Old/New Testament

10 ^1-8 I, Nehemiah the governor, signed the covenant. The others who signed it were: Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. (All those listed above were priests.)

^9-13 These were the Levites who signed: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (son of Henadad), Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.

^14-27 The political leaders who signed: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁸ These men signed on behalf of the entire nation—for the common people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the choir members, the Temple servants, and all the rest who, with their wives and sons and daughters who were old enough to understand, had separated themselves from the heathen people of the land in order to serve God. ²⁹ For we all heartily agreed to this oath and vowed to accept the curse of God unless we obeyed God’s laws as issued by his servant Moses.

³⁰ We also agreed not to let our daughters marry non-Jewish men and not to let our sons marry non-Jewish girls.

³¹ We further agreed that if the heathen people in the land should bring any grain or other produce to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we would refuse to buy it. And we agreed not to do any work every seventh year and to forgive and cancel the debts of our brother Jews.

³² We also agreed to charge ourselves annually with a Temple tax so that there would be enough money to care for the Temple of our God; ³³ for we needed supplies of the special Bread of the Presence, as well as grain offerings and burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moon feasts, and the annual feasts. We also needed to purchase the other items necessary for the work of the Temple and for the atonement of Israel.

³⁴ Then we tossed a coin^[a] to determine when—at regular times each year—the families of the priests, Levites, and leaders should supply the wood for the burnt offerings at the Temple as required in the law.

³⁵ We also agreed always to bring the first part of every crop to the Temple—whether it be a ground crop or from our fruit and olive trees.

³⁶ We agreed to give to God our oldest sons and the firstborn of all our cattle, herds, and flocks, just as the law requires; we presented them to the priests who minister in the Temple of our God. ³⁷ They stored the produce in the Temple of our God—the best of our grain crops, and other contributions, the first of our fruit, and the first of the new wine and olive oil. And we promised to bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produced, for the Levites were responsible to collect the tithes in all our rural towns. ³⁸ A priest—a descendant of Aaron—would be with the Levites as they received these tithes, and a tenth of all that was collected as tithes was delivered to the Temple and placed in the storage areas. ³⁹ The people and the Levites were required by law to bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple and place them in the sacred containers for use by the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the choir singers.

So we agreed together not to neglect the Temple of our God.

11 The Israeli officials were living in Jerusalem, the Holy City, at this time; but now a tenth of the people from the other cities and towns of Judah and Benjamin were selected by lot to live there too. ² Some who moved to Jerusalem at this time were volunteers, and they were highly honored.

³ Following is a list of the names of the provincial officials who came to Jerusalem (though most of the leaders, the priests, the Levites, the Temple assistants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants continued to live in their own homes in the various cities of Judah).

^4-6 Leaders from the tribe of Judah:

^7-9 Leaders from the tribe of Benjamin:

^10-14 Leaders from among the priests:

In all, there were 822 priests doing the work at the Temple under the leadership of these men. And there were 242 priests under the leadership of Adaiah (son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah).

There were also 128 stalwart men under the leadership of Amashsai (son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer), who was assisted by Zabdiel (son of Haggedolim).

^15-17 Levite leaders:

¹⁸ In all, there were 284 Levites in Jerusalem.

¹⁹ There were also 172 gatekeepers, led by Akkub, Talmon, and others of their clan. ²⁰ The other priests, Levites, and people lived wherever their family inheritance was located. ²¹ However, the Temple workers (whose leaders were Ziha and Gishpa) all lived in Ophel.

^22-23 The supervisor of the Levites in Jerusalem and of those serving at the Temple was Uzzi (son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica), a descendant of Asaph, whose clan became the Tabernacle singers. He was appointed by King David,^[b] who also set the pay scale of the singers.

²⁴ Pethahiah (son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah, a son of Judah) assisted in all matters of public administration.

^25-30 Some of the towns where the people of Judah lived were: Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel (and their surrounding villages), Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beersheba (and its surrounding villages), Ziklag, Meconah and its villages, En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, Zanoah, Adullam (and their surrounding villages), Lachish and its nearby fields, Azekah and its towns.

So the people spread from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.

^31-35 The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived at: Geba, Michmash, Aija, Bethel (and its surrounding villages), Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, Lod, Ono (the Valley of the Craftsmen).

³⁶ Some of the Levites who lived in Judah were sent to live with the tribe of Benjamin.

4 While they were talking to the people, the chief priests, the captain of the Temple police, and some of the Sadducees^[a] came over to them, ² very disturbed that Peter and John were claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. ³ They arrested them and since it was already evening, jailed them overnight. ⁴ But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers now reached a new high of about five thousand men!

⁵ The next day it happened that the Council of all the Jewish leaders was in session in Jerusalem— ⁶ Annas the High Priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others of the High Priest’s relatives. ⁷ So the two disciples were brought in before them.

“By what power, or by whose authority have you done this?” the Council demanded.

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Honorable leaders and elders of our nation, ⁹ if you mean the good deed done to the cripple, and how he was healed, ¹⁰ let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that it was done in the name and power of Jesus from Nazareth, the Messiah, the man you crucified—but God raised back to life again. It is by his authority that this man stands here healed! ¹¹ For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the Scriptures when they speak of) a ‘stone discarded by the builders which became the capstone of the arch.’^{[b] 12} There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.”

¹³ When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them! ¹⁴ And the Council could hardly discredit the healing when the man they had healed was standing right there beside them! ¹⁵ So they sent them out of the Council chamber and conferred among themselves.

¹⁶ “What shall we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have done a tremendous miracle, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. ¹⁷ But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their propaganda. We’ll tell them that if they do it again we’ll really throw the book at them.” ¹⁸ So they called them back in, and told them never again to speak about Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “You decide whether God wants us to obey you instead of him! ²⁰ We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard him say.”

²¹ The Council then threatened them further and finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this wonderful miracle— ²² the healing of a man who had been lame for forty years.