|
| |
| And all the people gathered themselves together as
one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake
unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the
LORD had commanded to Israel. |
| And Ezra the priest brought the law before the
congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with
understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. |
| And he read therein before the street that was
before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and
the women, and 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 Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his
right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah,
and Hashum, and Hashbadana, 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 the LORD, the great God. And all
the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they
bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the
ground. |
| Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub,
Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah,
and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people
stood in their place. |
| So they read in the book in the law of God
distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the
reading. |
| And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the
priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all
the people, This day is holy unto the LORD 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 them for whom nothing is
prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for
the joy of the LORD 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
chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites,
unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. |
| And they found written in the law which the LORD 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 pine branches, 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 street of the
water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. |
| And all the congregation of them that were come
again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under 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 manner. |
| Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the
children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes,
and earth upon them. |
| And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all
strangers, 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 the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and
another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD 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 the LORD their God. |
| Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani,
Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up
and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy
glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. |
| Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made
heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all
things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou
preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. |
| Thou art the LORD 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 Canaanites, the
Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the
Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy
words; for thou art righteous: |
| And didst see 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. So didst thou 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
persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty
waters. |
| Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy
pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, 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 judgments, and true laws,
good statutes and commandments: |
| And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and
commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of 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 promisedst 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 necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, |
| And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy
wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, 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 of
great kindness, 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 the cloud departed not from 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, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old,
and their feet swelled not. |
| Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and
didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and
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
hadst promised 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 people of
the land, that they might do with them as they would. |
| And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and
possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, 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 backs, and slew thy prophets
which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought
great provocations. |
| Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of
their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when
they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to
thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of
the hand of their enemies. |
| 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 them 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 thy judgments, (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 forbear them, and
testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they
not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of
the lands. |
| Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst
not utterly consume 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 mercy, let not all the
trouble 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 brought upon
us; for thou hast done right, 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 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 dominion over
our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great
distress. |
| And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and
write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. |
| Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha,
the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, |
| Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, |
| Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah, |
| Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, |
| Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, |
| Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, |
| Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, |
| Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests. |
| And the Levites: both Jeshua the son of Azaniah,
Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; |
| And their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita,
Pelaiah, Hanan, |
| Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, |
| Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, |
| Hodijah, Bani, Beninu. |
| The chief of the people; Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam,
Zatthu, Bani, |
| Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, |
| Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, |
| Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur, |
| Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, |
| Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, |
| Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, |
| Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua, |
| Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, |
| Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub, |
| Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek, |
| Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, |
| And Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, |
| Malluch, Harim, Baanah. |
| And the rest of the people, the priests, the
Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had
separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God,
their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having
knowledge, and having 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 the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; |
| And that we would not give our daughters unto the
people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: |
| And if the people of the land bring ware or any
victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on
the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave 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 meat
offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the
new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin
offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the
house of our God. |
| And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites,
and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our
God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year,
to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law: |
| And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the
firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of
the LORD: |
| Also the firstborn 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 firstfruits of our
dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine
and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God;
and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites
might have 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 offering of the corn, of the new wine, and 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. |
| And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the
rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in
Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. |
| And the people blessed all the men, that willingly
offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. |
| Now these are the chief 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 Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants. |
| And at 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 Mahalaleel, 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 Shiloni. |
| All the sons of Perez that dwelt at 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 Jesaiah. |
| And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty
and eight. |
| And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer: and
Judah the son of Senuah 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, was the ruler
of the house of God. |
| And their brethren that did the work of the house
were 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
Pashur, the son of Malchiah, |
| And his brethren, chief of the fathers, two hundred
forty and two: and Amashai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahasai, the
son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, |
| And their brethren, mighty men of valour, an hundred
twenty and eight: and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the
great men. |
| Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the
son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; |
| And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the
Levites, had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God. |
| And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi,
the son of Asaph, was the principal 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 the gates, were an hundred seventy and two. |
| And the residue of Israel, of the priests, and the
Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance. |
| But the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel: and Ziha and Gispa
were over the Nethinims. |
| 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 Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the business
of the house of God. |
| For it was the king's commandment concerning them,
that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every day. |
| And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the
children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all
matters concerning the people. |
| And for the villages, with their fields, some of the
children of Judah dwelt at Kirjatharba, and in the villages thereof, and
at Dibon, and in the villages thereof, and at Jekabzeel, and in the
villages thereof, |
| And at Jeshua, and at Moladah, and at Bethphelet, |
| And at Hazarshual, and at Beersheba, and in the
villages thereof, |
| And at Ziklag, and at Mekonah, and in the villages
thereof, |
| And at Enrimmon, and at Zareah, and at Jarmuth, |
| Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish,
and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof. And they
dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom. |
| The children also of Benjamin from Geba dwelt at
Michmash, and Aija, and Bethel, and in their villages, |
| And at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, |
| Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, |
| Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, |
| Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. |
| And of the Levites were divisions in Judah, and in
Benjamin. |
| 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, |
| Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, |
| Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah, |
| Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, |
| Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah, |
| Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chief
of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua. |
| Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,
Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, which was over the thanksgiving, he and
his brethren. |
| Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over
against them in the watches. |
| And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat
Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada, |
| And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua. |
| And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief
of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; |
| Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; |
| Of Melicu, 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, Nethaneel. |
| The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and
Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers: also the
priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian. |
| The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were
written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan
the son of Eliashib. |
| And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah,
and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to
praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man
of God, ward over against ward. |
| Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon,
Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds 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 country round about Jerusalem, and from
the villages of Netophathi; |
| Also from the house of 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 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 of them that gave thanks,
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;
namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of
Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph: |
| And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai,
Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical
instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them. |
| And at the fountain gate, which was over against
them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up
of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate
eastward. |
| And the other company of them that gave thanks went
over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the
wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall; |
| And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the
old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the
tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the
prison gate. |
| 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,
Michaiah, 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. |
| Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and
rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also
and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even
afar off. |
| And at that time were some appointed over the
chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and
for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the
portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for
the priests and for the Levites that waited. |
| And both the singers and the porters kept the ward
of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the
commandment of David, and of Solomon his son. |
| For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were
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,
every day his portion: and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites;
and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron. |
| On that day they read in the book of Moses in the
audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite
and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; |
| Because they met not the children of Israel with
bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should
curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing. |
| Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law,
that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. |
| And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the
oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah: |
| And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where
aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the
vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which
was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the
porters; and the offerings of the priests. |
| But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in
the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the
king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king: |
| And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil
that Eliashib did 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
meat offering and the frankincense. |
| And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had
not been given them: for 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 corn 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 office 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
offices thereof. |
| In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine
presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; 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, which brought
fish, and all manner of ware, 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
gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till
after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that
there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. |
| So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware
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 cleanse
themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify
the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare
me according to the greatness of thy mercy. |
| In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives
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 unto 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, who was beloved of
his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him
did outlandish women cause to sin. |
| Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great
evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? |
| 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 strangers, and
appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his
business; |
| And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and
for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good. |
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