1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the fortress,

² that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

³ And they said to me, Those who remain, that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire.

⁴ And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of the heavens,

⁵ and said, I beseech thee, Jehovah, God of the heavens, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and keep his commandments.

⁶ Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, confessing the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

⁷ We have acted very perversely against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances that thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

⁸ Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the peoples;

⁹ but if ye return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though there were of you cast out unto 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 set my name there.

¹⁰ And they are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and by thy strong hand.

¹¹ 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 the king's cupbearer.

2 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence.

² And the king said to me, Why is thy face sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sadness of heart. And I was very sore afraid.

³ And I said to the king, Let the king live for ever! Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?

⁴ And the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.

⁵ And I said to the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

⁶ And the king said to me—the queen also sitting by him,—For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

⁷ And I said to the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may set me forward till I come into Judah;

⁸ and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertains] 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.

⁹ And I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of a force and horsemen with me.

¹⁰ And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobijah the servant, the Ammonite, heard [of it], it grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

¹¹ And I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

¹² And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me—but I told no man what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem—and there was no beast with me, except the beast that I rode upon.

¹³ And I went out by night by the valley-gate, even toward the jackal-fountain, and to the dung-gate; and I viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were in ruins, and its gates were consumed with fire.

¹⁴ And I went on to the fountain-gate, and to the king's pool; and there was no place for the beast under me to pass.

¹⁵ And I went up in the night through the valley, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the valley-gate and returned.

¹⁶ And the rulers did not know whither I went or what I did, for I had not 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.

¹⁷ And I said to them, Ye see the distress that we are in, that Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

¹⁸ And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me; as also of the king's words which he had said unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. And they strengthened their hands for the good [work].

¹⁹ And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobijah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it; and they mocked us and despised us, and said, What is this thing which ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

²⁰ And I answered them, and said to them, The God of the heavens, he will prosper us, and we his servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.

3 And Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they built the sheep-gate. They hallowed it, and set up its doors; and they hallowed it even to the tower of Meah, to the tower of Hananeel.

² And next to them built the men of Jericho. And next to them built Zaccur the son of Imri.

³ And the fish-gate did the sons of Senaah build: they laid its beams, and set up its doors, its locks and its bars.

⁴ And next to them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next to them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next to them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.

⁵ And next to them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

⁶ And the gate of the old [wall] repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodiah; they laid its beams, and set up its doors, and its locks, and its bars.

⁷ And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, to the seat of the governor on this side the river.

⁸ Next to them repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths; and next to him repaired Hananiah of the perfumers, and they left Jerusalem [in its state] as far as the broad wall.

⁹ And next to them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.

¹⁰ And next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next to him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.

¹¹ Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired a second piece, and the tower of the furnaces.

¹² And next to them repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

¹³ The valley-gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up its doors, its locks and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the dung-gate.

¹⁴ And the dung-gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the chief of the district of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up its doors, its locks and its bars.

¹⁵ And the fountain-gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the chief of the district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its locks and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, and to the stairs that go down from the city of David.

¹⁶ After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the chief of the half district of Beth-zur, even over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty [men].

¹⁷ After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, the chief of the half district of Keilah, for his district.

¹⁸ After him repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the chief of the half district of Keilah.

¹⁹ And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, a second piece over against the going up to the armoury at the angle.

²⁰ After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another piece, from the angle to the entry of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

²¹ After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib as far as the end of the house of Eliashib.

²² And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain [of Jordan].

²³ After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, by his house.

²⁴ After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah to the angle, as far as the corner.

²⁵ Palal the son of Uzai, over against the angle, and the high tower that lies out from the king's house, which was by the court of the prison. After him, Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

²⁶ (Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, even over against the water-gate toward the east, and the tower which lies out.)

²⁷ After him the Tekoites repaired a second piece, over against the great tower which lies out, as far as the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ From above the horse-gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

²⁹ After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. And after him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

³⁰ After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, a second piece. After them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

³¹ After him repaired Malchijah of the goldsmiths to the place of the Nethinim and of the dealers, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.

