10 Here are the names of those who put their official marks on the agreement.

²⁸ The rest of the people gathered together. They included the priests, the Levites and the men who guarded the gates. They included the musicians and temple servants. They also included all the people who separated themselves from the surrounding nations to obey the Law of God. All these men brought their wives with them. And they brought all their sons and daughters who were old enough to understand what was being agreed to. ²⁹ All the men joined the nobles of their people. They made a firm agreement. They made a promise and said they would be cursed if they didn’t keep it. They promised to follow the Law of God. It had been given through Moses, the servant of God. They promised to obey carefully all the commands, rules and laws of the Lord our Lord.

³⁰ Here is what the priests, Levites and people said. “We promise not to let our daughters marry men from the nations around us. And we promise not to let their daughters marry our sons.

³¹ “The people around us will bring goods and grain to sell on the Sabbath day. But we won’t buy anything from them on the Sabbath day. In fact, we won’t buy anything from them on any holy day. Every seventh year we won’t farm the land. And we’ll forgive people what they owe us.

³² “We will be accountable for carrying out the commands for serving in the house of our God. Each of us will give an eighth of an ounce of silver every year. ³³ It will pay for the holy bread that is placed on the table in the temple. It will pay for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings. It will pay for the offerings on the Sabbath days. It will pay for the offerings at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed feasts. It will pay for the holy offerings. It will be used for sin offerings to pay for the sins of Israel. It will also pay for everything else that needs to be done at the house of our God.

³⁴ “We are the priests, Levites and people. Each of our families should bring a gift of wood to the house of our God. We have cast lots to decide when they will do that. They will bring it at certain appointed times every year. The wood will be burned on the altar of the Lord our God. That’s what the Law requires.

³⁵ “We will also be accountable for bringing the first share of our crops each year. And we’ll bring the first share of every fruit tree. We’ll bring them to the Lord’s house.

³⁶ “Each of us will bring our oldest son to the priests who serve there. We’ll also bring the male animals that were born first to their mothers among our cattle, herds and flocks. We’ll bring them to the house of our God. That’s what the Law requires.

³⁷ “We will also bring the first part of the meal we grind. We’ll bring the first of our grain offerings. We’ll bring the first share of fruit from all our trees. And we’ll bring the first share of our olive oil and fresh wine. We’ll give all those things to the priests. They’ll put them in the storerooms of the house of our God. And we’ll give a tenth of our crops to the Levites. They collect the tenth shares. They do it in all the towns where we work. ³⁸ A priest from Aaron’s family line must go with the Levites when they receive the tenth shares. And the Levites must bring a tenth of those shares up to the house of our God. They must put it in the rooms where the treasures are stored. ³⁹ The people of Israel, including the Levites, must bring their gifts. They must bring grain, olive oil and fresh wine. They must put them in the storerooms where the objects for the temple are kept. That’s also where the objects are kept for the priests serving at the temple, the musicians and the men who guard the gates.

“We won’t forget to take care of the house of our God.”

People Are Chosen to Live in Jerusalem

11 The leaders of the people made their homes in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots. They did it to choose one person out of every ten of them. That person was chosen to live in the holy city of Jerusalem. The other nine had to stay in their own towns. ² The people thanked everyone who agreed to live in Jerusalem.

³ Here are the leaders from different parts of the country who made their homes in Jerusalem. Some Israelites, priests and Levites lived in the towns of Judah. So did some temple servants and some members of the family lines of Solomon’s servants. All of them lived on their own property in the towns of Judah. ⁴ At the same time, other people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem.

²⁰ The rest of the Israelites were in all the towns of Judah. The priests and Levites were with them. All of them lived on their own family property.

²¹ The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel. Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

²² Uzzi was the chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem. He was the son of Bani. Bani was the son of Hashabiah. Hashabiah was the son of Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Mika. Uzzi was one of the members of Asaph’s family line. They were musicians in charge of the worship services at the house of God. ²³ The musicians received their orders from the Persian king. He told them what they should do every day.

²⁴ Pethahiah worked for the king in all matters that were connected with the people. He was the son of Meshezabel. Meshezabel belonged to the family line of Zerah. Zerah was the son of Judah.

²⁵ Many of the people of Judah lived in villages that had fields around them. Some of them lived in Kiriath Arba and the settlements that were around it. Others lived in Dibon and its settlements. Others lived in Jekabzeel and its villages. ²⁶ Others lived in Jeshua, Moladah and Beth Pelet. ²⁷ Others lived in Hazar Shual and in Beersheba and its settlements. ²⁸ Others lived in Ziklag and in Mekonah and its settlements. ²⁹ Others lived in En Rimmon and Zorah. Others lived in Jarmuth, ³⁰ Zanoah and Adullam and their villages. Others lived in Lachish and its fields. Still others lived in Azekah and its settlements. So the people of Judah were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹ Some of the members of the family line of Benjamin who were from Geba lived in Mikmash. Others lived in Aija and in Bethel and its settlements. ³² Others lived in Anathoth, Nob and Ananiah. ³³ Others lived in Hazor, Ramah and Gittaim. ³⁴ Others lived in Hadid, Zeboim and Neballat. ³⁵ Others lived in Lod and Ono. Still others lived in Ge Harashim.

