O God, Do Not Keep Silence

A Song. A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.

Nehemiah's Final Reforms

13 On that day ^(A)they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written ^(B)that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, ² for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ As soon as the people heard the law, ^(C)they separated from Israel all ^(D)those of foreign descent.

⁴ Now before this, ^(E)Eliashib the priest, who ^(F)was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to ^(G)Tobiah, 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, ^(H)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 ^(I)in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes ^(J)king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king ⁷ and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, ^(K)preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. ⁹ Then I gave orders, and they ^(L)cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

¹⁰ I also found out that ^(M)the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each ^(N)to his field. ^11 (O)So I confronted the officials and said, ^(P)“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. ¹² Then all Judah brought ^(Q)the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. ¹³ And ^(R)I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, ^(S)for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. ^14 (T)Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses ^(U)on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, ^(V)which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And ^(W)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 (X)Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, ^(Y)profaning the Sabbath day? ^18 (Z)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 ^(AA)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 (AB)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 ^(AC)that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. ^(AD)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 ^(AE)who had married women ^(AF)of Ashdod, ^(AG)Ammon, and ^(AH)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 (AI)And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. ^(AJ)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 (AK)Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? ^(AL)Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was ^(AM)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 ^(AN)act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

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

^30 (AT)Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; ³¹ and I provided ^(AU)for the wood offering ^(AV)at appointed times, and for the firstfruits.

^(AW)Remember me, O my God, for good.

⁴¹ So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ^(A)“I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, ^(B)“Is not this Jesus, ^(C)the son of Joseph, whose father and mother ^(D)we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me ^(E)draws him. And ^(F)I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ^(G)‘And they will all be ^(H)taught by God.’ ^(I)Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— ^46 (J)not that anyone has seen the Father except ^(K)he who is from God; he ^(L)has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(M)whoever believes has eternal life. ^48 (N)I am the bread of life. ^49 (O)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and ^(P)they died. ^50 (Q)This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it ^(R)and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread ^(S)that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give ^(T)for the life of the world is ^(U)my flesh.”

⁵² The Jews then ^(V)disputed among themselves, saying, ^(W)“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of ^(X)the Son of Man and drink his blood, you ^(Y)have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood ^(Z)has eternal life, and ^(AA)I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood ^(AB)abides in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As ^(AC)the living Father ^(AD)sent me, and ^(AE)I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. ^58 (AF)This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread^[a] the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ Jesus^[b] said these things in the synagogue, as he taught ^(AG)at Capernaum.

The Words of Eternal Life

^60 (AH)When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(AI)knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶² Then what if you were to see ^(AJ)the Son of Man ^(AK)ascending to ^(AL)where he was before? ^63 (AM)It is the Spirit who gives life; ^(AN)the flesh is no help at all. ^(AO)The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But ^(AP)there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus ^(AQ)knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and ^(AR)who it was who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you ^(AS)that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

^66 (AT)After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to ^(AU)the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(AV)the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹ and ^(AW)we have believed, and have come to know, that ^(AX)you are ^(AY)the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, ^(AZ)“Did I not choose you, ^(BA)the twelve? And yet one of you is ^(BB)a devil.” ⁷¹ He spoke of Judas ^(BC)the son of Simon Iscariot, for ^(BD)he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.