³² And between the ascent of the corner and the sheep-gate repaired the goldsmiths and the dealers.

4 And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

² And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? shall they be permitted to go on? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, when they are burned?

³ And Tobijah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox went up, it would break down their stone wall.—

⁴ Hear, our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in a land of captivity!

⁵ And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked the builders.

⁶ But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half thereof; for the people had a mind to work.

⁷ And it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobijah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired, that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

⁸ and conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

⁹ Then we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

¹⁰ And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens faileth, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build at the wall.

¹¹ And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them and kill them, and put an end to the work.

¹² And it came to pass that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us so ten times, from all the places whence they returned to us,

¹³ I set in the lower places behind the wall in exposed places, I even set the people, according to their families, with their swords, their spears and their bows.

¹⁴ And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not 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.

¹⁵ And it came to pass that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had defeated their counsel, we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.

¹⁶ And from that time forth the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the corslets; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah.

¹⁷ They that built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that loaded, wrought in the work with one hand, and with the other they held a weapon.

¹⁸ And the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

¹⁹ And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extended, and we are scattered upon the wall, one far from another:

²⁰ in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; our God will fight for us.

²¹ And we laboured in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn till the stars appeared.

²² Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and [be for] labour in the day.

²³ And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our garments: every one had his weapon on his right side.

5 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

² And there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many, and we must procure corn that we may eat and live.

³ And there were that said, We have had to pledge our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses, that we might procure corn in the dearth.

⁴ And there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and vineyards;

⁵ yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and behold, we must 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 the power of our hand [to redeem them], for other men have our fields and our vineyards.

⁶ And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

⁷ And I consulted with myself; and I remonstrated with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother! And I set a great assembly against them.

⁸ And I said to them, We, according to our ability, have redeemed our brethren the Jews, who were sold to the nations; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? And they were silent and found no answer.

⁹ And I said, The thing that ye do is not good. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, so as not to be the reproach of the nations our enemies?

¹⁰ I also, my brethren and my servants, we might exact usury of them, money and corn. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

¹¹ Restore, I pray you, to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive-gardens, and their houses, also the hundredth [part] of the money, and of the corn, the wine and the oil, that ye have exacted of them.

¹² And they said, We will restore [them], and will require nothing of them; so will we do, as thou hast said. And I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.

¹³ Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house and from his earnings, that performeth not this promise: even thus be he shaken out and emptied! And all the congregation said, Amen! And they praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.

¹⁴ Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

¹⁵ But the former governors that were before me had been chargeable to the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver: even their servants bore rule over the people. But I did not so, because of the fear of God.

¹⁶ Yea, also I applied myself to this work of the wall, and we bought no fields; and all my servants were gathered thither for the work.

¹⁷ And there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and the rulers, besides those that came to us from among the nations that were about us.

¹⁸ And that which was prepared daily was one ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days all sorts of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor; for the service was heavy upon this people.

¹⁹ Remember for me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.

6 And it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobijah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left in it (though at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),

² that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

³ And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?

⁴ And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them in the same manner.

⁵ Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in this manner the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,

⁶ in which was written: It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest the wall, and according to these words thou wilt become their king.

⁷ And thou hast also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning thee at Jerusalem saying, There is a king in Judah! And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

⁸ And I sent to him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

⁹ For they all would have made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be slackened from the work, that it be not carried out.—Now therefore strengthen my hands!

¹⁰ And I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabeel, who had shut himself 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 are coming to kill thee; even in the night are they coming to kill thee.

¹¹ And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, could go into the temple, and live? I will not go in.

¹² And I perceived, and behold, God had not sent him; for he pronounced this prophecy against me; and Tobijah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹³ Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have wherewith to spread an evil report, that they might reproach me.

¹⁴ My God, remember Tobijah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear.