³⁶ Some of the groups of the Levites from Judah made their homes in the territory of Benjamin.

The Priests and Levites Who Returned to Judah

12 Some priests and Levites returned to Judah with Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. Here are the names of those priests and Levites.

All of them were the leaders of the priests and those who helped them. They lived in the days of Joshua.

⁸ The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah and Judah. There were also Mattaniah and those who helped him. They were in charge of the songs for giving thanks. ⁹ Bakbukiah and Unni helped them. They stood and sang across from them during the services.

¹² Here are the names of the family leaders of the priests. They were the leaders in the days of Joiakim.

²² The names of the family leaders of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua were written down. So were the names of the family leaders of the priests. That happened while Darius ruled over Persia. ²³ The names of the leaders in Levi’s family line up to the time of Johanan were written down. They were written in the official records. Johanan was the son of Eliashib. ²⁴ The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua. Jeshua was the son of Kadmiel. Those who helped them stood across from them to sing praises and give thanks. One group would sing back to the other. That’s what David, the man of God, had ordered.

²⁵ Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub stood at the gates of the temple. They guarded the storerooms at the gates. ²⁶ They served in the days of Joiakim. He was the son of Joshua. Joshua was the son of Jozadak. They also served in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra. Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law.

The Wall of Jerusalem Is Set Apart to God

²⁷ The wall of Jerusalem was set apart to God. For that occasion, the Levites were gathered together from where they lived. They were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate that happy occasion. They celebrated the fact that the wall was being set apart to God. They did it by singing and giving their thanks to him. They celebrated by playing music on cymbals, harps and lyres. ²⁸ The musicians were also brought together. Some of them came in from the area around Jerusalem. Others came from the villages where the people of Netophah lived. ²⁹ Others came from Beth Gilgal. Still others came from the area of Geba and Azmaveth. The musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. ³⁰ The priests and Levites made themselves pure. Then they made the people, the gates and the wall pure and “clean.”

³¹ I, Nehemiah, had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also appointed two large choirs to sing and give thanks. I told one of them to walk south on top of the wall. That was toward the Dung Gate. ³² Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them. ³³ Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah also followed them. ³⁵ Some priests who had trumpets followed them. So did Zechariah. He was the son of Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of Shemaiah. Shemaiah was the son of Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Micaiah. Micaiah was the son of Zakkur. Zakkur was the son of Asaph. ³⁶ Those who helped Zechariah also marched along. They were Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani. They brought musical instruments with them. That’s what David, the man of God, had ordered. Ezra led the group that was marching south. He was the teacher of the Law. ³⁷ At the Fountain Gate they continued straight up the steps of the City of David. The steps went up to the wall. Then the group passed above the place where David’s palace had been. They continued on to the Water Gate on the east.

³⁸ The second choir went north. I followed them on top of the wall. Half of the people went with me. They went past the Tower of the Ovens. They went to the Broad Wall. ³⁹ They marched over the Gate of Ephraim. They went over the Jeshanah Gate and the Fish Gate. They went past the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred. They continued on to the Sheep Gate. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.

⁴⁰ Then the two choirs that sang and gave thanks took their places in God’s house. So did I. So did half of the officials. ⁴¹ And so did the priests. They were Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah. They had their trumpets with them. ⁴² Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer were also there. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. ⁴³ On that day large numbers of sacrifices were offered. The people were glad because God had given them great joy. The women and children were also very happy. The joyful sound in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

Nehemiah Makes Some Final Changes

⁴⁴ At that time some men were put in charge of the storerooms. That’s where all the gifts the people brought were placed. Those gifts included the first shares of their crops. They also included a tenth of everything the Law required. Crops were harvested from the fields around the towns. The people had to bring the shares of those crops that were required by the Law. They gave them to the priests and Levites. That’s because the people of Judah were pleased with the priests and Levites who were serving God. ⁴⁵ The priests and Levites did everything their God wanted them to do. They made things pure and “clean.” The musicians and the men who guarded the temple gates also served God. Everything was done just as David and his son Solomon had commanded. ⁴⁶ A long time ago there had been directors for the musicians. There had also been directors for the songs for giving thanks and praise to God. It was in the time of David and Asaph. ⁴⁷ So now in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all the people of Israel brought their gifts. They gave the musicians and the men who guarded the gates what they were supposed to give them every day. They also set apart the shares for the other Levites. And the Levites set apart the shares for the priests in the family line of Aaron.

