Bible (American Standard)/Nehemiah

The Book of Nehemiah
==Chapter 1==
 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came
to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in
Shushan the palace, 
 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came,
he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the
Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and
concerning Jerusalem. 
 And they said unto me, The remnant
that are left of the captivity there in the province are in
great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is
broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 
 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down
and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed
before the God of heaven, 
 and said, I beseech thee, O
Jehovah, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that
keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and
keep his commandments: 
 Let thine ear now be attentive, and
thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy
servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night,
for the children of Israel thy servants while I confess the sins
of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee.
Yea, I and my father's house have sinned: 
 we have dealt
very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments,
nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy
servant Moses. 
 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that
thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I
will scatter you abroad among the peoples: 
 but if ye
return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though
your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet
will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the
place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.
 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast
redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 
 O
Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the
prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who
delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant
this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I
was cupbearer to the king.
==Chapter 2==
 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him,
that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had
not been [beforetime] sad in his presence. 
 And the king
said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not
sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very
sore afraid. 
 And I said unto the king, Let the king live
for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city,
the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates
thereof are consumed with fire? 
 Then the king said unto
me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of
heaven. 
 And I said unto the king, If it please the king,
and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou
wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers'
sepulchres, that I may build it. 
 And the king said unto me
(the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey
be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send
me; and I set him a time. 
 Moreover, I said unto the king,
If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors
beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come
unto Judah; 
 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the
king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the
gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the
wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And
the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon
me. 
 Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and
gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me
captains of the army and horsemen. 
 And when Sanballat the
Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it
grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek
the welfare of the children of Israel. 
 So I came to
Jerusalem, and was there three days. 
 And I arose in the
night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what
my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there
any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. 
 And I
went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's
well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem,
which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with
fire. 
 Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the
king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under
me to pass. 
 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and
viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley
gate, and so returned. 
 And the rulers knew not whither I
went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews,
nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to
the rest that did the work. 
 Then said I unto them, Ye see
the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the
gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up
the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 
 And
I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me, as
also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they
said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands
for the good [work]. 
 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and
Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard
it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is
this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 
 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he
will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build:
but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
==Chapter 3==
 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren
the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified
it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Hammeah
they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananel. 
 And next
unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded
Zaccur the son of Imri. 
 And the fish gate did the sons of
Hassenaah build; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the
doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. 
 And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son
of Hakkoz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of
Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel. And next unto them repaired
Zadok the son of Baana. 
 And next unto them the Tekoites
repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of
their lord. 
 And the old gate repaired Joiada the son of
Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams
thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the bolts thereof,
and the bars thereof. 
 And next unto them repaired Melatiah
the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and
of Mizpah, [that appertained] to the throne of the governor
beyond the River. 
 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of
Harhaiah, goldsmiths. And next unto him repaired Hananiah one of
the perfumers, and they fortified Jerusalem even unto the broad
wall. 
 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur,
the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem. 
 And next
unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, over against his
house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of
Hashabneiah. 
 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the
son of Pahath-moab, repaired another portion, and the tower of
the furnaces. 
 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son
of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he
and his daughters. 
 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and
the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors
thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand
cubits of the wall unto the dung gate. 
 And the dung gate
repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district
of Beth-haccherem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof,
the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. 
 And the fountain
gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the
district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the
doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and the
wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even unto the
stairs that go down from the city of David. 
 After him
repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the
district of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres
of David, and unto the pool that was made, and unto the house of
the mighty men. 
 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the
son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half
the district of Keilah, for his district. 
 After him
repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of
half the district of Keilah. 
 And next to him repaired
Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another portion,
over against the ascent to the armory at the turning [of the
wall]. 
 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly
repaired another portion, from the turning [of the wall] unto
the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 
 After
him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another
portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end
of the house of Eliashib. 
 And after him repaired the
priests, the men of the Plain. 
 After them repaired
Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them
repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah beside
his own house. 
