ESDRAS II
Chapter 1
1 And in the first year
of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord from the mouth of
Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
the Persians, and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also in
writing, saying:
2 Thus says Cyrus king
of the Persians: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given
me, and he himself has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is
in Judea.
3 Who is there among
you of all his people? His God shall be with him, and let him go up to
Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and let him build the house of the God of Israel.
4 And let everyone who
remains, from all the places where he sojourns, the men of his place shall
assist him with silver and gold and goods and cattle, along with the freewill
offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
5 And the heads of the
fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin arose, and the priests and the Levites,
all whose spirit God had stirred to go up to build the house of the Lord which
is in Jerusalem.
6 And all those round
about strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods
and with cattle and with gifts, besides the freewill offerings.
7 And King Cyrus
brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had
taken from Jerusalem and had put in the house of his god,
8 and Cyrus king of the
Persians brought them out by the hand of Mithradates the treasurer, and he
counted them out to Sassabasar the prince of Judah.
9 And this is their
number: thirty golden basins and a thousand silver basins, twenty-nine changed
ones,
10 thirty golden bowls
and two hundred silver ones, and a thousand other vessels.
11 All the vessels of
gold and of silver were five thousand four hundred, all going up with
Sassabasar from the captivity, out of Babylon to Jerusalem.
Chapter 2
1 And these are the
sons of the province who went up from the captivity of the exile, whom
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon; and they returned
to Jerusalem and Judah, each man to his own city,
2 those who came with
Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar,
Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
3 the sons of Parosh,
two thousand one hundred seventy-two.
4 The sons of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
5 The sons of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.
6 The sons of Pahath-moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab,
two thousand eight hundred twelve.
7 The sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
8 The sons of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five.
9 The sons of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.
10 The sons of Bani, six hundred forty-two.
11 The sons of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three.
12 The sons of Azgad, three thousand two hundred
twenty-two.
13 The sons of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six.
14 The sons of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six.
15 The sons of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.
16 The sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
17 The sons of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three.
18 The sons of Jorah, one hundred twelve.
19 The sons of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three.
20 The sons of Gibbar, ninety-five.
21 The sons of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three. 22 The
sons of Netophah, fifty-six.
23 The sons of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.
24 The sons of Azmaveth, forty-two.
25 The sons of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth,
seven hundred forty-three.
26 The sons of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
27 The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.
28 The men of Bethel and Ai, four hundred twenty-three.
29 The sons of Nebo, fifty-two.
30 The sons of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six.
31 The sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred
fifty-four.
32 The sons of Harim, three hundred twenty.
33 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred
twenty-five.
34 The sons of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.
35 The sons of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.
36 And the priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of
Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
37 The sons of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.
38 The sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred
forty-seven.
39 The sons of Harim, one thousand seven.
40 And the Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the
sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred
twenty-eight.
42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the
sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the
sons of Shobai, in all one hundred thirty-nine.
43 The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the
sons of Tabbaoth,
44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon,
45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of
Akkub,
46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of
Hanan,
47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of
Reaiah,
48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of
Gazzam,
49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,
50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of
Nephisim,
51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of
Harhur,
52 the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of
Harsha,
53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of
Temah,
54 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
55 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the
sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda,
56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of
Giddel,
57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of
Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Ami.
58 All the Nethinim and the sons of Solomon's servants were
three hundred ninety-two.
59 And these were they who went up from Tel-melah,
Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they could not declare their fathers'
house and their seed, whether they were of Israel:
60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of
Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two.
61 And of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the
sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of
Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name.
62 These sought their register among those who were
enrolled by genealogy, and they were not found; and they were excluded from the
priesthood,
63 and the Tirshatha said to them that they should not eat
of the most holy things until a priest should arise with Urim and Thummim.
64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three
hundred sixty,
65 besides their menservants and their maidservants, of
whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two
hundred singing men and singing women.
66 Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six, their mules
two hundred forty-five,
67 their camels four hundred thirty-five, their asses six
thousand seven hundred twenty.
68 And some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they
came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the
house of God, to set it up on its foundation;
69 according to their ability they gave into the treasury
of the work pure gold, sixty-one thousand minas, and silver, five thousand
minas, and one hundred priests' garments.
70 And the priests and the Levites and some of the people,
and the singers and the gatekeepers and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities,
and all Israel in their cities.
Chapter 3
1 And the seventh month arrived and the sons of
Israel were in their cities and the people were gathered together as one man to
Jerusalem.
2 And Jesus the son of Josedek arose, and his brothers the
priests, and Zorobabel the son of Salathiel and his brothers, and they built
the altar of the God of Israel, to offer upon it whole burnt offerings
according to what is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
3 And they set up the altar upon its place, for they were
in terror of the peoples of the lands, and a whole burnt offering went up upon
it to the Lord in the morning and in the evening.
4 And they kept the feast of tabernacles according to what
is written, and whole burnt offerings day by day in number, according to the
ordinance, the matter of each day in its day;
5 and after this, the continual whole burnt offerings, and
those for the new moons and for all the sanctified feasts, and for everyone
offering a freewill offering to the Lord.
6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer
whole burnt offerings to the Lord; but the house of the Lord had not been
founded.
7 And they gave money to the stonecutters and to the
carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, to
bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant of
Cyrus king of the Persians to them.
8 And in the second year of their coming to the house of
God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zorobabel the son of Salathiel began,
and Jesus the son of Josedek, and the rest of their brothers the priests and
the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem; and they
appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, over those doing the
work in the house of the Lord.
9 And Jesus stood, and his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel
and his sons, the sons of Judah, over those doing the work in the house of God,
the sons of Enadad, their sons and their brothers the Levites.
10 And they laid the foundation to build the house of the
Lord, and the priests stood arrayed in their vestments with trumpets, and the
Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the
direction of David king of Israel.
11 And they answered with praise and thanksgiving to the
Lord: for he is good, for his mercy endures forever upon Israel. And all the
people shouted with a great voice to praise the Lord at the laying of the
foundation of the house of the Lord.
12 And many of the priests and the Levites and the chiefs
of the fathers' houses, the elders, who had seen the first house on its
foundation, and this house before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and the
multitude shouted with joy to raise up a song.
13 And the people could not distinguish the sound of the
shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people cried
out with a great voice, and the sound was heard even from afar.
Chapter 4
1 And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard
that the children of the captivity were building a house to the Lord God of
Israel,
2 and they drew near to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the
fathers' houses and said to them, "We will build with you, for as you do,
we seek your God, and we have sacrificed to him from the days of Esarhaddon
king of Assyria, who brought us here."
3 And Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of
the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "It is not for us and you
together to build a house to our God, for we ourselves together will build to
the Lord our God, as Cyrus the king of the Persians commanded us."
4 And the people of the land were weakening the hands of
the people of Judah and hindering them from building,
5 and hiring counselors against them to frustrate their
purpose all the days of Cyrus king of the Persians, and until the reign of
Darius king of the Persians.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his
reign, they wrote a letter against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes, Tabeel wrote in peace to
Mithredath, together with the rest of his fellow servants, to Artaxerxes king
of the Persians; the tax collector wrote a writing in Syrian, and translated.
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote one
letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king.
9 Thus judged Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe
and the rest of our fellow servants, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the
Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites,
10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and honorable
Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria, and the rest beyond the
river.
11 This is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:
"To Artaxerxes the king, your servants, the men beyond the river.
12 Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from
you to us have come to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and wicked
city, and its walls are being completed, and they have raised up its
foundations.
13 Now therefore be it known to the king that if that city
be rebuilt and its walls completed, there will be no tribute for you, nor will they
pay any; and this harms kings.
14 And it is not lawful for us to see the king's dishonor;
therefore we have sent and made it known to the king,
15 that search may be made in the book of records of your
fathers, and you will find and know that that city is a rebellious city,
harmful to kings and provinces, and that refuges of slaves have been in the
midst of it from times of old; for this reason that city was laid waste.
16 We therefore make known to the king that if that city be
built and its walls completed, you will have no peace."