13 At that time the Book of Moses was read out loud. All the people heard it. It was written there that no Ammonite or Moabite could ever become a member of God’s community. ² That’s because they hadn’t given the people of Israel food and water. Instead, they had hired Balaam to put a curse on them. But our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ When that law was read, the people of Judah obeyed it. They sent out of Israel everyone who was from another nation.

⁴ Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms in the house of our God. He had worked closely with Tobiah. ⁵ He had also provided a large room for Tobiah. It had been used to store the grain offerings. The incense and the objects for the temple had been put there. And a tenth of the grain, olive oil and fresh wine had been kept there. That’s what the Law required for the Levites. That’s also what it required for the musicians and the men who guarded the temple gates. The gifts for the priests had been kept there too.

⁶ But I wasn’t in Jerusalem while all of that was going on. I had returned to the Persian King Artaxerxes, the king of Babylon. I went to him in the 32nd year of his rule. Some time later I asked him to let me return to Jerusalem. ⁷ When I got back, I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done. He had provided a room for Tobiah. It was in the courtyards of God’s house. ⁸ So I was very unhappy. I threw all of Tobiah’s things out of the room. ⁹ I gave orders to make the rooms pure and “clean” again. Then I put the supplies from God’s house back into them. That included the grain offerings and the incense.

¹⁰ I also learned that the shares the Levites were supposed to receive hadn’t been given to them. So all the Levites and musicians had to leave their regular temple duties. They had to go back and farm their own fields. ¹¹ I gave a warning to the officials. I asked them, “Why aren’t you taking care of God’s house?” Then I brought the Levites and musicians together. I stationed them in their proper places. I put them back to work.

¹² All the people of Judah brought a tenth of the grain, olive oil and fresh wine. They took it to the storerooms. ¹³ I put some men in charge of the storerooms. They were Shelemiah, Zadok and Pedaiah. Shelemiah was a priest. Zadok was a teacher of the law. And Pedaiah was a Levite. I made Hanan their assistant. He was the son of Zakkur. Zakkur was the son of Mattaniah. I knew that these men could be trusted. They were put in charge of handing out the supplies to the other Levites.

¹⁴ You are my God. Remember me because of what I’ve done. I’ve worked faithfully for your temple and its services. So please don’t forget the good things I’ve done.

¹⁵ In those days I saw some people of Judah stomping on grapes in winepresses. They were doing it on the Sabbath day. Other people were bringing in grain. They were loading it on donkeys. Still other people were loading up wine, grapes, figs and other kinds of things. They were bringing all of it into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them not to sell food on that day. ¹⁶ People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish. In fact, they were bringing in all kinds of goods. They were selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. The people of Judah were buying them. ¹⁷ I gave a warning to the nobles of Judah. I said, “Why are you doing such an evil thing? You are misusing the Sabbath day! ¹⁸ Your people of long ago did the very same things. That’s why our God has brought all this trouble on us. That’s why he’s making this city suffer so much. Now you are making him even angrier against Israel. You are misusing the Sabbath day.”

¹⁹ Evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath day started. So I ordered the gates to be shut. They had to remain closed until the Sabbath day was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates. I told them not to let anything be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ Once or twice some traders and sellers spent the night outside Jerusalem. They were hoping to sell all kinds of goods. ²¹ But I gave them a warning. I said, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do this again, I’ll arrest you.” So from that time on they didn’t come on the Sabbath day anymore. ²² I commanded the Levites to make themselves pure. Then I told them to go and guard the gates. I wanted the Sabbath day to be kept holy.

You are my God. Remember me because of the good things I’ve done. Be kind to me according to your great love.

²³ In those days I also saw that some men of Judah had married women from Ashdod. Others had married women from Ammon or Moab. ²⁴ Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. Or they spoke the language of one of the other nations. They didn’t even know how to speak the language of Judah. ²⁵ So I gave them a warning. I cursed them. I beat up some of them. I pulled their hair out. I had them make a promise in God’s name. I said, “You must promise not to give your daughters to be married to their sons. You must promise not to let their daughters marry your sons. And you must not marry their daughters either. ²⁶ That’s how Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned. He married women from other nations. There wasn’t a king like him anywhere. His God loved him. In fact, God made him king over the whole nation of Israel. But even he was led into sin by women from other lands. ²⁷ Now I hear that you too are doing all of the same terrible and evil things. You aren’t being faithful to our God. You are marrying women from other lands.”

²⁸ One of the sons of Joiada was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Joiada, the son of Eliashib, was the high priest. I drove Joiada’s son away from me.

²⁹ You are my God. Remember what those priests have done. They have brought shame to their own work. They have also brought shame to the covenant that God made with the priests and Levites long ago.

³⁰ So I made the priests and Levites pure. I made them pure from every practice that had come from other countries and had made them impure. I gave them their duties. Each one had his own job to do. ³¹ I also made plans for gifts of wood to be brought at certain appointed times. And I made plans for the first share of the crops to be brought.

You are my God. Please remember me with kindness.