AB - Nehemiah

Chapter 1

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

1:2  And Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and some men of Judah; and I asked them concerning those that had escaped, who had been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

1:3  And they said to me, The remnant, even those that are left of the captivity, are there in the land, in great distress and reproach; and the walls of Jerusalem are thrown down, and its gates are burned with fire.

1:4  And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for several days, and continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

1:5  And I said, I pray, O Lord God of heaven, the mighty One, the great and terrible, keeping Your covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to those that keep His commandments.

1:6  Let now Your ear be attentive, and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant, which I pray before You at this time, this day both day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and make confession for the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against You-both I and the house of my father have sinned.

1:7  We have altogether broken our covenant with You, and we have not kept the commandments, and the ordinances, and the judgments, which You commanded Your servant Moses.

1:8  Remember, I pray, the word in which You charged Your servant Moses, saying, If you break your covenant with Me, I will disperse you among the nations.

1:9  But if you turn again to Me, and keep My commandments, and do them; if you should be scattered to the uttermost parts of heaven, yet will I gather them from there, and I will bring them into the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.

1:10  Now they are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your mighty hand.

1:11  Turn not away, I pray, O Lord, but 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 this day, and cause him to find mercy in the sight of this man (For I was the king's cupbearer).

Chapter 2

2:1  And it came to pass in the month of Nisan of 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 not another before him.

2:2  And the king said to me, Why is your countenance sad, and you do not control yourself? And now this is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very much alarmed,

2:3  and I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, even the home of the tombs of my fathers, has been laid waste, and her gates have been devoured with fire?

2:4  And the king said to me, For what do you ask thus? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

2:5  And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you would send him into Judah, to the city of the tombs of my fathers; then will I rebuild it.

2:6  And the king, and his concubine that sat next to him, said to me, For how long will your journey be, and when will you return? And the proposal was pleasing before the king, and he sent me away, and I appointed him a time.

2:7  And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let him give me letters to the governors beyond the river, so as to permit me to pass, till I come to Judah;

2:8  and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the garden which belongs to the king, that he may give me timber to cover the gates, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I shall enter. And the king gave to me, according as the good hand of God was upon me.

2:9  And I came to the governors beyond the river, and I gave them the king's letters. (Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen).

2:10  And Sanballat the Horonite heard it, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and it was grievous to them that a man had come to seek good for the children of Israel.

2:11  So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

2:12  And I rose up by night, I and a few men with me; and I told no man what God put into my heart to do with Israel; and there was no beast with me, except the beast which I rode upon.

2:13  And I went forth by the gate of the valley by night, and to the mouth of the Well of Fig Trees, and to the Refuse Gate; and I mourned over the wall of Jerusalem which they were destroying, and her gates were devoured with fire.

2:14  And I passed on to the Fountain Gate, and to the king's pool; and there was no room for the beast to pass under me.

2:15  And I went up by the wall of the brook by night, and mourned over the wall, and passed through the gate of the valley, and returned.

2:16  And the sentinels knew not why I went, nor what I was doing; and until that time I told it not to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the captains, or to the rest of the men who did the work.

2:17  Then I said to them, You see this evil, in which we are, how Jerusalem is desolate, and her gates have been set on fire. Come, and let us build throughout the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall no longer be a reproach.

2:18  And I told them of the hand of God which was good upon me, also about the words of the king which he spoke to me. And I said, Let us arise and build. And their hands were strengthened for the good work.

2:19  And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Gesham the Arabian, heard it, and they laughed us to scorn, and came to us, and said, What is this thing that you are doing? Are you revolting against the king?

2:20  And I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, He shall prosper us, and we His servants are pure, and we will build; but you have no part, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Chapter 3

3:1  Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and built the Sheep Gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even to the Tower of the Hundred they sanctified it, to the Tower of Hananel.

3:2  And they built by the side of the men of Jericho, and by the side of the sons of Zacchur, the son of Imri.

3:3  And the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they roofed it, and covered in its doors, and bolts, and bars.

3:4  And next to them the order reached to Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, and next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah the son of Meshezebel took his place; and next to them Zadok the son of Baana took his place.

3:5  And next to them the Tekoites took their place; but the Adorim did not put their shoulders to their service.

3:6  And Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam son of Besodeiah, repaired the old gate; they covered it in, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars.

3:7  And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, made repairs to the throne of the governor on this side the river.

3:8  And next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the smiths, carried on the repairs. And next to them Hananiah the son of one of the perfumers made repairs, and they finished Jerusalem to the broad wall.

3:9  And next to them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district round about Jerusalem.

3:10  And next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, and that in front of his house. And next to him repaired Hattush son of Hashabniah.

3:11  And next to him repaired Malchijah son of Harim, and Hashub son of Pahath-Moab, even to the Tower of the Ovens.

3:12  And next to him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district round about Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

3:13  Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the gate of the valley; 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 Refuse Gate.

3:14  And Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district round about Beth-Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate, he and his sons; and they covered it, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars.

3:15  But Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh repaired the gate of the fountain, the ruler of part of Mizpah. He built it, and covered it, and set up its doors and its bars, and the wall of the pool of the skins by the meadow of the king, and as far as the steps that lead down from the City of David.

3:16  After him repaired Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district round about Beth Zur, as far as the garden of David's Tomb, and as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men.

3:17  After him repaired the Levites, even Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, ruler of half the district round about Keilah, in his district.

3:18  And after him repaired his brothers, Bavai son of Henadad, ruler of half the district round about Keilah.

3:19  And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, another portion of the tower of ascent, where it meets the corner.

3:20  After him repaired Baruch the son of Zabbai, a second portion, from the corner as far as the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

3:21  After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz, a second part from the door of the house of Eliashib, to the end of the house of Eliashib.