17 And the king sent to Rehum the commander and Shimshai
the scribe and the rest of their fellow servants dwelling in Samaria, and the
rest beyond the river, peace; and he says:
18 "The tax collector whom you sent to us was called
before me.
19 And a decree was issued by me, and we searched and found
that that city from days of old has risen up against kings, and rebellions and
refuges occur in it,
20 and there have been mighty kings over Jerusalem, ruling
over all the region west of the river, and full tribute and toll was given to
them.
21 And now make a decree to stop those men, and that city
shall not be built again, so that in accordance with the decree
22 you may be careful not to be slack in this matter, lest
destruction increase to the harm of kings."
23 Then the tax collector of Artaxerxes the king read it
before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their fellow servants; and they went
in haste to Jerusalem and into Judah, and stopped them with horses and a force.
24 Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased,
and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius
king of the Persians.
Chapter 5
1 Then Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo
prophesied a prophecy to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name
of the God of Israel over them.
2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son
of Jozadak arose and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem, and
with them were the prophets of God helping them.
3 At that same time Tattenai, the governor beyond the
river, came to them, and Shethar-bozenai and their fellow servants, and they
said such things to them: Who gave you a decree to build this house and to
complete this provision?
4 Then they said these things to them: What are the names
of the men who are building this city?
5 And the eyes of God were upon the captivity of Judah, and
they did not stop them until the matter was reported to Darius; and then a
reply was sent to the tax collector concerning this.
6 The copy of the letter which Tattenai, the governor of
the region beyond the river, and Shethar-bozenai and their fellow servants, the
Apharsachites who were beyond the river, sent to Darius the king;
7 they sent a report to him, and this was written in it: To
Darius the king, all peace.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the land of
Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built with choice stones,
and timber is being laid in the walls, and that work is being done diligently
and prospers in their hands.
9 Then we questioned those elders and said thus to them:
Who gave you a decree to build this house and to complete this provision?
10 And we asked them their names, to make them known to
you, so as to write to you the names of the men who are their leaders.
11 And they answered us with a word of this kind, saying:
We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house
which had been built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built
it and completed it
12 for them. But from the time when our fathers provoked
the God of heaven to anger, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king
of Babylon, the Chaldean, and he destroyed this house and carried the people
away to Babylon.
13 But in the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king
issued a decree that this house of God be built.
14 And the vessels of the house of God, of gold and of
silver, which Nebuchadnezzar carried off from the house that was in Jerusalem
and brought them into the temple of the king, Cyrus the king brought them out
from the temple of the king and gave them to Sheshbazzar the treasurer, who was
over the treasury,
15 and said to him: Take all the vessels and go, place them
in the house that is in Jerusalem, in their own place.
16 Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of
the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been
under construction and has not been finished.
17 And now, if it seems good to the king, let search be
made in the treasure house of the king of Babylon, so that you may know that a
decree was issued by King Cyrus to build that house of God which is in
Jerusalem; and when the king has learned about this, let him send word to
us.
Chapter 6
1 Then Darius the king issued a decree, and search was made
in the archives, where the treasure is stored in Babylon.
2 And there was found in a city, in the citadel of the city
of the Medes, one scroll, and this memorandum was written in it:
3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king
issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be
built, and the place where they sacrifice the sacrifices; and he set its
elevation at a height of sixty cubits, its breadth sixty cubits;
4 and three courses of strong stones, and one course of
timber; and the expense shall be given from the king's house;
5 and the vessels of the house of God, the silver and the
gold, which Nebuchadnezzar carried away from the house in Jerusalem and brought
to Babylon, let them also be given and go to the temple in Jerusalem, to the
place where they were set in the house of God.
6 Now therefore, you governors beyond the river,
Shethar-bozenai and their fellow servants the Apharsachites who are beyond the
river, keep far away from there;
7 leave the work of the house of God alone; let the leaders
of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build that house of God upon its place.
8 And a decree has been issued by me, that you should never
do anything against the elders of the Jews in the building of that house of
God; and from the king's property, from the tributes beyond the river, let the
expense be carefully given to those men, that they be not hindered;
9 and whatever is lacking, both young bulls and rams and
lambs for whole burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, oil,
according to the word of the priests in Jerusalem, let it be given to them day
by day, whatever they request,
10 so that they may offer sweet-smelling sacrifices to the
God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons.
11 And a decree has been issued by me, that any man who
shall alter this word, a beam shall be torn down from his house, and he shall
be set upright and fastened upon it, and his house shall be dealt with as far
as concerns me.
12 And may God, whose name dwells there, overthrow every
king and people who shall stretch out his hand to alter or destroy that house
of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued a decree; let it be done with diligence.
13 Then Tattenai, governor beyond the river,
Shethar-bozenai, and his fellow servants did with diligence according to what
Darius the king had sent.
14 And the elders of the Jews built, along with the
Levites, at the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of
Iddo; and they built and completed it by the decree of the God of Israel and by
the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of the Persians.
15 And they finished this house by the third day of the
month Adar, which is the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
16 And the sons of Israel, the priests and the Levites and
the rest of the sons of the exile, held the dedication of the house of God with
joy.
17 And they offered for the dedication of the house of God
a hundred calves, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, twelve he-goats of the
goats as a sin offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes
of Israel.
18 And they set the priests in their divisions and the
Levites in their courses for the service of God who is in Jerusalem, according
to the writing of the book of Moses.
19 And the sons of the exile kept the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites had been purified, all
of them to a man were pure; and they slaughtered the Passover for all the sons
of the exile, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
21 And the sons of Israel ate the Passover—those from the
exile and everyone who separated himself to them from the uncleanness of the
nations of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel.
22 And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days
with joy, because the Lord had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of
the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the works of the
house of the God of Israel.
Chapter 7
1 And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes
king of the Persians, Ezra went up, the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of
Hilkiah,
2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,
4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of
Aaron the first priest.
6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe
skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the
king granted him his request, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him in
all things that he sought.
7 And some of the sons of Israel went up, and some of the
priests and of the Levites, and the singers and the gatekeepers and the
Nathinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
8 And they came to Jerusalem in the fifth month; this was
the seventh year of the king.
9 For on the first day of the first month he laid the
foundation of the journey up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth
month they came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was upon him.
10 For Ezra had set it in his heart to seek the law and to
do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
11 And this is the copy of the decree which Artaxerxes gave
to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the book of the words of the commandments of
the Lord and of his statutes concerning Israel:
12 "Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra, scribe of the
law of the God of heaven: the word and the answer are completed.
13 A decree has been made by me, that everyone in my
kingdom of the people of Israel and of the priests and Levites who freely
offers to go to Jerusalem may go with you.
14 One is sent from the presence of the king and the seven
counselors to inquire concerning Judea and Jerusalem, according to the law of
their God which is in your hand,
15 and to bring to the house of the Lord silver and gold,
which the king and the counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel who
dwells in Jerusalem,
16 and all silver and gold, whatever you find in all the
land of Babylon, together with the freewill offering of the people and of the
priests who offer freely for the house of God which is in Jerusalem;
17 and everything that comes in, enter it readily in this
book—bulls, rams, lambs, and their sacrifices and their libations—and you shall
offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 And whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do
with the rest of the silver and gold, do as is pleasing to your God.
19 And the vessels given to you for the service of the
house of God, deliver them before God in Jerusalem.
20 And whatever else is needed for the house of your God,
whatever seems fitting to you to give, you shall give from the king's treasure
houses.
21 And by me, I, Artaxerxes the king, have made a decree to
all the treasuries that are beyond the river, that whatever Ezra the priest and
scribe of the law of the God of heaven asks of you shall be done promptly,
22 up to a hundred talents of silver, and up to a hundred
cors of wheat, and up to a hundred baths of wine, and up to a hundred baths of
oil, and salt without written limit.
23 Whatever is by decree of the God of heaven, let it be
done. Take care that no one lay hands on the house of the God of heaven, lest
wrath come upon the kingdom of the king and of his sons.
