Beginning
10 These people put their mark of authority on the promise that they had written:
Hacaliah's son, Nehemiah (the government officer), and Zedekiah.
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah. Those were the priests.
9 The Levites were:
Azaniah's son, Jeshua, Binnui from the clan of Henadad, Kadmiel.
10 Their relatives: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.
14 The Israelite leaders: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim and Baanah.
28 The other people joined their leaders to make the same promise. They were priests, Levites, guards, singers and temple servants. There were also people who had kept themselves separate from their foreign neighbours so that they could obey God's Law. Their wives, sons and daughters also joined with them, as well as children who were old enough to understand. 29 All these people joined with their leaders and they promised to obey the agreement. They agreed that God should punish them if they did not obey all of God's Law. That was the Law that God had given to his servant Moses. They promised very strongly to obey all the commands, rules and laws of the Lord, our Lord.
30 They said, ‘We promise not to let our daughters marry the foreign people of this land. We will not let our sons marry their daughters. 31 If foreign traders come to us on a Sabbath day, we will not buy their things. We will not buy their things on Sabbath days or on any special feast day. Every seventh year we will not plant any crops. We will also remove the debts of other people in every seventh year. They will not have to pay us back.
32 We will obey the command to give a third of a shekel each year to take care of the temple of our God.[a] 33 That will pay for the special bread on the table in the temple. It will also pay for grain offerings and burnt offerings each day, as well as offerings on Sabbath days, feasts at each new moon, and other festivals. We will also use it for the sin offerings that take away Israel's guilt. And we will use it for all the work in the temple of our God.
34 Each year we will throw dice to decide when different families must bring wood to the temple of our God. The priests, the Levites and the other people must do this. The wood will burn sacrifices on the altar of the Lord our God. We will do this in the way that the Law of the Lord our God teaches. 35 We will also agree to bring the first crops from our land each year and the first fruits from our trees. We will bring these to the Lord's temple. 36 We will also bring our firstborn sons, as well as the first babies that our cows, sheep and goats give birth to. We will bring them to the priests who serve our God in the temple. That is what God's Law teaches us to do. 37 We will also bring the first of everything that is ready for us to eat. That includes flour, fruit, wine, olive oil and other special offerings. We will bring them all to the priests and they will store them in the rooms of the temple. We will give tithes of the crops that grow on our land to the Levites. They receive the tithes that belong to them in each of the towns where we work. 38 When the Levites receive their tithes, a priest of Aaron's family will be with them. Then the Levites will bring a tenth part of the tithes that they received to store in the temple. 39 The Levites and the other Israelites will bring their gifts of grain, wine and olive oil to store in the temple's rooms. The priests will store them with the things that they use to serve God in the temple. That is the place where the priests who are working at that time, the temple guards and the singers stay.
We agree that we will always take care of the temple of our God.’
The people who lived in Jerusalem
11 The leaders of the Israelite people lived in Jerusalem. The other people threw dice to choose which other families would live there too. From every group of ten families they chose one family to live in Jerusalem, God's special city. The other families would stay in their own towns. 2 The people asked God to bless all the men who chose to live in Jerusalem.
3 These are the leaders of the region of Judah who went to live in Jerusalem. Other Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of King Solomon's servants lived in the other towns of Judah. Each of them lived in their own homes. 4 But some of Judah's and Benjamin's descendants went to live in Jerusalem.[b] This is who they were:
From the tribe of Judah:
Athaiah, son of Uzziah and Zechariah's grandson. His other ancestors were: Amariah, Shephatiah and Mahalalel. They were descendants of Judah's son, Perez.
5 Maaseiah, son of Baruch and Col-Hozeh's grandson. His other ancestors were: Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib and Zechariah. They were descendants of Judah's son, Shelah.
6 There were 468 descendants of Perez who went to live in Jerusalem. They were all brave men.
7 From the tribe of Benjamin:
Sallu, son of Meshullam and Joed's grandson. His other ancestors were: Pedaiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Ithiel and Jeshaiah. 8 Sallu's relatives, Gabbai and Sallai were also there. There were 928 men from Benjamin's tribe.
9 Zicri's son, Joel, was the officer with authority over them.
Hassenuah's son, Judah, was the next most important officer in the city.
10 From the priests:
Joiarib's son, Jedaiah, and Jakin.
11 Seraiah, son of Hilkiah and Meshullam's grandson. His other ancestors were: Zadok, Meraioth and Ahitub. Ahitub had been the most important priest in God's temple. 12 Their relatives worked with them in the temple. There were 822 men from that clan.
Adaiah, son of Jeroham and Pelaliah's grandson. His other ancestors were: Amzi, Zechariah, Pashhur and Malkijah. 13 His relatives were with him. There were 242 men from that clan who were leaders of their families.
Amashsai, son of Azarel and Ahzai's grandson. Ahzai was the son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer. 14 His friends were with him. They were 128 strong brave men from that clan.
Haggedolim's son, Zabdiel, was the officer with authority over them.
15 From the Levites:
Shemaiah, son of Hasshub and Azrikam's grandson. Azrikam was the son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni.
16 Shabbethai and Jozabad were leaders of the Levites who had authority over work on the outside of God's temple.
17 Mattaniah, son of Mica and Zabdi's grandson. Zabdi was Asaph's son. Mattaniah led the people when they prayed and they thanked God.
Bakbukiah helped Mattaniah, as well as Shammua's son, Abda. Shammua was the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
18 284 Levites lived in the holy city, Jerusalem.
19 The temple guards were:
Akkub, Talmon and their relatives. There were 172 guards who watched the gates.
20 The other Israelite people, priests and Levites lived in the other towns of Judah. They lived in the homes that belonged to their families.
21 The temple servants lived on Ophel Hill. Ziha and Gishpa had authority over them.
22 Uzzi was the leader of the Levites in Jerusalem. He was the son of Bani and grandson of Hashabiah. His other ancestors were Mattaniah and Mica. Uzzi was one of Asaph's descendants. Asaph's family were the singers who had authority for the music in the temple. 23 The king commanded the singers what they must do each day.
24 Meshezabel's son, Pethahiah, was one of the king's advisors. He helped the king of Persia to know how to rule the Israelite people. Pethahiah was a descendant of Judah's son, Zerah.
25 Many people of Judah lived in villages with their farms near them. Some of them lived in Kiriath Arba, Dibon and Jekabzeel, and in the villages near those towns. 26 Other people lived in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet 27 and Hazar-Shual, as well as in Beersheba and the villages near it. 28 Other people lived in Ziklag and Meconah and the villages near it. 29 Some people lived in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah and Adullam and the villages near to those towns. Other people lived in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its villages. The people were living everywhere from Beersheba to the Hinnom Valley.[c]
31 Some of Benjamin's descendants lived in Geba, Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages. 32 Some of them lived in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah and Gittaim. 34 They also lived in Hadid, Zeboim Neballat, 35 Lod, Ono and Ge-Harashim. 36 Some of the Levites' clans who belonged with Judah went to live in Benjamin's land.
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