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

¹⁶ And it came to pass that when all our enemies heard [of it], all the nations that were about us were afraid and were much cast down in their own eyes, and they perceived that this work was wrought by our God.

¹⁷ Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobijah, and those of Tobijah came to them.

¹⁸ For there were many in Judah sworn to him; for he was a son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

¹⁹ Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. [And] Tobijah sent letters to put me in fear.

7 And it came to pass when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, that the doorkeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.

² And I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the citadel, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.

³ And I said to them that the gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun was hot, and that they should shut the doors and bar them while they stood by; and that there should be appointed watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one over against his house.

⁴ Now the city was large and great; but the people in it were few, and no houses were built.

⁵ And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, for registration by genealogy. And I found a genealogical register of those that had come up at the first, and I found written in it:

⁶ 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 who came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one to his city;

⁷ those 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:

⁸ The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.

⁹ The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.

¹⁰ The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.

¹¹ The children of Pahath-Moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.

¹² The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

¹³ The children of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.

¹⁴ The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.

¹⁵ The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.

¹⁶ The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.

¹⁷ The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.

¹⁸ The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.

¹⁹ The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.

²⁰ The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.

²¹ The children of Ater of [the family of] Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

²² The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.

²³ The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.

²⁴ The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve.

²⁵ The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.

²⁶ The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-eight.

²⁷ The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.

²⁸ The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.

²⁹ The men of Kirjath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.

³⁰ The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.

³¹ The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.

³² The men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred and twenty-three.

³³ The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

³⁴ The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

³⁵ The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

³⁶ The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.

³⁷ The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.

³⁸ The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

³⁹ The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.

⁴⁰ The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.

⁴¹ The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.

⁴² The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

⁴³ The Levites: the children of Jeshua [and] of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodvah, seventy-four.

⁴⁴ The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight.

⁴⁵ The doorkeepers: 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 and thirty-eight.

⁴⁶ The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷ the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,

⁴⁸ the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,

⁴⁹ the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,

⁵⁰ the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,

⁵¹ the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,

⁵² the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,

⁵³ the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

⁵⁴ the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

⁵⁵ the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,

⁵⁶ the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

⁵⁸ the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

⁵⁹ the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-Hazzebaim, the children of Amon.

⁶⁰ All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, three hundred and ninety-two.

⁶¹ And these are they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub-Addon and Immer; but they could not shew their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.

⁶² The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobijah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.

⁶³ And of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called after their name.

⁶⁴ These sought their genealogical register, but it was not found; therefore were they, as polluted, removed from the priesthood.

⁶⁵ And the Tirshatha said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up the priest with Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶ The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,

⁶⁷ besides their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five singing-men and singing-women.

⁶⁸ Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five;

⁶⁹ the camels, four hundred and thirty-five; the asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

⁷⁰ And some of the chief fathers gave to the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand darics of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' coats.

⁷¹ And [some] of the chief fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver.

⁷² And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty-seven priests' coats.

⁷³ And the priests, and the Levites, and the doorkeepers, and the singers, and [some] of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in their cities,

8 all the people gathered together as one man to the open place that was before the water-gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded Israel.

² And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

³ And he read in it before the open place that was before the water-gate from the morning until midday, in presence of the men and the women, and those that could understand. And the ears of all the people were [attentive] to the book of the law.

⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood upon a high stage of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkijah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddana, Zechariah, Meshullam.

⁵ 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.

⁶ And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen! with lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.

⁷ And 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.

⁸ And they read in the law of God distinctly out of the book, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.

⁹ And Nehemiah, that is, the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that explained to the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to Jehovah your God: mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

¹⁰ And he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared; for the day is holy to our Lord; and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.

¹¹ And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still! for the day is holy; neither be grieved.

¹² And all the people went their way, to eat and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing. For they had understood the words that were declared to them.

¹³ And on the second day were gathered together the chief fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to Ezra the scribe, even to gain wisdom as to the words of the law.