24 And it is made known to you: as for all the priests and
the Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nathinim, and ministers of this house of
God, let there be no tribute upon them; you shall not have authority to enslave
them.
25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of God that is in
your hand, appoint scribes and judges, that they may judge all the people
beyond the river, all who know the law of your God; and to him who does not
know it, you shall make it known.
26 And everyone who does not readily do the law of God and
the law of the king, judgment shall be executed upon him, whether unto death,
or unto correction, or unto forfeiture of goods, or unto imprisonment."
27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has
thus put it into the heart of the king to glorify the house of the Lord which
is in Jerusalem,
28 and has extended mercy to me in the eyes of the king and
of his counselors and of all the exalted rulers of the king. And I was
strengthened, since the good hand of God was upon me, and I gathered leaders
from Israel to go up with me.
Chapter 8
1 And these are the heads of their fathers' houses, the
leaders who went up with me in the reign of Arthasastha the king of Babylon:
2 of the sons of Phinees, Gersom; of the sons of Ithamar,
Daniel; of the sons of David, Atous;
3 of the sons of Sachania, of the sons of Phoros,
Zacharias, and with him a company of one hundred and fifty;
4 of the sons of Phaathmoab, Eliana son of Zaraia, and with
him two hundred males;
5 of the sons of Zathoes, Sechenias son of Aziel, and with
him three hundred males;
6 and of the sons of Adin, Obeth son of Jonathan, and with
him fifty males;
7 and of the sons of Elam, Iesia son of Athelia, and with
him seventy males;
8 and of the sons of Saphatia, Zabdia son of Michael, and
with him eighty males;
9 and of the sons of Joab, Abadia son of Jiel, and with him
two hundred eighteen males;
10 and of the sons of Baani, Salimouth son of Josephia, and
with him one hundred sixty males;
11 and of the sons of Babi, Zacharia son of Babi, and with
him seventy-eight males;
12 and of the sons of Asgad, Joanan son of Akatan, and with
him one hundred ten males;
13 and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, and these
are their names: Aliphalat, Jiel, and Samaia, and with them sixty males;
14 and of the sons of Bago, Outhi, and with him seventy
males.
15 And I gathered them to the river that comes to Evi, and
we encamped there three days. And I took note among the people and among the
priests, and I found none there of the sons of Levi.
16 And I sent to Eleazar, to Ariel, to Samaia and to Alonam
and to Jarib and to Elnathan and to Nathan and to Zacharia and to Mesoulam,
men, and to Joarib and to Elnathan, men of understanding,
17 and I brought them out to the ruler at the silver of the
place, and I put words in their mouth to speak to their brothers the Nathinim
at the silver of the place, that they should bring to us singers for the house
of our God.
18 And they came to us, since the good hand of our God was
upon us, a man of understanding from the sons of Mooli, son of Levi, son of Israel;
and at the first there came his sons and his brothers, eighteen;
19 and Asebia and Osaia from the sons of Merari, his
brothers and their sons, twenty;
20 and from the Nathinim, whom David and the rulers had
given for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nathinim; all were
gathered by name.
21 And I proclaimed a fast there at the river Aoue, that we
might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us
and for our children and for all our possessions.
22 For I was ashamed to ask from the king a force and
horsemen to save us from an enemy on the way, for we had spoken to the king,
saying, The hand of our God is upon all who seek him for good, and his might
and his wrath are upon all who forsake him.
23 And we fasted and sought from our God concerning this,
and he heard us. 24 And I set apart twelve from the leaders of the priests, for
Saraia, Asabia, and with them ten of their brothers,
25 and I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and
the vessels of the firstfruits of the house of our God, which the king and his
counselors and his rulers and all Israel who were found had offered up.
26 And I weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty
talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels, and one hundred talents of
gold,
27 and twenty gold kaphoure, worth a thousand chamanim for
the way, and vessels of fine gleaming bronze, various, as desirable as gold.
28 And I said to them, You are holy to the Lord, and the
vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the
Lord, the God of your fathers;
29 be watchful and keep them until you stand before the
leaders of the priests and the Levites and the heads of the fathers' houses in
Jerusalem, at the chambers of the house of the Lord.
30 And the priests and the Levites received the weight of
the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the
house of our God.
31 And we set out from the river Aoue on the twelfth of the
first month, to come to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and he
delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the adversary on the way.
32 And we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.
33 And it came to pass on the fourth day we weighed the
silver and the gold and the vessels in the house of our God into the hand of
Merimoth son of Ouria the priest and with him Eleazar son of Phinees, and with
them Jozabad son of Jesus and Noadia son of Banaia, the Levites
34 everything by number and by weight, and the whole weight
was written down. At that time
35 those who came from the captivity, the sons of the
exile, offered whole burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve calves for
all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve he-goats for sin, all
whole burnt offerings to the Lord.
36 And they gave the king's decree to the king's
administrators and the governors beyond the river, and they honored the people
and the house of God.
Chapter 9
1 And when these things were finished, the rulers drew near
to me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have
not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands in their abominations,
from the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the
Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite;
2 for they have taken of their daughters for themselves and
for their sons, and the holy seed has been mingled among the peoples of the
lands; and the hand of the rulers has been first in this faithlessness."
3 And when I heard this word, I tore my garments and
trembled, and I plucked out some of the hair of my head and of my beard, and
sat down mourning.
4 And there gathered to me everyone who followed the word
of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the exiles; and I sat
mourning until the evening sacrifice.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from my
humiliation; and when I had torn my garments and trembled, I bowed upon my
knees and spread out my hands to the Lord God,
6 and I said, "Lord, I am ashamed and confounded to
lift up my face to you, for our iniquities have multiplied above our heads, and
our transgressions have grown great, even to heaven.
7 From the days of our fathers we have been in great
transgression until this day; and for our iniquities we, and our kings, and our
sons have been given into the hand of the kings of the nations, by the sword,
and by captivity, and by plunder, and by shame of our face, as at this day.
8 And now the Lord our God has dealt gently with us, so as
to leave us a remnant for salvation, and to give us a firm place in his holy
place, to enlighten our eyes and to give us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 For we are slaves, yet in our bondage the Lord our God
has not forsaken us, but has extended mercy to us before the kings of the Persians,
to give us reviving, that they might raise up the house of our God and restore
its desolations, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 What shall we say, O our God, after this? For we have
forsaken your commandments,
11 which you gave us by the hand of your servants the
prophets, saying, 'The land into which you go to inherit it is a land defiled
by the defilement of the peoples of the nations, in their abominations, with which
they have filled it from one end to the other with their uncleannesses.
12 Now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons,
nor take of their daughters for your sons, and you shall never seek their peace
or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the
land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'
13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds
and for our great transgression, for there is none like our God, for you have lightened
our iniquities and given us salvation;
14 for we have turned back to break your commandments and
to intermarry with the peoples of the lands: do not be angered against us to
the point of destruction, so that there be no remnant nor any who escape.
15 O Lord, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are
left as survivors, as at this day. Behold, we are before you in our
transgressions, for it is not possible to stand before you because of
this."
Chapter 10
1 And while Ezra was praying, and while he was making
confession, weeping and praying before the house of God, there gathered to him
from Israel a very great assembly, men and women and young men; for the people
wept, and lifted up their voice in weeping.
2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam,
answered and said to Ezra, "We have broken faith with our God and have
taken foreign wives from the peoples of the land; and now there is hope for
Israel concerning this.
3 And now let us make a covenant with our God to cast out
all the wives and those born of them, as you will; arise, and make them fear by
the commandments of our God, and let it be done according to the law.
4 Arise, for the matter rests upon you, and we are with
you; be strong and act."
5 And Ezra arose and made the leaders, the priests and
Levites and all Israel swear to do according to this word; and they swore.
6 And Ezra arose from before the house of God and went to
the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, and went there; he ate no bread
and drank no water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exile.
7 And they made proclamation in Judah and in Jerusalem to
all the sons of the exile, that they should gather together at Jerusalem,
8 and that whoever should not come within three days,
according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property should
be placed under a ban, and he himself should be separated from the assembly of
the exile.