 After him repaired Binnui the son of
Henadad another portion, from the house of Azariah unto the
turning [of the wall], and unto the corner. 
 Palal the son
of Uzai [repaired] over against the turning [of the wall], and
the tower that standeth out from the upper house of the king,
which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of
Parosh [repaired]. 
 (Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, unto
the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the
tower that standeth out.) 
 After him the Tekoites repaired
another portion, over against the great tower that standeth out,
and unto the wall of Ophel. 
 Above the horse gate repaired
the priests, every one over against his own house. 
 After
them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house.
And after him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper
of the east gate. 
 After him repaired Hananiah the son of
Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another portion.
After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against
his chamber. 
 After him repaired Malchijah one of the
goldsmiths unto the house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants,
over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the
corner. 
 And between the ascent of the corner and the
sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
==Chapter 4==
 But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we
were building the wall, he was wroth, and took great
indignation, and mocked the Jews. 
 And he spake before his
brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these
feeble Jews doing? will they fortify themselves? will they
sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the
stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?
 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that
which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down
their stone wall. 
 Hear, O our God; for we are despised:
and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them
up for a spoil in a land of captivity; 
 and cover not their
iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee;
for they have provoked [thee] to anger before the builders.
 So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together
unto half [the height] thereof: for the people had a mind to
work. 
 But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and
Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites,
heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward,
[and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very
wroth; 
 and they conspired all of them together to come and
fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. 
 But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against
them day and night, because of them. 
 And Judah said, The
strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much
rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. 
 And
our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we
come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work
to cease. 
 And it came to pass that, when the Jews that
dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places,
Ye must return unto us. 
 Therefore, set I in the lowest
parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set
[there] the people after their families with their swords, their
spears, and their bows. 
 And I looked, and rose up, and
said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the
people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is
great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and
your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 
 And it came
to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and
God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of
us to the wall, every one unto his work. 
 And it came to
pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in
the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the
bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the
house of Judah. 
 They all builded the wall and they that
bare burdens laded themselves; every one with one of his hands
wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; 
 and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side,
and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers and to the
rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are
separated upon the wall, one far from another: 
 in what
place soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither
unto us; our God will fight for us. 
 So we wrought in the
work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the
morning till the stars appeared. 
 Likewise at the same
time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant
lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to
us, and may labor in the day. 
 So neither I, nor my
brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that
followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one [went
with] his weapon [to] the water.
==Chapter 5==
 Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their
wives against their brethren the Jews. 
 For there were that
said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get
grain, that we may eat and live. 
 Some also there were that
said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our
houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth. 
 There
were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's
tribute [upon] our fields and our vineyards. 
 Yet now our
flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their
children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our
daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought
into bondage [already]: neither is it in our power to help it;
for other men have our fields and our vineyards. 
 And I was
very angry when I heard their cry and these words. 
 Then I
consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the
rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his
brother. And I held a great assembly against them. 
 And I
said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren
the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even
sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held
they their peace, and found never a word. 
 Also I said, The
thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear
of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?
 And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them
money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. 
 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their
vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the
hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and
the oil, that ye exact of them. 
 Then said they, We will
restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do,
even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath
of them, that they would do according to this promise. 
 Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man
from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this
promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the
assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did
according to this promise. 
 Moreover, from the time that I
was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from
the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of
Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve years, I and my brethren
have not eaten the bread of the governor. 
 But the former
governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people,
and took of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of
silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but
so did not I, because of the fear of God. 
 Yea, also I
continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land:
and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. 
 Moreover, there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, a
hundred and fifty men, besides those that came unto us from
among the nations that were round about us. 
 Now that
which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep;
also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of
all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of
the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
 Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have
done for this people.
==Chapter 6==
 Now it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat
and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and unto the rest of our
enemies, that I had builded the wall, and that there was no
breach left therein; (though even unto that time I had not set
up the doors in the gates;) 
 that Sanballat and Geshem sent
unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in [one of] the
villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me
mischief. 