¹⁴ And they found written in the law which Jehovah had commanded through Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month,

¹⁵ and that they should publish and proclaim through all their cities, and at Jerusalem, saying, Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive-branches, and wild olive-branches, and myrtle-branches, and palm-branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.

¹⁶ And the people went forth and brought [them], and made themselves booths, everyone upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the open space of the water-gate, and in the open space of the gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷ And all the congregation of them that had come back from the captivity made booths, and dwelt in the booths. For since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun until that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they observed the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

9 And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

² And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

³ 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 a fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God.

⁴ Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to Jehovah their God.

⁵ And the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, Pethahiah, said, Stand up, bless Jehovah your God from eternity to eternity. And let [men] bless the name of thy glory, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

⁶ Thou art the Same, thou alone, Jehovah, who hast made the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all that is therein, the seas and all that is therein. And thou quickenest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

⁷ Thou art the Same, Jehovah Elohim, who didst choose Abram and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

⁸ and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest the 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 to his seed; and thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous.

⁹ And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea;

¹⁰ and didst shew signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants, and upon all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and thou didst make thee a name, as it is this day.

¹¹ And thou didst divide the sea before them, and they went through the midst of the sea on dry [ground]; and their pursuers thou threwest into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.

¹² And thou leddest them in the day by a pillar of cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

¹³ And thou camest down on mount Sinai, and didst speak with them from the heavens, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments.

¹⁴ And thou madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and prescribedst for them commandments and statutes and a law, through Moses thy servant.

¹⁵ And thou gavest them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and didst say to them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

¹⁶ But they, our fathers, dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy commandments,

¹⁷ and refused to obey, neither were they mindful of thy wonders which thou hadst done among them; but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion made a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art a +God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great loving-kindness, and thou forsookest them not.

¹⁸ Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt! and they had wrought great provocation,

¹⁹ yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them on the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.

²⁰ Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

²¹ Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes grew not old, and their feet swelled not.

²² And thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, and didst divide them by countries; and they possessed the land of Sihon, as well the land of the king of Heshbon, as the land of Og king of Bashan.

²³ And their children thou didst multiply as the stars of heaven, and thou broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers that they should go in to possess it.

²⁴ And 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, both their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

²⁵ And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, wells digged, vineyards and olive-gardens, and fruit trees in abundance. And they did eat and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

²⁶ But they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

²⁷ And thou gavest them into the hand of their oppressors, and they oppressed them; and in the time of their distress, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from the heavens, and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their oppressors.

²⁸ But when they had rest, they did evil again before thee; and thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies, and they had dominion over them; and again they cried unto thee, and thou heardest [them] from the heavens, and many times didst thou deliver them, according to thy mercies.

²⁹ And thou testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law; but 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 they withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

³⁰ And many years didst thou forbear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets; but they would not give ear: and thou gavest them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

³¹ Nevertheless for thy manifold mercies' sake, thou didst not make a full end of them nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

³² And now, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and loving-kindness, 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 days of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

³³ But thou art just in all that is come upon us; for thou hast acted according to truth, and we have done wickedly.

³⁴ And our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers, have not performed thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

³⁵ And they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land that thou didst set before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

³⁶ Behold, we are servants this day, and the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are bondmen in it.

³⁷ And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure; and we are in great distress.

³⁸ And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our priests are at the sealing.

10 And at the head of those that sealed were Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zedekiah.

² —Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

³ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

⁴ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁶ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁷ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁸ Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

⁹ —And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah; Binnui, of the sons of Henadad; Kadmiel,

¹⁰ and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹¹ Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹² Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹³ Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.