9 And all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at
Jerusalem within the three days—this was the ninth month; on the twentieth of
the month all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling
because of the matter and because of the winter rain.
10 And Ezra the priest arose and said to them, "You
have broken faith and have taken foreign wives, to add to the guilt of Israel.
11 And now give praise to the Lord, the God of your
fathers, and do what is pleasing before him, and separate yourselves from the
peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."
12 And all the assembly answered and said, "This word
of yours is great for us to do;
13 but the people are many, and the season is winter, and
there is no strength to stand outside; and the work is not for one day nor for
two, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.
14 Let our leaders now stand for the whole assembly, and
let all those in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed
times, and with them the elders of each city and its judges, to turn away the
fierce anger of our God from us concerning this matter."
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of
Tikvah stood with me concerning this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite
supported them.
16 And the sons of the exile did so. And Ezra the priest
and men who were heads of fathers' houses were set apart, according to their house,
and all of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month
to examine the matter.
17 And they finished with all the men who had taken foreign
wives by the first day of the first month.
18 And there were found among the sons of the priests some
who had taken foreign wives: of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his
brothers, Maaseiah and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah,
19 and they gave their hand to put away their wives, and,
being guilty, a ram of the flock for their guilt;
20 and of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah;
21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah and Elijah and
Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah;
22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah and
Ishmael and Nethanel and Jozabad and Elasah.
23 And of the Levites: Jozabad and Shimei and Kelaiah (that
is, Kelita) and Pethahiah and Judah and Eliezer;
24 and of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers:
Shallum and Telem and Uri.
25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah and Izziah
and Malchijah and Mijamin and Eleazar and Hashabiah and Benaiah;
26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah and Zechariah and
Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Elijah;
27 and of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah
and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza;
28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah and
Zabbai, Athlai;
29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah,
Jashub and Sheal and Ramoth;
30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah,
Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel and Binnui and Manasseh;
31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah,
Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah;
33 and of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad,
Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei;
34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai; and they did so,
38 the sons of Binnui and the sons of Shimei,
39 and Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel and Shelemiah and Shemariah
42 and Shallum, Amariah, Joseph;
43 of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina,
Jaddai and Joel and Benaiah.
44 All these had taken foreign wives, and had begotten sons
by them.
Chapter 11
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hachaliah. And it came to
pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, that I was in Susa the
citadel,
2 and Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and men of
Judah, and I asked them about those who had been saved, who were left from the
captivity, and about Jerusalem.
3 And they said to me, "Those remaining, who were left
from the captivity there in the land, are in great distress and in reproach,
and the walls of Jerusalem are torn down, and its gates have been burned with
fire."
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, I sat down
and wept and mourned for days, and I was fasting and praying before the God of
heaven,
5 and I said, "I beseech you, Lord, God of heaven, the
mighty, the great and the fearsome one, who keeps the covenant and mercy with
those who love him and with those who keep his commandments:
6 let your ear now be attentive and your eyes open to hear
the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you today, day and night, concerning
the sons of Israel your servants, and I confess the sins of the sons of Israel,
which we have sinned against you. Both I and my father's house have sinned.
7 We have utterly broken faith with you, and we have not
kept the commandments and the ordinances and the judgments which you commanded
Moses your servant.
8 Remember now the word which you commanded Moses your
servant, saying, 'If you break faith, I will scatter you among the peoples;
9 and if you return to me and keep my commandments and do
them, though your dispersion be from the farthest end of heaven, from there I
will gather them and bring them into the place which I have chosen to make my
name dwell there.'
10 And they are your servants and your people, whom you
redeemed by your great power and by your mighty hand.
11 I beseech you, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the
prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear
your name, and prosper your servant today, and grant him mercies before this
man." And I was cupbearer to the king.
Chapter 12
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth
year of King Artaxerxes, that the wine was before me, and I took the wine and
gave it to the king, and there was no other before him.
2 And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, and
you are not at ease? This is nothing but sadness of heart." And I was very
greatly afraid.
3 And I said to the king, "Let the king live forever!
Why should my face not be sad, since the city, the house of the tombs of my
fathers, has been laid waste, and its gates have been devoured by fire?"
4 And the king said to me, "Concerning what do you
make this request?" And I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 and I said to the king, "If it seems good to the
king, and if your servant finds favor before you, send him to Judah, to the
city of the tombs of my fathers, and I will rebuild it."
6 And the king said to me and the concubine was sitting
beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you
return?" And it seemed good before the king, and he sent me, and I gave
him a set time.
7 And I said to the king, "If it seems good to the
king, let him give me letters to the governors beyond the river, so that they
may let me pass through until I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest,
so that he may give me timber to roof the gates and for the wall of the city
and for the house into which I shall enter." And the king gave it to me,
according to the good hand of God.
9 And I came to the governors beyond the river and gave
them the king's letters. And the king sent with me captains of the army and
horsemen.
10 And Sanaballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite
servant heard of it, and it was grievous to them that a man had come to seek
good for the sons of Israel.
11 And I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
12 And I arose by night, I and a few men with me; and I
told no one what God was putting into my heart to do for Israel, and there was
no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.
13 And I went out by the gate of Golela, toward the mouth
of the fountain of the fig trees and to the dung gate, and I was inspecting the
wall of Jerusalem, which they were breaking down, and its gates had been
devoured by fire.
14 And I passed on to the gate of Ain and to the king's
pool, and there was no place for the animal to pass under me.
15 And I was going up by the wall of the ravine at night,
and I was inspecting the wall. And I was at the gate of the valley, and I
returned.
16 And the watchmen did not know where I had gone or what I
was doing; and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the
officers, and the rest who were doing the work.
17 And I said to them, "You see the distress in which
we are, how Jerusalem is desolate and its gates have been given over to fire.
Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall no longer be a
reproach."
18 And I told them of the hand of God, which was good upon
me, and the words of the king which he had spoken to me. And I said, "Let
us arise and build." And their hands were strengthened for good.
19 And Sanaballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite
servant and Gesham the Arab heard of it, and they mocked us and came against us
and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the
king?"
20 And I answered them and said to them, "The God of
heaven, he will prosper us, and we, his pure servants, will build; but you have
no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem."
Chapter 13
1 And Eliashib the high priest arose, and his brothers the
priests, and they built the sheep gate; they themselves sanctified it and set
up its doors, and they sanctified it as far as the tower of the hundred, as far
as the tower of Hananel,
2 and next to them the sons of the men of Jericho, and next
to them the sons of Zaccur son of Amari.
3 And the sons of Hassenaah built the fish gate; they
roofed it and set up its doors and its bolts and its bars.
4 And next to them repaired Meremoth of Ramoth, son of
Uriah son of Hakkoz. And next to them repaired Meshullam son of Berechiah son
of Meshezabel. And next to them repaired Zadok son of Baana.
5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles
did not put their neck into their service.
6 And the gate of Jeshanah was repaired by Joiada son of
Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah; they roofed it and set up its doors and
its bolts and its bars.
8 And next to them repaired Hananiah son of Rokeim, and
they left Jerusalem as far as the broad wall.
9 And next to them repaired Rephaiah, ruler of half the
district of Jerusalem.
10 And next to them repaired Jedaiah son of Harumaph, even
opposite his own house. And next to him repaired Hattush son of Hashabneiah.
11 And a second section was repaired by Malchijah son of
Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab, as far as the tower of the ovens.
12 And next to him repaired Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler
of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
13 The gate of the valley was repaired by Hanun and the
inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it and set up its doors and its bolts and its
bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the dung gate.
14 And the dung gate was repaired by Malchijah son of
Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, he and his sons, and they
covered it and set up its doors and its bolts and its bars.
15 And the wall of the pool of the fleeces by the king's
shearing-place, and as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David.
16 After him repaired Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half
the district of Beth-zur, as far as the garden of the tomb of David, and as far
as the pool that had been made, and as far as Beth-haggibborim.
17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum son of Bani. Next
to him repaired Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his
district.
