Israel’s Vow of Faithfulness

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

10 Those whose seals were on the document were

²⁸ The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone who is able to understand^(H) and who has separated themselves from the surrounding peoples^(I) to obey the law of God— ²⁹ join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath^[a](J) to follow the law of God given through God’s servant Moses^(K) and to obey carefully all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.

Details of the Vow

³⁰ We will not give our daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples and will not take their daughters as wives for our sons.^(L)

³¹ When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day.^(M) We will also leave the land uncultivated in the seventh year^(N) and will cancel every debt.^(O)

³² We will impose the following commands on ourselves:

To give an eighth of an ounce of silver^[b] yearly for the service of the house of our God:^{(P) 33} the bread displayed before the Lord,^[c](Q) the daily grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbath and New Moon offerings,^(R) the appointed festivals, the holy things, the sin offerings to atone for Israel,^(S) and for all the work of the house of our God.

³⁴ We have cast lots^(T) among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral families^[d] at the appointed times each year. They are to bring the wood to our God’s house to burn on the altar of the Lord our God,^(U) as it is written in the law.

³⁵ We will bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord’s house year by year.^{(V) 36} We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God,^(W) to the priests who serve in our God’s house. ³⁷ We will bring a loaf from our first batch of dough^(X) to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our grain offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and fresh oil.^(Y) A tenth of our land’s produce belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns.^{(Z) 38} A priest from Aaron’s descendants is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth,^(AA) and the Levites are to take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.^{(AB) 39} For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and fresh oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept^(AC) and where the priests who minister are, along with the gatekeepers and singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.^(AD)

Resettling Jerusalem

11 Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem,^(A) and the rest of the people cast lots^(B) for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city,^(C) while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.^{(D) 2} The people blessed all the men who volunteered^(E) to live in Jerusalem.

³ These are the heads of the province who stayed in Jerusalem^(F) (but in the villages of Judah each lived on his own property in their towns^(G)—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants^(H)— ⁴ while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem):

Judah’s^(I) descendants:

Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of Perez’s descendants; ⁵ and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, a descendant of the Shilonite. ⁶ The total number of Perez’s descendants, who settled in Jerusalem, was 468 capable men.

⁷ These were Benjamin’s descendants:

Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, ⁸ and after him Gabbai and Sallai: 928. ⁹ Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city.

¹⁰ The priests:

Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin, and ¹¹ Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple, ¹² and their relatives who did the work at the temple: 822. Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah ¹³ and his relatives, the heads of families: 242. Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, ¹⁴ and their relatives, capable men: 128. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim, was their chief.

¹⁵ The Levites:

Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; ¹⁶ and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the heads of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God; ¹⁷ Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, the one^[a] who began the thanksgiving in prayer;^(J) Bakbukiah, second among his relatives; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.^{(K) 18} All the Levites in the holy city:^(L) 284.

¹⁹ The gatekeepers:

Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, who guarded the city gates: 172.

²⁰ The rest of Israel, the priests, and the Levites were in all the villages of Judah, each on his own inherited property.^{(M) 21} The temple servants lived on Ophel;^(N) Ziha and Gishpa supervised the temple servants.