 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am
doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the
work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? 
 And
they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered
them after the same manner. 
 Then sent Sanballat his
servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open
letter in his hand, 
 wherein was written, It is reported
among the nations, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews
think to rebel; for which cause thou art building the wall: and
thou wouldest be their king, according to these words. 
 And
thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at
Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be
reported to the king according to these words. Come now
therefore, and let us take counsel together. 
 Then I sent
unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest,
but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. 
 For they
all would have made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be
weakened from the work, that it be not done. But now, [O God],
strengthen thou my hands. 
 And I went unto the house of
Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut
up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God,
within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for
they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to
slay thee. 
 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and
who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to
save his life? I will not go in. 
 And I discerned, and,
lo, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy
against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 
 For
this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and
sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that
they might reproach me. 
 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and
Sanballat according to these their works, and also the
prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would
have put me in fear. 
 So the wall was finished in the
twenty and fifth [day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty and two
days. 
 And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard
[thereof], that all the nations that were about us feared, and
were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that
this work was wrought of our God. 
 Moreover, in those days
the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and [the
letters] of Tobiah came unto them. 
 For there were many in
Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah
the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of
Meshullam the son of Berechiah to wife. 
 Also they spake
of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. [And]
Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
==Chapter 7==
 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had
set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the
Levites were appointed, 
 that I gave my brother Hanani, and
Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for
he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. 
 And I
said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until
the sun be hot; and while they stand [on guard], let them shut
the doors, and bar ye them: and appoint watches of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one
[to be] over against his house. 
 Now the city was wide and
large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not
builded. 
 And my God put into my heart to gather together
the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be
reckoned by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of
them that came up at the first, and I found written therein:
 These are the children of the province, that went up out
of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and that
returned unto Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;
 who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah,
Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum,
Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 
 The
children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred and seventy and two.
 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.
 The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two. 
 The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab,
two thousand and eight hundred [and] eighteen. 
 The
children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. 
 The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five. 
 The
children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. 
 The
children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight. 
 The
children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight. 
 The
children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two.
 The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and
seven. 
 The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore
and seven. 
 The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and
five. 
 The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety and
eight. 
 The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and
eight. 
 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and
four. 
 The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve.
 The children of Gibeon, ninety and five. 
 The men
of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred fourscore and eight. 
 The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty and eight. 
 The men
of Beth-azmaveth, forty and two. 
 The men of
Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and
three. 
 The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and
one. 
 The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty and two.
 The men of Beth-el and Ai, a hundred twenty and three.
 The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two. 
 The
children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and
four. 
 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.
 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty
and one. 
 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine
hundred and thirty. 
 The priests: The children of Jedaiah,
of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three. 
 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. 
 The
children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
 The children of Harim, a thousand [and] seventeen. 
 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children
of Hodevah, seventy and four. 
 The singers: the children
of Asaph, a hundred forty and eight. 
 The porters: the
children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of
Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the
children of Shobai, a hundred thirty and eight. 
 The
Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the
children of Tabbaoth, 
 the children of Keros, the children
of Sia, the children of Padon, 
 the children of Lebana,
the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai, 
 the
children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of
Gahar, 
 the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the
children of Nekoda, 
 the children of Gazzam, the children
of Uzza, the children of Paseah. 
 The children of Besai,
the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim, 
 the
children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of
Harhur, 
 the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida,
the children of Harsha, 
 the children of Barkos, the
children of Sisera, the children of Temah, 
 the children
of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. 
 The children of
Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of
Sophereth, the children of Perida, 
 the children of Jaala,
the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, 
 the
children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of
Pochereth-hazzebaim, the children of Amon. 
 All the
Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three
hundred ninety and two. 
 And these were they that went up
from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they
could not show their fathers' houses, nor their seed, whether
they were of Israel: 
 The children of Delaiah, the
children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty
and two. 