18 After him their brothers repaired: Binnui son of
Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah.
19 And next to him repaired Azzur son of Jeshua, ruler of
Mizpah, a second section, of the tower of the ascent that joins the corner.
20 After him repaired Baruch son of Zabbai a second
section, from the corner as far as the door of the house of Eliashib the high
priest.
21 After him repaired Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz a
second section, 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
Hakkechar.
23 And after him repaired Benjamin and Hasshub opposite
their house. After him repaired Azariah son of Maaseiah son of Ananiah beside
his house.
24 After him repaired Bani son of Henadad a second section,
from the house of Azariah as far as the corner and as far as the turning
25 of Palal son of Uzai, opposite the corner, and the tower
projecting from the king's house, the upper one, that of the court of the
guard. And after him Pedaiah son of Parosh.
26 And the temple servants were dwelling in Ophel as far as
the garden of the water gate toward the east, and the projecting tower.
27 After him the Tekoites repaired a second section,
opposite the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the horse gate the priests repaired, each man
opposite his own house.
29 After him repaired Zadok son of Immer opposite his own
house. And after him repaired Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, keeper of the east
gate.
30 After him repaired Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun
the sixth son of Zalaph a second section. After him repaired Meshullam son of
Berechiah opposite his treasury.
31 After him repaired Malchijah, son of the goldsmith, as
far as the house of the temple servants, and the merchants opposite the gate of
the Muster, and as far as the ascent of the turning.
32 And between the ascent of the sheep gate the
bronzesmiths and the merchants repaired.
33 And it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were
building the wall, that it was evil to him, and he was greatly enraged and
mocked at the Jews.
34 And he said before his brothers, "Is this the power
of Samaria, that these Jews are building their own city?"
35 And Tobiah the Ammonite came beside him, and they said
to one another, "Will they sacrifice or eat in their place? Will not a fox
go up and pull down their wall of stones?"
36 Hear, O our God, for we have become an object of
derision; and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them over
to derision in a land of captivity,
37 and do not cover over their iniquity.
Chapter 14
1 And it came to pass, when Sanaballat and Tobia and the
Arabs and the Ammanites heard that the walls of Jerusalem had grown up, that
the breaches had begun to be stopped up, that it appeared very evil to them.
2 And they all gathered together to come and array
themselves against Jerusalem.
3 And we prayed to our God and set watchmen against them
day and night because of them.
4 And Judah said, The strength of the enemies is broken,
and the rubbish is much, and we shall not be able to build on the wall.
5 And those who afflicted us said, They shall not know and
shall not see until we come into their midst and slay them and put a stop to
the work.
6 And it came to pass, when the Jews who dwelt near them
came and said to us, They are coming up against us from all the places,
7 that I stationed men in the lowest parts of the place,
behind the wall, in the sheltered spots; and I stationed the people by families
with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
8 And I looked and rose up and said to the nobles and to
the officers and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them; remember our
God, the great and terrible, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your
daughters, your wives and your houses.
9 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was
known to us, that God frustrated their counsel; and we all returned to the
wall, every man to his work.
10 And it came to pass from that day, half of those who had
been drawn out did the work, and half of them held fast; and there were spears
and shields and bows and breastplates, and the rulers were behind all the house
of Judah,
11 those who were building on the wall. And those who
carried burdens were under arms: with one hand each did the work, and with the
other held the missile.
12 And the builders, each man had his sword girded on his
loins as they built, and he who sounded the horn was beside him.
13 And I said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the
rest of the people, The work is wide and great, and we are scattered on the
wall, each man far from his brother;
14 in whatever place you hear the sound of the horn, there
gather to us, and our God will fight for us.
15 And we kept doing the work, and half of them held the
spears from the rising of the dawn until the coming out of the stars.
16 And at that time I said to the people, Lodge in the
midst of Jerusalem, and let the night be a watch for you and the day work.
17 And I and the men of the watch were behind me, and there
was no man among us who took off his garments.
Chapter 15
1 And there was a great cry of the people and of their
wives against their brothers the Jews.
2 And there were some saying, "With our sons and our
daughters we are many; and we shall get grain and eat and live."
3 And there are some saying, "Our fields and our
vineyards and our houses—let us pledge them; and we shall get grain and
eat."
4 And there are some saying, "We have borrowed money
for the king's taxes—our fields and our vineyards and our houses;
5 and now, as the flesh of our brothers is our flesh, as
their sons are our sons; and behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters
into slavery, and some of our daughters are being oppressed, and there is no
power in our hands, and our fields and our vineyards belong to the
nobles."
6 And I was greatly grieved when I heard their cry and
these words.
7 And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended with
the nobles and the rulers and said to them, "Shall a man exact from his
brother what you are exacting?" And I called a great assembly against them
8 and said to them, "We, according to our ability,
have redeemed our brothers the Jews who were sold to the nations; and will you
sell your brothers?" And they were silent and found no word.
9 And I said, "The thing you are doing is not good;
not so, in the fear of our God you shall walk, away from the reproach of the
nations our enemies.
10 And my brothers and my acquaintances and I have lent
them money and grain; let us now abandon this exaction.
11 Restore to them, as of today, their fields, their
vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses; and from the money, bring out
to them the grain and the wine and the oil."
12 And they said, "We will restore it and will not
seek it from them; we will do just as you say." And I called the priests
and made them swear to do according to this word.
13 And I shook out my cloak and said, "So may God
shake out every man who does not keep this word, from his house and from his
labor, and so may he be shaken out and empty." And all the assembly said,
"Amen," and they praised the Lord; and the people did this thing.
14 From the day on which he commanded me to be their ruler
in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of
Arthasastha, twelve years, I and my brothers did not eat the food exacted from
them;
15 but as for the former exactions which those before me
laid heavily upon them, they took from them for bread and wine, besides forty
didrachmas of silver, and even their servants lorded it over the people, but I
did not do so, because of the fear of God.
16 And in the work of the wall I did not seize any of these
things; I acquired no field; and all those gathered there were at the work.
17 And the Jews, a hundred and fifty men, and those who
came to us from the nations round about us, were at my table.
18 And what was prepared for one day was one ox and six
choice sheep, and a goat was prepared for me, and every ten days wine in
abundance for the multitude; and with all this I did not demand the bread of
the exaction, because the servitude was heavy upon this people.
19 Remember me, O God, for good, for all that I have done
for this people.
Chapter 16
1 And it came to pass, when it was heard by
Sanaballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I
had built the wall, and no breach was left in it — though up to that time I had
not set up the doors in the gates
2 that Sanaballat and Geshem sent to me, saying,
"Come, and let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono."
But they were plotting to do me harm.
3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a
great work and I shall not be able to come down, lest the work cease; when I
have finished it, I will come down to you."
4 And they sent to me according to this word, and I replied
to them in the same way.
5 Then Sanaballat sent to me his servant with an open
letter in his hand.
6 And in it was written: "It has been heard among the
nations that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; for this reason you are
building the wall, and you are to become their king;
7 and moreover you have appointed prophets for yourself, so
that you may sit as king in Jerusalem over Judah. And now these words will be
reported to the king; so now come, let us take counsel together."
8 And I sent to him, saying, "Nothing has happened
such as these words which you speak, for you are inventing them out of your own
heart."
9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying,
"Their hands will be weakened from this work, and it will not be
done." But now I strengthened my hands.
10 And I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son
of Mehetabel — and he was confined and he said, "Let us meet in the house
of God, within it, and let us shut its doors, for they are coming by night to
kill you."
11 And I said, "What man is there who would go into
the house and live?"
12 And I perceived, and behold, God had not sent him, for
the prophecy was a word against me, and Tobiah and Sanaballat had hired him
13 had hired a crowd against me, so that I might be afraid
and act thus and sin, and become to them an evil name, so that they might
reproach me.
14 Remember, O God, Tobiah and Sanaballat according to
these his deeds, and also Noadiah the prophet and the rest of the prophets who
were trying to frighten me.
15 And the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of Elul,
in fifty-two days.