¹⁴ —The chief of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani,

¹⁵ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁷ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁸ Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,

¹⁹ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²⁰ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

²¹ Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²² Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²³ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,

²⁴ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁵ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁶ and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

²⁷ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁸ And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the doorkeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, every one having knowledge [and] having understanding,

²⁹ joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an oath, to walk in the law of God, which had been given by Moses the servant of God, and to keep and do all the commandments of Jehovah our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;

³⁰ and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

³¹ and that if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we would not take it of them on the sabbath, or on [any] holy day; and that we would leave [the land uncultivated] the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

³² And 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,

³³ for the bread to be set in rows, and for the continual oblation, and for the continual burnt-offering, [for that] of the sabbaths [and] 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.

³⁴ 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, 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;

³⁵ and to bring the first-fruits of our land, and the first-fruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year to the house of Jehovah,

³⁶ and the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the law; and to bring the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests that minister in the house of our God;

³⁷ and that we should bring the first-fruits of our coarse meal and our heave-offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, new wine and oil, to the priests, into the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, that they, the Levites, should take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

³⁸ 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 to the house of our God, into the chambers of the treasure-house.

³⁹ For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave-offering of the corn, of the new wine and the oil, into the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the doorkeepers and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.

11 And the princes of the people dwelt in Jerusalem; and the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine parts in the cities.

² And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.

³ And 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, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants.

⁴ And in Jerusalem dwelt some 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 Pherez;

⁵ and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni.

⁶ All the children of Pherez that dwelt in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.

⁷ And these are the children 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 Isaiah;

⁸ and after him, Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight:

⁹ and Joel the son of Zicri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city.

¹⁰ Of the priests: Jedaiah [the son of] Joiarib, Jachin,

¹¹ Seraiah the son of Hilkijah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God.

¹² And their brethren that did the work of the house, eight hundred and twenty-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;

¹³ and his brethren, chief fathers, two hundred and forty-two; and Amassai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer;

¹⁴ and their brethren, mighty men of valour, a hundred and twenty-eight: and their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Gedolim.

¹⁵ And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

¹⁶ and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, [who were] over the outward work of the house of God;

¹⁷ and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, [who 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:

¹⁸ all the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.

¹⁹ And the doorkeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren, that kept watch at the gates, were a hundred and seventy-two.

²⁰ And the residue of Israel, the priests, [and] the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance.

²¹ And the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel; and Ziha and Gispa were over the Nethinim.

²² And the overseer 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, for the work of the house of God.

²³ For it was the king's commandment concerning them, and there was a settled portion for the singers, due for each day.

²⁴ 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.

²⁵ And as to the hamlets in their fields, [some] of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath-Arba and its dependent villages, and in Dibon and its dependent villages, and in Jekabzeel and its dependent villages,

²⁶ and in Jeshua, and in Moladah, and in Beth-phelet,

²⁷ and in Hazar-Shual, and in Beer-sheba and its dependent villages,

²⁸ and in Ziklag, and in Meconah and its dependent villages;

²⁹ and in En-Rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth,

³⁰ Zanoah, Adullam, and their hamlets, in Lachish and its fields, in Azekah and its dependent villages: and they encamped from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

³¹ And the children of Benjamin from Geba [dwelt] in Michmash and Aija and Bethel, and their dependent villages,

³² in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

³⁵ Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.

³⁶ And of the Levites there were divisions of Judah [dwelling] in Benjamin.

12 And these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

³ Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

⁴ Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

⁵ Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

⁶ Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkijah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

⁸ And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, [who was] over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren;

⁹ and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them as watches.

¹⁰ And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada,

¹¹ and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.

¹² And in the days of Joiakim were priests, chief fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

¹³ of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

¹⁴ of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

¹⁵ of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

¹⁶ of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

¹⁷ of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin [and] Moadiah, Piltai;

¹⁸ of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

¹⁹ and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

²⁰ of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

²¹ of Hilkijah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

²² of the Levites, the chief fathers were recorded in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, and the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian.

²³ The children of Levi, the chief fathers, were recorded in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

²⁴ And the chief 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.

²⁵ Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were doorkeepers keeping the ward at the storehouses of the gates.

²⁶ 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.

²⁷ And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to hold the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, [with] cymbals, lutes and harps.