 And of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the
children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife
of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called
after their name. 
 These sought their register [among]
those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found:
therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood.
 And the governor said unto them, that they should not eat
of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim
and Thummim. 
 The whole assembly together was forty and
two thousand three hundred and threescore, 
 besides their
men-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven
thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two
hundred forty and five singing men and singing women. 
 Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two
hundred forty and five; 
 [their] camels, four hundred
thirty and five; [their] asses, six thousand seven hundred and
twenty. 
 And some from among the heads of fathers'
[houses] gave unto the work. The governor gave to the treasury a
thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty
priests' garments. 
 And some of the heads of fathers'
[houses] gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand
darics of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pounds of
silver. 
 And that which the rest of the people gave was
twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand pounds of
silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments. 
 So
the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers,
and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt
in their cities. And when the seventh month was come, the
children of Israel were in their cities.
==Chapter 8==
 And all the people gathered themselves together as one
man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and
they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of
Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel. 
 And Ezra the
priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women,
and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day
of the seventh month. 
 And he read therein before the broad
place that was before the water gate from early morning until
midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those
that could understand; and the ears of all the people were
[attentive] unto the book of the law. 
 And Ezra the scribe
stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the
purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah,
and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on
his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum,
and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam. 
 And Ezra
opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was
above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people
stood up: 
 and Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all
the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their
hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with
their faces to the ground. 
 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and
Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the
people to understand the law: and the people [stood] in their
place. 
 And they read in the book, in the law of God,
distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the
reading. 
 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the
priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said
unto all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God;
mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard
the words of the law. 
 Then he said unto them, Go your
way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto
him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our
Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of Jehovah is your
strength. 
 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying,
Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink,
and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had
understood the words that were declared unto them. 
 And on
the second day were gathered together the heads of fathers'
[houses] of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto
Ezra the scribe, even to give attention to the words of the law.
 And they found written in the law, how that Jehovah had
commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in
booths in the feast of the seventh month; 
 and that they
should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in
Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive
branches, and branches of wild olive, and myrtle branches, and
palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as
it is written. 
 So the people went forth, and brought
them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his
house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of
God, and in the broad place of the water gate, and in the broad
place of the gate of Ephraim. 
 And all the assembly of
them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and
dwelt in the booths; for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun
unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there
was very great gladness. 
 Also day by day, from the first
day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God.
And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a
solemn assembly, according unto the ordinance.
==Chapter 9==
 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the
children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with
sackcloth, and earth upon them. 
 And the seed of Israel
separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and
confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 
 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the
law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and [another]
fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God.
 Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua, and
Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, [and] Chenani,
and cried with a loud voice unto Jehovah their God. 
 Then
the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah,
Hodiah, Shebaniah, [and] Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless
Jehovah your God from everlasting to everlasting; and blessed be
thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and
praise. 
 Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made
heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth
and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in
them, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven
worshippeth thee. 
 Thou art Jehovah the God, who didst
choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the
Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham, 
 and foundest
his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and
the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it
unto his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art
righteous. 
 And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers
in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea, 
 and
showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his
servants, and on all the people of his land; for thou knewest
that they dealt proudly against them, and didst get thee a name,
as it is this day. 
 And thou didst divide the sea before
them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry
land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a
stone into the mighty waters. 
 Moreover, in a pillar of
cloud thou leddest them by day; and in a pillar of fire by
night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with
them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and true
laws, good statutes and commandments, 
 and madest known
unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them commandments,
and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant, 
 and gavest
them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth
water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandedst
them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst
sworn to give them. 
 But they and our fathers dealt
proudly and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy
commandments, 
 and refused to obey, neither were mindful
of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their
neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to
their bondage. But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and
merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and
forsookest them not. 
 Yea, when they had made them a
molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out
of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; 
 yet thou in
thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the
pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them
in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them
light, and the way wherein they should go. 
