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14 In addition, from the day that he appointed me to be the governor of the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years—I and my brothers did not eat the governor’s food allowance.
15 However, the previous governors who served before me had placed a heavy burden on the people. They took food and wine from them—valued at forty silver shekels.[a] Even the lower officials lorded over the people. But because of the fear of God, I did not do this. 16 In addition, I dedicated myself to the work on this wall (although we had acquired no land), and all of my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, at my table there were one hundred fifty Judeans and officials, and others who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Whatever was prepared for each day was at my expense: one ox, six choice sheep, and some birds, and every ten days plenty of every kind of wine. But even with this, I still did not requisition the governor’s food allowance, because the required service weighed heavily on this people.
19 Remember me, my God, for good, considering all that I have done for this people.
The Plot to Kill Nehemiah
6 When it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and there was no breach left in it (although at that time I had not installed doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me: “Come, let’s meet together in Kephirim[b] in the Plain of Ono.” (However, they were planning to harm me.)
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am working on an important project, and I am not able to come down. Why should the project stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 They sent messages like this to me four times, and I answered them that same way each time.
5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me with a message like this for a fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is rumored among the nations, and Gashmu[c] also says that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you will be their king. 7 You have also set up prophets to make a proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘A king is in Judah.’ Now reports like these will be heard by the king. So now come, let us consult with one another.”
8 So I sent a reply to him: “These things that you are saying have not been done, since you are simply making them up.”
9 So all of them were trying to intimidate us, thinking, “Their hands will grow weary of the work, and it will not be finished.”
So now, strengthen my hands!
10 Then I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. (He was restricted.) He said, “Let’s meet at the house of God in the middle of the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, since they are coming to kill you—at night they are coming to kill you.”
11 I said, “Should a man like me flee? Should someone like me go to the temple to save my life? I won’t go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but he had spoken the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this purpose he was hired—to make me afraid so that I would do this and sin. Then they would have given me a bad reputation, so that they could discredit me.
14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who were trying to intimidate me.[d]
The Wall Is Completed Despite Opposition
15 So the wall was finished in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul. 16 As all our enemies heard about it, all the nations that were around us became afraid and lost their confidence. They knew that this work had been accomplished by our God.
17 Furthermore, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and letters from Tobiah were coming to them, 18 because many in Judah were bound to him by oath because he was the son-in-law of Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 They were also talking about his good deeds in my presence, and they were reporting my words to him. Tobiah was sending letters to try to intimidate me.
Gatekeepers Are Appointed for the City
7 When the wall had been built and I had installed the doors, and when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I placed my brother Hanani along with Hananiah, the commander of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, because he was a trustworthy man and feared God more than many. 3 I[e] said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be left open until the heat of the day, but while the guards are still on duty, they are to shut the doors and secure them. Appoint guards from the residents of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their houses.”
Repopulating the City
4 Now the city was wide open and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses were being built. 5 So my God placed into my heart a plan to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people so they could be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who were the first to come up from Babylon. I found this written in it:
6 These are the people[f] of the province who went up from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had exiled. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each man to his city. 7 These were the people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Ra’amiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Ba’anah.[g]
This was the number of men from the people of Israel:[h]
| 8 the male descendants[i] of Parosh: | 2,172 |
| 9 the male descendants of Shephatiah: | 372 |
| 10 the male descendants of Arah: | 652 |
| 11 the male descendants of Pahath Moab through the descendants of Jeshua and Joab: | 2,818 |
| 12 the male descendants of Elam: | 1,254 |
| 13 the male descendants of Zattu: | 845 |
| 14 the male descendants of Zakkai: | 760 |
| 15 the male descendants of Binnui: | 648 |
| 16 the male descendants of Bebai: | 628 |
| 17 the male descendants of Azgad: | 2,322 |
| 18 the male descendants of Adonikam: | 667 |
| 19 the male descendants of Bigvai: | 2,067 |
| 20 the male descendants of Adin: | 655 |
| 21 the male descendants of Ater through Hezekiah: | 98 |
| 22 the male descendants of Hashum: | 328 |
| 23 the male descendants of Bezai: | 324 |
| 24 the male descendants of Hariph: | 112 |
| 25 the citizens[j] of Gibeon: | 95 |
| 26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah: | 188 |
| 27 the men of Anathoth: | 128 |
| 28 the men of Beth Azmaveth: | 42 |
| 29 the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Be’eroth: | 743 |
| 30 the men of Ramah and Geba: | 621 |
| 31 the men of Mikmash: | 122 |
| 32 the men of Bethel and Ai: | 123 |
| 33 the men of the other Nebo: | 52 |
| 34 the citizens of the other Elam: | 1,254 |
| 35 the citizens of Harim: | 320 |
| 36 the citizens of Jericho: | 345 |
| 37 the citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: | 721 |
| 38 the citizens of Sena’ah: | 3,930 |
| 39 The priests: | |
| the descendants of Jedaiah through the house of Jeshua: | 973 |
| 40 the descendants of Immer: | 1,052 |
| 41 the descendants of Pashhur: | 1,247 |
| 42 the descendants of Harim: | 1,017 |
43 The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua through Kadmiel through the descendants of Hodaviah: 74
44 the singers from the descendants of Asaph: 148
45 the gatekeepers from the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai: 138.