16 And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard, that
all the nations around us were afraid, and great fear fell upon their eyes, and
they knew that it was from our God that this work was brought to completion.
17 And in those days letters went from many of the nobles
of Judah to Tobiah, and letters of Tobiah came to them,
18 for many in Judah were bound to him by oath, because he
was son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Johanan had taken the
daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah as wife.
19 And they kept telling me his words, and they carried my
words out to him; and Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Chapter 17
1 And it came to pass, when the wall was built, that I set
up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were
appointed.
2 And I gave charge to Hanani my brother and to Hananiah
the ruler of the citadel in Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and one who
feared God above many.
3 And I said to them: The gates of Jerusalem shall not be
opened until sunrise, and while they are still keeping watch let the doors be
shut and barred; and appoint guards from those who dwell in Jerusalem, each man
at his watch and each man opposite his own house.
4 Now the city was wide and great, and the people in it
were few, and there were no houses built.
5 And God put it into my heart, and I gathered together the
nobles and the rulers and the people to be registered by companies; and I found
the book of the registry of those who came up at the first, and I found written
in it:
6 These are the sons of the country who came up from the
captivity of the exile, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away,
and they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each man to his own city,
7 with Zerubbabel and Jeshua and Nehemiah, Azariah,
Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Ezra, Bigvai, Nahum, Baanah,
Mispar. The men of the people of Israel:
8 the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.
9 The sons of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
10 The sons of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.
11 The sons of Pahath-moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab,
two thousand eight hundred eighteen.
12 The sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
13 The sons of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.
14 The sons of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.
15 The sons of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.
16 The sons of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.
17 The sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred
twenty-two.
18 The sons of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.
19 The sons of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.
20 The sons of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.
21 The sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
22 The sons of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.
23 The sons of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.
24 The sons of Hariph, one hundred twelve.
25 The sons of Gibeon, ninety-five.
26 The sons of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three. The
sons of Netophah, fifty-six.
27 The sons of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.
28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.
29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven
hundred forty-three.
30 The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
31 The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.
32 The men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three.
33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
34 The men of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred
fifty-four.
35 The sons of Harim, three hundred twenty.
36 The sons of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.
37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred
twenty-one.
38 The sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.
39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of
Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
40 The sons of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.
41 The sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred
forty-seven.
42 The sons of Harim, one thousand seventeen.
43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons
of Hodevah, seventy-four.
44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.
45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater,
the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai,
one hundred thirty-eight.
46 The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the
sons of Tabbaoth,
47 the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,
48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of
Shalmai,
49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of
Gahar,
50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of
Nekoda,
51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of
Paseah,
52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of
Nephushesim,
53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of
Harhur,
54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of
Harsha,
55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of
Temah,
56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
57 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the
sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,
58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of
Giddel,
59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of
Pochereth, the sons of Zebaim, the sons of Amon.
60 All the Nethinim and the sons of Solomon's servants were
three hundred ninety-two.
61 And these came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub,
Addon, and Immer, but they could not declare their fathers' houses or their
seed, whether they were of Israel:
62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of
Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.
63 And of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of
Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took wives from the daughters of Barzillai
the Gileadite and was called by their name.
64 These sought their record in the registry, and it was
not found, and they were excluded from the priesthood.
65 And the Tirshatha said that they should not eat of the
most holy things until a priest should arise to give light.
66 And the whole assembly together was forty-two thousand
three hundred sixty,
67 besides their male servants and female servants, who
were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and there were two hundred
forty-five singing men and singing women.
68 Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six, their mules
two hundred forty-five,
69 their camels four hundred thirty-five, their donkeys six
thousand seven hundred twenty.
70 And some of the heads of the fathers' houses gave to the
work: to Nehemiah, for the treasury, a thousand pieces of gold, fifty bowls, and
thirty priests' garments.
71 And some of the heads of the fathers' houses gave into
the treasury of the work twenty thousand pieces of gold and two thousand two
hundred minas of silver.
72 And the rest of the people gave twenty thousand pieces
of gold and two thousand two hundred minas of silver and sixty-seven priests'
garments.
73 And the priests and the Levites and the gatekeepers and
the singers and some of the people and the Nethinim and all Israel settled in their
cities. And the seventh month arrived and the sons of Israel were in their
cities.
Chapter 18
1 And all the people gathered together as one man
into the open square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to
bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first
day of the seventh month.
3 And he read from it, from the hour when the sun gave
light until midday, before the men and the women, and those who understood; and
the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a wooden platform, and
there stood beside him Mattathias and Shemaiah and Ananiah and Uriah and
Hilkiah and Maaseiah on his right hand, and on his left Pedaiah and Mishael and
Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah and Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people,
for he was above the people and it came to pass, when he opened it, all the
people stood up.
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the
people answered and said, Amen, lifting up their hands; and they bowed down and
worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah were instructing the
people in the law, and the people stood in their place.
8 And they read in the book of the law of God, and Ezra
taught and explained with the knowledge of the Lord, and the people understood
the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the
Levites who instructed the people, spoke and said to all the people, This day
is holy to the Lord our God; do not mourn nor weep, for all the people wept
when they heard the words of the law.
10 And he said to them, Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet
drinks, and send portions to those who have nothing, for the day is holy to our
Lord; and do not be dejected, for it is your strength.
11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be
silent, for the day is holy; and do not be downcast.
12 And all the people went away to eat and to drink and to
send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they understood the words
which he had made known to them.
13 And on the second day the heads of the fathers' houses
of all the people, the priests and the Levites, gathered to Ezra the scribe, to
give attention to all the words of the law.
14 And they found written in the law which the Lord had
commanded Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the
feast in the seventh month,
15 and that they should give the signal with trumpets in
all their cities and in Jerusalem. And Ezra said, Go out to the mountain and
bring olive leaves and leaves of cypress trees and myrtle leaves and palm
leaves and leaves of thick trees, to make booths, according to what is written.
16 And the people went out and brought them, and made
booths for themselves, each man upon his roof, and in their courtyards, and in
the courts of the house of God, and in the open squares of the city, and as far
as the gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the assembly, those who had returned from the
captivity, made booths and sat in the booths; for the children of Israel had
not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day; and there
was great rejoicing.
18 And he read in the book of the law of God day by day,
from the first day until the last day; and they kept the feast seven days, and
on the eighth day a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.
Chapter 19
1 And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children
of Israel were gathered together with fasting and in sackcloth.
2 And the children of Israel separated themselves from
every foreigner, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their
fathers.
3 And they stood in their place and read in the book of the
law of the Lord their God, and they were confessing to the Lord and worshipping
the Lord their God.
4 And Jeshua stood upon the stairs of the Levites, and the
sons of Kadmiel, Shechaniah the son of Sherebiah, the sons of Hanani; and they
cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
5 And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, said: Stand up,
bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting; and they shall bless
the name of thy glory and shall exalt it above all blessing and praise.
6 And Ezra said: Thou art thyself the Lord alone; thou hast
made heaven and the heaven of heavens and all their array, the earth and all
that is in it, the seas and all that is in them; and thou givest life to all
things, and the hosts of heaven worship thee.
7 Thou art the Lord God; thou didst choose Abram and bring
him out of the land of the Chaldeans and give him the name Abraham;
8 and thou didst find his heart faithful before thee, and
madest a covenant with him to give to him and to his seed the land of the
Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the
Jebusites and the Girgashites; and thou hast established thy words, for thou
art righteous.
9 And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
and heardest their cry at the Red Sea.
10 And thou gavest signs in Egypt 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 madest thyself a name, as it is this day.
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, and they
passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground; and their pursuers thou
didst cast into the deep, like a stone into mighty waters.
12 And thou didst lead them by day with a pillar of cloud,
and by night with a pillar of fire, to light for them the way in which they
should go.
13 And thou camest down upon Mount Sinai and spokest to
them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments and laws of truth, ordinances
and good commandments.
14 And thou madest known to them thy holy sabbath, and
commandedst them commandments and ordinances and a law by the hand of Moses thy
servant.