 Thou gavest
also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy
manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the
wilderness, [and] they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not
old, and their feet swelled not. 
 Moreover, thou gavest
them kingdoms and peoples, which thou didst allot after their
portions: so they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of
the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. 
 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven,
and broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst
say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
 So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou
subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the
Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings,
and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as
they would. 
 And they took fortified cities, and a fat
land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns
hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in
abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and
delighted themselves in thy great goodness. 
 Nevertheless,
they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy
law behind their back, and slew thy prophets that testified
against them to turn them again unto thee, and they wrought
great provocations. 
 Therefore, thou deliveredst them into
the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them: and in the
time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest
from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest
them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their
adversaries. 
 But after they had rest, they did evil again
before thee; therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their
enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they
returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and
many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies,
 and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring
them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened
not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances,
(which if a man do, he shall live in them,) and withdrew the
shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. 
 Yet many years didst thou bear with them, and testifiedst
against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets: yet would they
not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the
peoples of the lands. 
 Nevertheless, in thy manifold
mercies thou didst not make a full end of them, nor forsake
them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. 
 Now
therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God,
who keepest covenant and lovingkindness, let not all the travail
seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings,
on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on
our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings
of Assyria unto this day. 
 Howbeit thou art just in all
that is come upon us; for thou hast dealt truly, but we have
done wickedly; 
 neither have our kings, our princes, our
priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy
commandments and thy testimonies wherewith thou didst testify
against them. 
 For they have not served thee in their
kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in
the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither
turned they from their wicked works. 
 Behold, we are
servants this day, and as for the land that thou gavest unto our
fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold,
we are servants in it. 
 And it yieldeth much increase unto
the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also
they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their
pleasure, and we are in great distress. 
 And yet for all
this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our
Levites, [and] our priests, seal unto it.
==Chapter 10==
 Now those that sealed were: Nehemiah the governor, the
son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 
 Seraiah, Azariah,
Jeremiah, 
 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 
 Hattush,
Shebaniah, Malluch, 
 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 
 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 
 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these were the priests. 
 And the Levites: namely, Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of
the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 
 and their brethren,
Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 
 Mica, Rehob,
Hashabiah, 
 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 
 Hodiah,
Bani, Beninu. 
 The chiefs of the people: Parosh,
Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 
 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 
 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 
 Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai,
 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 
 Meshezabel, Zadok,
Jaddua, 
 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 
 Hoshea,
Hananiah, Hasshub, 
 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 
 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 
 and Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. 
 And the rest of the
people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the
Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the
peoples of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their
sons, and their daughters, every one that had knowledge, and
understanding; 
 They clave to their brethren, their
nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in
God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to
observe and do all the commandments of Jehovah our Lord, and his
ordinances and his statutes; 
 and that we would not give
our daughters unto the peoples of the land, nor take their
daughters for our sons; 
 and if the peoples of the land
bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, that we
would not buy of them on the sabbath, or on a holy day; and that
we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every
debt. 
 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge
ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service
of the house of our God; 
 for the showbread, and for the
continual meal-offering, and for the continual burnt-offering,
for the sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, and for
the holy things, and for the sin-offerings to make atonement for
Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 
 And we cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for
the wood-offering, to bring it into the house of our God,
according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by
year, to burn upon the altar of Jehovah our God, as it is
written in the law; 
 and to bring the first-fruits of our
ground, and the first-fruits of all fruit of all manner of
trees, year by year, unto the house of Jehovah; 
 also the
first-born of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in
the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to
bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in
the house of our God; 
 and that we should bring the
first-fruits of our dough, and our heave-offerings, and the
fruit of all manner of trees, the new wine and the oil, unto the
priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes
of our ground unto the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the
tithes in all the cities of our tillage. 
 And the priest
the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites
take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the
tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the
treasure-house. 
 For the children of Israel and the
children of Levi shall bring the heave-offering of the grain, of
the new wine, and of the oil, unto the chambers, where are the
vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the
porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of
our God.