46 The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha,
the descendants of Tabbaoth, 47 the descendants of Keros,
the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,
48 the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah,[k]
the descendants of Shalmai,[l] 49 the descendants of Hanan,
the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,
50 the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda, 51 the descendants of Gazzam,
the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah,
52 the descendants of Besai,[m] the descendants of Meunim,
the descendants of Nephisim,[n] 53 the descendants of Bakbuk,
the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,
54 the descendants of Bazlith, the descendants of Mehida,
the descendants of Harsha, 55 the descendants of Barkos,
the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah,
56 the descendants of Neziah, and the descendants of Hatipha.
57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Perida, 58 the descendents of Ja’alah,
the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,
59 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil,
the descendants of Pokereth Hazzebaim, the descendants of Amon.
60 The total of the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants was 392.
61 The following are the people who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They were not to prove their ancestry or descent—whether they were from Israel:
62 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, the descendants of Nekoda: 642,
63 and from the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai, that is, from a man who married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and so was called by their name.
64 These people searched for their genealogical records, but they could not find them, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 65 The governor told them that they should not eat from the most holy sacrifices until a priest would arise who could serve with Urim and Thummim.
66 The entire assembly together totaled 42,360, 67 not counting their male slaves and their female slaves, who numbered 7,337. They also had 245[o] male and female singers. 68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,[p] 69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of the heads of the families gave support for the work.
The governor gave to the treasury:
gold darics: 1,000[q]
bowls: 50
garments for the priests: 530.
71 Some of the heads of the families gave this to the treasury for the work:
gold darics: 20,000
silver minas: 2,200.[r]
72 What the rest of the people gave was this:
gold darics: 20,000
silver minas: 2,000
and garments for the priests: 67.
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, and the temple servants, that is, all Israel, settled in their cities.
Love Builds Up
8 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows something, he does not yet know the way he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this person has been known[a] by him.
4 So, concerning the eating of food from idol sacrifices, we know that an idol is not anything real in the world and that there is no God but one. 5 Indeed, even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in the heavens or on earth (as in fact there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 nevertheless for us there is one God—the Father, from whom all things exist and we exist for him—and one Lord—Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist and we exist through him.
7 However, that knowledge is not in everyone. Instead some, who are still affected by their former habit with the idol, eat the food as something sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 Food will not bring us closer to God. We do not lack anything if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do. 9 And be careful that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, a person who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of this man, weak as he is, be emboldened to eat food from an idol sacrifice? 11 You see, the weak person is being destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whose sake Christ died! 12 And when you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I do not cause my brother to sin.
Psalm 33
Blessed Is the Nation Whose God Is the Lord
Introductory Praise
1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, you righteous.
The praise of the upright is beautiful.
2 Thank the Lord with a lyre.
Make music for him with the ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing to him a new song.
Play skillfully and shout praises.
4 Yes, the word of the Lord is right,
and everything he does is trustworthy.
5 He loves righteousness and justice.
The mercy of the Lord fills the earth.
God’s Love in Creation
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
By the breath of his mouth he made the whole army of stars.[a]
7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap.
He puts the depths into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord.
Let all the inhabitants of the world revere him.
9 For he said, “Let it be,” and it was!
He gave a command, and there it stood.
God’s Rule of History
10 The Lord wrecks the plan of the nations.
He hinders the intentions of the peoples.
11 The plan of the Lord stands forever.
The intentions of his heart stand through all generations.
8 A guilty person’s way is very crooked,
but the conduct of a pure person is straight.
9 Better to live on the corner of a roof
than in a house shared with a nagging wife.
10 The soul of a wicked person craves evil.
He does not look on his neighbor with mercy.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.