but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered are in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen for My Name to dwell.’

Please, O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [reverently] fear Your Name [Your essence, Your nature, Your attributes, with awe]; and make Your servant successful this day and grant him compassion in the sight of this man [the king].” For I was cupbearer to the king [of Persia].

Of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai, who [was so named because he had] married one of the daughters of Barzillai, the [well-known] Gileadite, and was named after them.

Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless (praise, honor) the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. May Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise.”

“You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham.

“Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants and all the people of his land; For You knew that they behaved arrogantly toward them (the Israelites), And You made a name for Yourself, as it is to this day.

A Covenant Results

“Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.”

Signers of the Document

Now these were the names on the sealed document: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah. And Zedekiah,