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Nehemiah Returns to Jerusalem

Before that happened, Eliashib the priest, who was ·in charge of [appointed over] the ·Temple [L house] storerooms, was ·friendly with [or a relative of] Tobiah. Eliashib let Tobiah use one of the large storerooms. Earlier it had been used for ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:3], incense, the ·utensils [vessels], and the ·tenth offerings [tithes] of grain, new wine, and olive oil ·that belonged to [commanded/prescribed for] the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers. It had also been used for ·gifts [contributions; offerings] for the priests.

I was not in Jerusalem ·when this happened [at that time]. I had gone back to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year he was king [C 433 bc]. ·Finally [Later; After some time] I asked the king to let me leave. When I returned to Jerusalem, I found out the evil Eliashib had done by letting Tobiah have a room in the ·Temple [L house] courtyard. I was very ·upset [displeased; angry] at this, so I threw all of Tobiah’s ·goods [belongings; possessions] out of the room. I ordered the rooms to be ·purified [cleansed; C ritually], and I brought back the ·utensils [vessels] for God’s ·Temple [L house], the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:3], and the incense.

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Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed

Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, (A)who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being [a]related to (B)Tobiah, had prepared a large [b]room for him, where previously they used to put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil (C)prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the [c]contributions for the priests. But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in (D)the thirty-second year of (E)Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had come to the king. After some time, however, I requested a leave of absence from the king, and I came to Jerusalem and [d]learned about the evil that Eliashib had committed for [e]Tobiah, (F)by preparing a [f]room for him in the courtyards of the house of God. It was very displeasing to me, so I (G)threw all of Tobiah’s household articles out of the room. Then I gave an order, and (H)they cleansed the rooms; and I returned the utensils of the house of God there with the grain offering and the frankincense.

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 13:4 Lit close to
  2. Nehemiah 13:5 Or chamber
  3. Nehemiah 13:5 Or uplifted offerings
  4. Nehemiah 13:7 Or understood
  5. Nehemiah 13:7 An Ammonite, banned from the temple
  6. Nehemiah 13:7 Or chamber, and so in vv 8, 9