(CL)
⁷You, the Lord,
are the God who chose Abram
and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,^(CM)
and changed his name to Abraham.^(CN)
⁸You found his heart faithful in your sight,^(CO)
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites,
Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Jebusites, and Girgashites—
to give it to his descendants.^(CP)
You have fulfilled your promise,
for you are righteous.

⁹You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt^(CQ)
and heard their cry at the Red Sea.
¹⁰You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,^(CR)
for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors.
You made a name for yourself
that endures to this day.
¹¹You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.^(CS)
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into raging water.^(CT)
¹²You led them with a pillar of cloud by day,
and with a pillar of fire by night,
to illuminate the way they should go.^(CU)
¹³You came down on Mount Sinai,^(CV)
and spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions,
and good statutes and commands.
¹⁴You revealed your holy Sabbath to them,
and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction
through your servant Moses.^(CW)
¹⁵You provided bread from heaven^(CX) for their hunger;
you brought them water from the rock^(CY) for their thirst.
You told them to go in and possess the land
you had sworn^[m] to give them.^(CZ)

¹⁶But our ancestors acted arrogantly;
they became stiff-necked and did not listen to your commands.
¹⁷They refused to listen
and did not remember your wonders
you performed among them.^(DA)
They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader
to return to their slavery in Egypt.^[n]^(DB)
But you are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love,^(DC)
and you did not abandon them.
¹⁸Even after they had cast an image of a calf
for themselves and said,
“This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,”^(DD)
and they had committed terrible blasphemies,
¹⁹you did not abandon them in the wilderness
because of your great compassion.
During the day the pillar of cloud
never turned away from them,
guiding them on their journey.
And during the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.^(DE)
²⁰You sent your good Spirit^(DF) to instruct them.
You did not withhold your manna^(DG) from their mouths,
and you gave them water for their thirst.^(DH)
²¹You provided for them in the wilderness forty years,^(DI)
and they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.^(DJ)

²²You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and established boundaries for them.
They took possession
of the land of King Sihon^[o] of Heshbon
and of the land of King Og of Bashan.^(DK)
²³You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of the sky^(DL)
and brought them to the land
you told their ancestors to go in and possess.
²⁴So their descendants went in and possessed the land:
You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them
and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them,^(DM)
to do as they pleased with them.
²⁵They captured fortified cities and fertile land
and took possession of well-supplied houses,
cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards,
olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.^(DN)
They ate, were filled,
became prosperous, and delighted in your great goodness.

²⁶But they were disobedient and rebelled against you.
They flung your law behind their backs^(DO)
and killed your prophets^(DP)
who warned them
in order to turn them back to you.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
²⁷So you handed them over to their enemies,
who oppressed them.
In their time of distress, they cried out to you,
and you heard from heaven.
In your abundant compassion
you gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the power of their enemies.
²⁸But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in your sight.
So you abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to you again,
you heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in your compassion.^(DQ)
²⁹You warned them to turn back to your law,
but they acted arrogantly
and would not obey your commands.
They sinned against your ordinances,
which a person will live by if he does them.^(DR)
They stubbornly resisted,^[p]
stiffened their necks, and would not obey.
³⁰You were patient with them for many years,
and your Spirit warned them through your prophets,^(DS)
but they would not listen.
Therefore, you handed them over to the surrounding peoples.^(DT)
³¹However, in your abundant compassion,
you did not destroy them or abandon them,^(DU)
for you are a gracious and compassionate God.^(DV)

³²So now, our God—the great, mighty,
and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant^(DW)—
do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us,
our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all your people,
from the days of the Assyrian kings^(DX) until today.
³³You are righteous concerning all that has happened to us,
because you have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.^(DY)
³⁴Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors
did not obey your law
or listen to your commands
and warnings you gave them.
³⁵When they were in their kingdom,
with your abundant goodness that you gave them,
and in the spacious and fertile land you set before them,^(DZ)
they would not serve you or turn from their wicked ways.

³⁶Here we are today,
slaves in the land you gave our ancestors
so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness.
Here we are—slaves in it!^(EA)
³⁷Its abundant harvest goes to the kings
you have set over us,
because of our sins.
They rule over our bodies
and our livestock as they please.^(EB)
We are in great distress.

Israel’s Vow of Faithfulness

³⁸In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement^(EC) in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.^(ED)

Footnotes

7:7 Lit the men of the people of Israel
7:25 = Gibbar’s in Ezr 2:20
7:52 Alt Hb tradition reads Nephushesim’s
7:61 Lit the house of their fathers
7:68 Some Hb mss, LXX; Ezr 2:66; other Hb mss omit v. 68
7:70 Or drachmas, or darics; also in vv. 71,72
8:3 Lit The ears of all the people listened
8:7 Vg, 1 Esdras 9:48; MT reads Pelaiah and the Levites
8:10 Or stronghold
8:18 Some Hb mss, Syr read They
9:6 LXX reads And Ezra said: You
9:6 Lit are alone
9:15 Lit lifted your hand
9:17 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read in their rebellion
9:22 One Hb ms, LXX; other Hb mss, Vg read of Sihon, even the land of the king
9:29 Lit They gave a stubborn shoulder

Psalm 140

Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 140

Prayer for Rescue

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

¹Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men^(A)
²who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.^(B)
³They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.^(C)Selah

⁴Protect me, Lord,
from the power of the wicked.^(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.^[a]^(E)
⁵The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.^(F)Selah

⁶I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.^(G)
⁷Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,
you shield my head on the day of battle.^(H)
⁸Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.^(I)Selah

⁹When those who surround me rise up,^[b]
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.^(J)
¹⁰Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise.^(K)
¹¹Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly^[c] hunt down a violent man.^(L)

¹²I^[d] know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.^(M)
¹³Surely the righteous will praise your name;
the upright will live in your presence.^(N)

Footnotes

140:4 Lit to trip up my steps
140:9 Lit Head of those who surround me
140:11 Hb obscure
140:12 Alt Hb tradition reads You

Revelation 7

Christian Standard Bible

The Sealed of Israel

7 After this I saw four angels^(A) standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth^(B) so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. ²Then I saw another angel rising up from the east,^(C) who had the seal of the living God.^(D) He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were allowed to harm the earth and the sea, ³“Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees^(E) until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.”^(F) ⁴And I heard the number of the sealed:

144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites:^(G)

⁵12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah,

12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,

12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

⁶12,000 from the tribe of Asher,

12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,

12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

⁷12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,

12,000 from the tribe of Levi,

12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

⁸12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,

12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,

12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

⁹After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language,^(H) which no one could number,^(I) standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.^(J) ¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice:

Salvation belongs to our God,^(K)
who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb!

¹¹All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying,

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength
be to our God forever and ever.^(L) Amen.

¹³Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴I said to him, “Sir,^[a] you know.”

Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.^(M) They washed their robes and made them white^(N) in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and they serve him day and night^(O) in his temple.^(P)
The one seated on the throne will shelter^[b] them:^(Q)
¹⁶They will no longer hunger;
they will no longer thirst;
the sun will no longer strike them,
nor will any scorching heat.^(R)
¹⁷For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne
will shepherd them;^(S)
he will guide them to springs of the waters of life,^(T)
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.^(U)

Footnotes

7:14 Or “My lord
7:15 Or will spread his tent over

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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