15 And thou gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger,
and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst; and thou
badest them go in to inherit the land over which thou hadst stretched out thy
hand to give them.
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened
their necks and did not hearken to thy commandments;
17 and they refused to obey and remembered not thy wonders
which thou hadst done among them, but hardened their necks and appointed a
leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. But thou art a God merciful and
compassionate, long-suffering and abounding in mercy, and thou didst not
forsake them.
18 Yea, moreover, they made for themselves a molten calf
and said: These are the gods that brought us up out of Egypt; and they
committed great provocations.
19 Yet thou in thy great compassions didst not forsake them
in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud thou didst not remove from them by day,
to lead them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the
way in which they should go.
20 And thou gavest thy good spirit to instruct them, and
withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their
thirst.
21 And forty years thou didst sustain them in the
wilderness; they lacked nothing; their garments did not wear out, and their
feet did not swell.
22 And thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, and didst
divide them to them; and they inherited the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and
the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 And thou didst multiply their sons as the stars of
heaven, and broughtest them into the land which thou hadst promised to their
fathers, and they possessed it.
24 And thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the
land of the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, both their kings and
the peoples of the land, to do with them as it pleased them.
25 And they took fortified cities, and possessed houses
full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards and olive groves and
fruit trees in abundance; and they ate and were filled and grew fat, and
delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
26 But they turned and rebelled against thee, and cast thy
law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets who testified against them to
turn them back to thee; and they committed great provocations.
27 And thou gavest them into the hand of those who
oppressed them, and they oppressed them; and they cried to thee in the time of
their affliction, and thou heardest from thy heaven, and in thy great
compassions gavest them saviors, and savedst them out of the hand of their
oppressors.
28 But when they had rest, they turned again to do evil
before thee; and thou didst leave them in the hands of their enemies, and they
had dominion over them. And again they cried to thee, and thou heardest from
heaven and deliveredst them in thy many compassions.
29 And thou didst testify against them, to turn them back
to thy law, but they did not hearken, but sinned against thy commandments and
thy judgments, which if a man do, he shall live by them; and they turned a
rebellious shoulder and hardened their neck and would not hear.
30 And thou didst bear with them many years, and
testifiedst against them by thy spirit through the hand of thy prophets; but
they gave no ear, and thou gavest them into the hand of the peoples of the
land.
31 Yet in thy many compassions thou didst not make an end
of them nor forsake them, for thou art mighty and merciful and compassionate.
32 And now, our God, the mighty, the great, the powerful
and the terrible, who keepest thy covenant and thy mercy, let not all the
hardship seem small before thee that has come upon us, and upon our kings and
our rulers and our priests and our prophets and our fathers and upon all thy
people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 And thou art righteous in all that has come upon us, for
thou hast dealt in truth, and we have done wickedly.
34 And our kings and our rulers and our priests and our
fathers did not keep thy law, nor gave heed to thy commandments and thy
testimonies with which thou didst testify against them.
35 And they, in thy kingdom and in thy great goodness which
thou gavest them, and in the wide and fertile land which thou didst set before
them, did not serve thee, nor turned from their evil doings.
36 Behold, we are servants this day; and as for the land
which thou gavest to our fathers to eat its fruit
37 to the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our
sins; and they have power over our bodies and over our cattle as pleases them,
and we are in great distress.
Chapter 20
1 And in view of all this we make a firm covenant and
put it in writing, and all our leaders, our Levites, and our priests set their
seals to it.
2 And upon the sealed document were Nehemiah son of
Achalia, and Zedekiah,
3 the son of Saraia, and Azaria and Jermia,
4 Phasour, Amaria, Melchia,
5 Atous, Sebani, Malouch,
6 Iram, Meramoth, Abdia,
7 Daniel, Ganathon, Barouch,
8 Mesoulam, Abia, Miamin,
9 Maazia, Belgai, Samaia, these were the priests.
10 And the Levites: Jesus son of Azania, Banaiou of the
sons of Enadad, Kadmiel,
11 and his brothers, Sabania, Odouia, Kalita, Pheleia,
Anan,
12 Micha, Roob, Esebias,
13 Zachor, Sarabia, Sebania,
14 Odouia, sons of Banounai.
15 The leaders of the people: Phoros, Phaathmoab, Elam,
Zathouia, sons of
16 Bani, Asgad, Bebai,
17 Edania, Bagoi, Edin,
18 Ater, Ezekia, Azour,
19 Odouia, Esam, Besi,
20 Ariph, Anathoth, Nobai,
21 Magaphes, Mesoulam, Ezir,
22 Mesozebel, Saddouk, Jeddoua,
23 Phaltia, Anan, Anaia,
24 Osee, Anania, Asoub,
25 Aloes, Phalai, Sobek,
26 Raoum, Esabana, Maasaia,
27 and Aia, Ainan, Enan,
28 Malouch, Eram, Baana.
29 And the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the
gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and everyone who had separated
himself from the peoples of the land to the law of God, their wives, their
sons, their daughters, everyone having knowledge and understanding
30 joined with their brothers; they bound themselves with a
curse and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in the law of God, which was
given by the hand of Moses the servant of God, and to keep and to do all the
commandments of our Lord and his judgments;
31 and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples
of the land, and that we would not take their daughters for our sons.
32 And as for the peoples of the land who bring merchandise
and any wares to sell on the sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the
sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forgo the seventh year and the exaction
of every debt.
33 And we will lay upon ourselves commandments, to charge
ourselves a third of a didrachm yearly for the service of the house of our God:
34 for the bread of the Presence, and the continual grain
offering, and for the continual burnt offering of the sabbaths, of the new
moons, for the feasts and for the holy things, and the sin offerings to make
atonement for Israel, and for the works of the house of our God.
35 And we cast lots concerning the wood offering, the
priests, the Levites, and the people, to bring it into the house of our God, according
to our fathers' houses, at appointed times, from year to year, to burn upon the
altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law;
36 and to bring the firstfruits of our land and the
firstfruits of the fruit of every tree, year by year, into the house of the
Lord;
37 and the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it
is written in the law, and to bring the firstborn of our herds and of our
flocks into the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of
our God.
38 And we will bring the firstfruits of our grain and the
fruit of every tree, of wine and of oil, to the priests, to the treasury of the
house of God; and the tithe of our land to the Levites, and the Levites
themselves shall collect the tithes in all the cities of our labor.
39 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the
Levite in the tithing of the Levite, and the Levites shall bring up the tithe
of the tithe to the house of our God, to the treasuries, to the house of God.
40 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring
into the storehouses the firstfruits of the grain and the wine and the oil; and
there are the holy vessels, and the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers,
and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.
Chapter 21
1 And the rulers 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.
2And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered
themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.
3 And these are the rulers of the country who dwelt in
Jerusalem; and in the cities of Judah each man dwelt in his own possession, in
their cities: Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nathinim, and the
sons of Solomon's servants.
4 And in Jerusalem there dwelt some of the sons of Judah
and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaia son of Azaia, son of Zacharia,
son of Amaria, son of Saphatia, son of Maleleel, and of the sons of Phares.
5 And Maasia son of Baruch, son of Chalaza, son of Ozia,
son of Adaia, son of Jorib, son of Thezia, son of the Shilonite.
6 All the sons of Phares who dwelt in Jerusalem were four
hundred sixty-eight men of valor.
7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Selo son of Mesulam,
son of Joad, son of Phadaia, son of Kolia, son of Masaia, son of Aithiel, son
of Jesia;
8 and after him Gebi, Seli, nine hundred twenty-eight.
9 And Joel son of Zechri was overseer over them, and Judas
son of Asana was second over the city.
10 Of the priests: also Jadia son of Jorib, Jachin,
11 Saraia son of Elkia, son of Mesulam, son of Sadduk, son
of Marioth, son of Aitob, over against the house of God.
12 And their brethren who did the work of the house: Amasi
son of Zacharia, son of Phassur, son of Melchia,
13 heads of families, two hundred forty-two. And Amessai
son of Esdriel,
14 and his brethren, mighty men of war, one hundred
twenty-eight; and the overseer over them was Badiel.