==Chapter 11==
 And the princes of the people dwelt in Jerusalem: the
rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell
in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the [other]
cities. 
 And the people blessed all the men that willingly
offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem. 
 Now these are
the chiefs of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem: but in the
cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their
cities, [to wit], Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the
Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants. 
 And in
Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the
children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah: Athaiah the son
of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of
Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez;
 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh, the
son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son
of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite. 
 All the sons of
Perez that dwelt in Jerusalem were four hundred threescore and
eight valiant men. 
 And these are the sons of Benjamin:
Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah,
the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the
son of Jeshaiah. 
 And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine
hundred twenty and eight. 
 And Joel the son of Zichri was
their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over
the city. 
 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib,
Jachin, 
 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of
Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of
Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God, 
 and their
brethren that did the work of the house, eight hundred twenty
and two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the
son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son
of Malchijah, 
 and his brethren, chiefs of fathers'
[houses], two hundred forty and two; and Amashsai the son of
Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of
Immer, 
 and their brethren, mighty men of valor, a
hundred twenty and eight; and their overseer was Zabdiel, the
son of Haggedolim. 
 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son
of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of
Bunni; 
 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the
Levites, who had the oversight of the outward business of the
house of God; 
 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of
Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the chief to begin the
thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his
brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son
of Jeduthun. 
 All the Levites in the holy city were two
hundred fourscore and four. 
 Moreover, the porters, Akkub,
Talmon, and their brethren, that kept watch at the gates, were a
hundred seventy and two. 
 And the residue of Israel, of
the priests, the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every
one in his inheritance. 
 But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel:
and Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim. 
 The overseer
also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the
son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of the
sons of Asaph, the singers, over the business of the house of
God. 
 For there was a commandment from the king
concerning them, and a settled provision for the singers, as
every day required. 
 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel,
of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's
hand in all matters concerning the people. 
 And as for
the villages, with their fields, some of the children of Judah
dwelt in Kiriath-arba and the towns thereof, and in Dibon and
the towns thereof, and in Jekabzeel and the villages thereof,
 and in Jeshua, and in Moladah, and Beth-pelet, 
 and in Hazar-shual, and in Beer-sheba and the towns thereof,
 and in Ziklag, and in Meconah and in the towns thereof,
 and in En-rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth, 
 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and the fields
thereof, Azekah and the towns thereof. So they encamped from
Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom. 
 The children of
Benjamin also [dwelt] from Geba [onward], at Michmash and Aija,
and at Beth-el and the towns thereof, 
 at Anathoth, Nob,
Ananiah, 
 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 
 Hadid, Zeboim,
Neballat, 
 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 
 And of the Levites, certain courses in Judah [were joined] to
Benjamin.
==Chapter 12==
 Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up
with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah,
Jeremiah, Ezra, 
 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 
 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 
 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 
 Shemaiah, and Joiarib,
Jedaiah. 
 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the
chiefs of the priests and of their brethren in the days of
Jeshua. 
 Moreover, the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,
Sherebiah, Judah, [and] Mattaniah, who was over the
thanksgiving, he and his brethren. 
 Also Bakbukiah and
Unno, their brethren, were over against them according to their
offices. 
 And Jeshua begat Joiakim, and Joiakim begat
Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada, 
 and Joiada begat
Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua. 
 And in the days of
Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers' [houses]: of Seraiah,
Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 
 of Ezra, Meshullam; of
Amariah, Jehohanan; 
 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah,
Joseph; 
 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 
 of
Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 
 of Abijah,
Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 
 of Bilgah,
Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 
 and of Joiarib,
Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 
 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok,
Eber; 
 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
 As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and
Johanan, and Jaddua, there were recorded the heads of fathers'
[houses]; also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian.
 The sons of Levi, heads of fathers' [houses], were
written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of
Johanan the son of Eliashib. 
 And the chiefs of the
Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel,
with their brethren over against them, to praise and give
thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God,
watch next to watch. 
 Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah,
Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the watch at the
store-houses of the gates. 
 These were in the days of
Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days
of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest the scribe.
 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they
sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to
Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with
thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and
with harps. 
 And the sons of the singers gathered
themselves together, both out of the plain round about
Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites; 
 also from Beth-gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and
Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about
Jerusalem. 
 And the priests and the Levites purified
themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates, and the
wall. 
 Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the
wall, and appointed two great companies that gave thanks and
went in procession; [whereof one went] on the right hand upon
the wall toward the dung gate: 
 and after them went
Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah, 
 and Azariah,
Ezra, and Meshullam, 
 Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah,
and Jeremiah, 
 and certain of the priests' sons with
trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah,
the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the
son of Asaph; 
 and his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarel,
Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the
musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe
was before them. 
 And by the fountain gate, and straight
before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at
the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the
water gate eastward. 
 And the other company of them that
gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the half
of the people, upon the wall, above the tower of the furnaces,
even unto the broad wall, 
 and above the gate of Ephraim,
and by the old gate, and by the fish gate, and the tower of
Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, even unto the sheep gate: and
they stood still in the gate of the guard. 
 So stood the
two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and
I, and the half of the rulers with me; 
 and the priests,
Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and
Hananiah, with trumpets; 
 and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and
Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and
Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.
 And they offered great sacrifices that day, and
rejoiced; for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and the
women also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of
Jerusalem was heard even afar off. 
 And on that day were
men appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the
heave-offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to
gather into them, according to the fields of the cities, the
portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites: for
Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
 And they kept the charge of their God, and the charge of
the purification, and [so did] the singers and the porters,
according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a
chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto
God. 
 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in
the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the
porters, as every day required: and they set apart [that which
was] for the Levites; and the Levites set apart [that which was]
for the sons of Aaron.
==Chapter 13==
 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the
audience of the people; and therein was found written, that an
Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God
for ever, 
 because they met not the children of Israel
with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to
curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
 And it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that
they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. 
 Now
before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the
chambers of the house of our God, being allied unto Tobiah,
 had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime
they laid the meal-offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels,
and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which
were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and
the porters; and the heave-offerings for the priests. 
 But
in all this [time] I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and
thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the
king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king, 
 and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib
had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of
the house of God. 
 And it grieved me sore: therefore I
cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.
 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and
thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with
the meal-offerings and the frankincense. 
 And I perceived
that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so
that the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled
every one to his field. 
 Then contended I with the
rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I
gathered them together, and set them in their place. 
 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain and the new wine
and the oil unto the treasuries. 
 And I made treasurers
over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe,
and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son
of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful,
and their business was to distribute unto their brethren.
 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out
my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for
the observances thereof. 
 In those days saw I in Judah
some men treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and bringing in
sheaves, and lading asses [therewith]; as also wine, grapes, and
figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into
Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified [against them] in
the day wherein they sold victuals. 
 There dwelt men of
Tyre also therein, who brought in fish, and all manner of wares,
and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in
Jerusalem. 
 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah,
and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and
profane the sabbath day? 
 Did not your fathers thus, and
did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city?
yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
 And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem
began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors
should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened
till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I over the
gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath
day. 
 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of wares
lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 
 Then I testified
against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall?
if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth
came they no more on the sabbath. 
 And I commanded the
Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should
come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember
unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the
greatness of thy lovingkindness. 
 In those days also saw
I the Jews that had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of
Moab: 
 and their children spake half in the speech of
Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according
to the language of each people. 
 And I contended with
them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked
off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying], Ye shall
not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their
daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. 
 Did not
Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many
nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his
God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even
him did foreign women cause to sin. 
 Shall we then
hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to trespass against
our God in marrying foreign women? 
 And one of the sons
of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law
to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the
priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the
Levites. 
 Thus cleansed I them from all foreigners, and
appointed charges for the priests and for the Levites, every one
in his work; 
 and for the wood-offering, at times
appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for
good.