²⁸ And the children of the singers were assembled, both from the plain [of Jordan] round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites,

²⁹ also from Beth-Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves hamlets round about Jerusalem.

³⁰ And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates and the wall.

³¹ And I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great choirs and processions, on the right hand upon the wall towards the dung-gate.

³² And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah,

³³ and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

³⁴ Judah and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

³⁵ 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;

³⁶ and his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azareel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe before them.

³⁷ And at the fountain-gate, and over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water-gate eastward.

³⁸ And the second choir went in the opposite direction upon the wall, and I after them, and the half of the people, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even to the broad wall;

³⁹ and from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the gate of the old [wall], and above the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even to the sheep-gate; and they stood still in the prison-gate.

⁴⁰ And both choirs stood in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me;

⁴¹ and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets;

⁴² and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud; and Jizrahiah was their overseer.

⁴³ And that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and also the women and the children rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

⁴⁴ And at that time men were appointed over the chambers of the treasures for the heave-offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, out of the fields of the cities, the portions assigned by the law for the priests and the Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests, and over the Levites that waited.

⁴⁵ And, with the singers and the doorkeepers, they kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David [and] of Solomon his son.

⁴⁶ For of old, in the days of David and Asaph, there were the chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgivings to God.

⁴⁷ And all Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the doorkeepers, every day what was needed, and they consecrated things for the Levites; and the Levites consecrated for the children of Aaron.

13 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and there was found written in it that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever;

² because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and with water, and had hired Balaam against them, to curse them; but our God turned the curse into blessing.

³ And it came to pass, when they heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

⁴ And before this, Eliashib the priest, who had the oversight of the chambers of the house of our God, a kinsman of Tobijah,

⁵ had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the oblations, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine and the oil, which was commanded for the Levites and the singers and the doorkeepers, and the heave-offerings of the priests.

⁶ And during all that [time] I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two-and-thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king; and after some time I obtained leave of the king.

⁷ And I came to Jerusalem, and observed the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobijah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

⁸ And it grieved me much, and I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobijah out of the chamber.

⁹ And I commanded, and they purified the chambers; and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, the oblation and the frankincense.

¹⁰ And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given, and that the Levites and the singers that did the work had fled every one to his field.

¹¹ Then I contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their place.

¹² And all Judah brought the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil into the storehouses.

¹³ And I made storekeepers over the storehouses: Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and subordinate to them, Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were esteemed faithful, and their office was to distribute to their brethren.

¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds which I have done for the house of my God, and for the charges thereof!

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah some treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading them on asses; as also wine, grapes and figs, and all manner of burdens; and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I protested in the day on which they sold the victuals.

¹⁶ Men of Tyre also dwelt therein, who brought fish and all manner of ware, and sold it on the sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

¹⁷ And I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this which ye do, profaning the sabbath day?

¹⁸ Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? And ye will bring more wrath against Israel by profaning the sabbath.

¹⁹ And it came to pass, that when it began to be dark in the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut; and I commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath. And I set [some] of my servants at the gates, so that no burden should be brought in on the sabbath day.

²⁰ And the dealers and sellers of all kind of ware passed the night without Jerusalem once or twice.

²¹ And I testified against them, and said to them, Why do ye pass the night before the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came not on the sabbath.

²² And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to hallow the sabbath day. Remember this also for me, my God, and spare me according to thy great loving-kindness!

²³ In those days also I saw Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab.

²⁴ And their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.

²⁵ And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair, and adjured them by God [saying], Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among the many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; but even him did foreign wives cause to sin.

²⁷ And should we hearken to you to do all this great evil, to act unfaithfully to our God by marrying foreign wives?

²⁸ And [one] of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; and I chased him from me.

²⁹ Remember them, my God, for they are polluters of the priesthood, and of the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites!

³⁰ And I purified them from all foreigners, and appointed the charges of the priests and the Levites, every one in his service;

³¹ and for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good!