15 And of the Levites: Samaia son of Asub, son of Ezri,
17 and Mathania son of Micha, and Obed son of Samui,
18 two hundred eighty-four.
19 And the gatekeepers: Akub, Telamin, and their brethren,
one hundred seventy-two.
22 And the overseer of the Levites was the son of Bani, Ozi
son of Asabia, son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph the singers, over the work of
the house of God;
23 for the king's command was upon them.
24 And Pathaia son of Baseza was at the king's hand in
every matter for the people.
25 And as for the villages in their fields: some of the
sons of Judah dwelt in Kariatharbok
26 and in Jesu
27 and in Beersheba,
30 and their villages, Lachis and its fields; and they
encamped at Beersheba.
31 And the sons of Benjamin from Gaba, Machamas.
36 And of the Levites there were divisions of Judah
belonging to Benjamin.
Chapter 22
1 And these are the priests and the Levites who came up
with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch,
3 Shecaniah.
7 These were the chiefs of the priests and their brothers
in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah,
Judah, Mattaniah; over the hands, he and his brothers,
9 for the daily courses.
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 his brothers were the priests
and the chiefs of the fathers' houses: for Seraiah, Meraiah; for Jeremiah,
Hananiah;
13 for Ezra, Meshullam; for Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 for Malluch, Jonathan; for Shecaniah, Joseph;
15 for Harim, Adna; for Meraioth, Helkai;
16 for Iddo, Zechariah; for Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 for Abijah, Zichri; for Miniamin, at appointed times,
for Moadiah, Piltai;
18 for Bilgah, Shammua; for Shemaiah, Jonathan;
19 for Joiarib, Mattenai; for Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 for Sallai, Kallai; for Amok, Eber;
21 for Hilkiah, Hashabiah; for Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada and Johanan
and Jaddua were recorded as chiefs of fathers' houses, and the priests in the
reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi, chiefs of the fathers' houses, were
recorded in the book of the words of the days, even until the days of Johanan
son of Eliashib.
24 And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah and Sherebiah
and Jeshua and the sons of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to sing
hymns and to give praise according to the commandment of David the man of God,
course corresponding to course,
25 when I gathered the gatekeepers,
26 in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and
in the days of Nehemiah, and Ezra the priest, the scribe.
27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they
sought the Levites in their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to hold the
dedication and rejoicing with thanksgiving and with songs, playing cymbals and
psalteries and lyres.
28 And the sons of the singers gathered together, both from
the region round about Jerusalem and from the villages,
29 and from the fields; for the singers had built villages
for themselves around Jerusalem.
30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and
they purified the people and the gatekeepers and the wall.
31 And I brought up the chiefs of Judah upon the wall, and
I appointed two great companies for praise, and they went along on the right
upon the wall toward the Dung Gate;
32 and after them went Hoshaiah and half of the chiefs of
Judah,
33 and Azariah, Ezra and Meshullam,
34 Judah and Benjamin and Shemaiah and Jeremiah,
35 and of the sons of the priests with trumpets, Zechariah
son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of
Zaccur, son of Asaph,
36 and his brothers, Shemaiah and Uzziel, to give praise
with the songs of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them;
37 at the Fountain Gate opposite them, they went up by the
stairs of the city of David at the ascent of the wall above the house of David,
and as far as the Water Gate on the east.
38 And the second company for praise went to meet them, and
I after it, with half of the people, upon the wall above the Tower of the Ovens
and as far as the Broad Wall,
39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, and
by the Fish Gate, and the Tower of Hananel, and as far as the Sheep Gate; and
they stood at the Gate of the Guard.
40 And the two companies of praise stood in the house of
God, and I, and half of the officials 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 were heard, and they
were mustered.
43 And they offered great sacrifices on that day and
rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice greatly; and their wives and their
children rejoiced, and the joy in Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 And on that day they appointed men over the chambers for
the treasures, for the firstfruits and the tithes, and for what was gathered
into them from the chiefs of the cities, portions for the priests and the
Levites; for there was joy in Judah over the priests and over the Levites who
were standing in service.
45 And they kept the charges of their God and the charges
of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers, according to
the commandments of David and of Solomon his son.
46 For in the days of David, Asaph was from the beginning
the chief of the singers, and of the hymn and praise to God;
47 and all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel gave the
portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, the due of each day on its day;
and they consecrated them for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for
the sons of Aaron.
Chapter 23
1 On that day there was read in the book of Moses in the
ears of the people, and it was found written in it that the Ammonites and Moabites
should not enter into the assembly of God forever,
2 because they did not meet the children of Israel with
bread and with water, and they hired Balaam against him to curse him, but our
God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 And it came to pass, when they heard the law, that all
the mixed multitude were separated from Israel.
4 And before this, Eliashib the priest, dwelling in a
chamber of the house of our God, being kin to Tobiah,
5 made for him a great chamber, and there they had formerly
put the offering and the frankincense and the vessels and the tithe of the
grain and of the wine and of the oil, the ordinance of the Levites and of the
singers and of the gatekeepers, and the firstfruits of the priests.
6 But in all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the
thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king. And after
the end of days I asked leave of the king,
7 and I came to Jerusalem. And I understood the evil which
Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in making him a chamber in the court of the house
of God.
8 And it seemed very evil to me, and I threw all the
vessels of the house of Tobiah out of the chamber.
9 And I gave command, and they cleansed the chambers, and I
brought back there the vessels of the house of God, the offering and the
frankincense.
10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not
been given, and the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled, each man
to his own field.
11 And I contended with the officials and said, Why has the
house of God been forsaken? And I gathered them and set them in their station.
12 And all Judah brought the tithe of the wheat and of the
wine and of the oil into the storehouses,
13 into the hand of Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the
scribe and Pedaiah of the Levites, and at their hand Hanan son of Zaccur son of
Mattaniah, for they were counted faithful to distribute to their brethren.
14 Remember me, O God, in this, and let not my kindness be
blotted out, which I have done in the house of the Lord God.
15 In those days I saw in Judah men treading winepresses on
the sabbath, and bringing sheaves and loading them on the asses, and also wine
and grapes and figs and every burden, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the
sabbath day; and I testified against them on the day of their selling. 16 And
they sat in it, bringing fish and selling every kind of ware on the sabbath to
the children of Judah and in Jerusalem.
17 And I contended with the free men of the children of
Judah and said to them, What is this evil thing which you do, profaning the
sabbath day?
18 Did not your fathers do thus? And our God brought upon
them and upon us all these evils, and upon this city; and you add wrath upon
Israel by profaning the sabbath.
19 And it came to pass, when the gates of Jerusalem were
set in place before the sabbath, that I gave command and they shut the gates,
and I commanded that they should not be opened until after the sabbath; and I
set some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens should be brought in
on the sabbath day.
20 And all the merchants lodged and made sale outside
Jerusalem once and twice.
21 And I testified against them and said to them, Why do
you lodge before the wall? If you do so a second time, I will stretch out my
hand against you. From that time they came not on the sabbath.
22 And I told the Levites, who were purifying themselves
and coming to keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. For these things
remember me, O God, and spare me according to the abundance of your mercy.
23 And in those days I saw the Jews who had married women
of Ashdod, Ammonites, and Moabites;
24 and half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod,
and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.
25 And I contended with them and cursed them, and I struck
some of the men among them, and plucked out their hair, and made them swear by
God: You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their
daughters for your sons.
26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin in this way? And
among many nations there was no king like him; and he was beloved of God, and God
made him king over all Israel. Yet even him the foreign women turned aside.
27 And shall we listen to you, to do all this great evil,
to act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?
28 And one of the sons of Joiada, son of Eliashib the high
priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; and I drove him from me.
29 Remember them, O God, for defiling the kinship of the
priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 And I cleansed them from all that was foreign, and I
appointed courses for the priests and the Levites, each man to his work,
31 and for the wood offering at appointed times, and for
the firstfruits. Remember me, O our God, for good.