3:22  And after him repaired the priests, the men of Ecchechar.

3:23  And after him repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. And after him repaired Azariah son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah, the parts near to his house.

3:24  After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad, another portion from the house of Azariah as far as the corner and to the turning,

3:25  of Palal the son of Uzai, opposite the corner, and where is also the tower that projects from the king's house, even the upper one of the prison house. And after him repaired Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

3:26  And the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, as far as the garden of the Water Gate eastward, and there is the projecting tower.

3:27  And after them the Tekoites repaired, another portion opposite the great projecting tower, even as far as the wall of Ophel.

3:28  The priests repaired above the Horse Gate, every man over against his own house.

3:29  And after him Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. And after him repaired Shemaiah son of Shechaniah, keeper of the East Gate.

3:30  After him repaired Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, another portion. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired over against his treasury.

3:31  After him repaired Malchijah the son of Sarephi as far as the house of the Nethinim, and the merchants over against the Gate of Miphkad, and as far as the steps of the corner.

3:32  And between that and the Sheep Gate the smiths and merchants repaired.

Chapter 4

4:1  Now it came to pass, when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall, that it was grievous to him, and he was very angry, and railed against the Jews.

4:2  And he said before his brothers (that is, the army of the Samaritans), Is it true that these Jews are building their city? Do they indeed offer sacrifices? Will they prevail? And will they this day restore the stones, after they have been burned and made a heap of rubbish?

4:3  And Tobiah the Ammonite came near to him, and said to them, Do they sacrifice or eat in their place? Shall not a fox go up and pull down their wall of stones?

4:4  Hear, O our God, for we have become a scorn; and return their reproach upon their own heads, and make them a scorn in a land of captivity,

4:5  and do not cover their iniquity.

4:7  But it came to pass, when Sanaballat and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was advancing, and that the breaches began to be stopped, that it appeared very grievous to them.

4:8  And all of them assembled together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to destroy it utterly.

4:9  So we prayed to our God and set watchmen against them day and night, because of them.

4:10  And Judah said, The strength of the enemies is broken, yet there is much rubbish, and we shall not be able to build the wall.

4:11  And they that afflicted us said, They shall not know, and they shall not see, until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

4:12  And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived near them came, that they said to us, They are coming up against us from every quarter.

4:13  So I set men in the lowest part of the place behind the wall in the secret places, I even set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

4:14  And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the captains, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them; remember our great and terrible God, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

4:15  And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was made known to us, and God had frustrated their counsel, that we all returned to the wall, every man to his work.

4:16  So it was, from that day on, that half of them that had been driven forth, did the work, and half of them kept guard; and there were spears, shields, bows, and breastplates, and rulers behind the whole house of Judah,

4:17  even of them that were building the wall. And those who carried the burdens were under arms: each with one hand performing his work, and with the other held his weapon.

4:18  And the builders worked with each man having his sword girded at his side, and so they built; and the trumpeter with his trumpet next to him.

4:19  And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and abundant, and we are dispersed upon the wall, each at a great distance from his brother.

4:20  In whatever place you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, gather yourselves to us there; and our God shall fight for us.

4:21  So we continued laboring at the work. And half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

4:22  And at that time I said to the people, Let every man with his servant stay at night in the midst of Jerusalem, and let the night be a watch-time to you, and the day a work-time.

4:23  And I was there, and the watchmen behind me, and there was not a man of us that put off his garments.

Chapter 5

5:1  And the cry of the people and their wives was great against their brothers the Jews.

5:2  And some said, We are numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take grain, and eat, and live.

5:3  And some said, As to our fields and vineyards and houses, let us pledge them, and we will take grain, and eat.

5:4  And some said, We have borrowed money for the king's tributes-our fields, and our vineyards, and houses are pledged.

5:5  And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet behold, we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and some of our daughters are enslaved; and there is no power of our hands, for our fields and our vineyards belong to the nobles.

5:6  And I was very angry as I heard their cry and these words.

5:7  And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended against the nobles, and the princes, and I said to them, Should every man demand of his brother what you demand? And I appointed against them a great assembly,

5:8  and I said to them, We of our free will have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the Gentiles; and do you sell your brothers? And shall they be delivered to us? And they were silent, and found no answer.

5:9  And I said, The thing which you do is not good; you will not so walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Gentiles our enemies.

5:10  Both my brothers, and my acquaintances, and I, have lent them money and grain. Let us now leave off this usury!

5:11  Restore to them, I pray, as at this day, their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive yards, and their houses, and bring forth to them grain and wine and oil of the money.

5:12  And they said, We will restore, and we will not exact of them; we will do thus as you say. Then I called the priests, and bound them by oath to do according to this word.

5:13  And I shook out my garment, and said, So may God shake out every man who shall not keep to this word, from his house, and from his labors, he shall be even thus shaken out, as an outcast and empty. And all the congregation said, Amen, and they praised the Lord; and the people did this thing.

5:14  From the day that he charged me to be their ruler in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the provisions extorted from them.

5:15  But as for the former acts of extortion in which those who were before me oppressed them, they even took of them their last money, forty shekels for bread and wine; and the very outcasts of them exercised authority over the people; but I did not so, because of the fear of God.

5:16  Also in the work of the wall I treated them not with rigor, I bought not land; and all that were gathered together came there to the work.

5:17  And the Jews, to the number of a hundred and fifty men, besides those coming to us from the nations round about, were at my table.

5:18  And there came to me for one day one calf, and I had six choice sheep and a goat; and every ten days wine in abundance of all sorts. Yet with these I required not the bread of extortion, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

5:19  Remember me, O God, for good, in all that I have done to this people.

Chapter 6

6:1  Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it; (though at that time I had not set up the doors on the gates)

6:2  that Sanballat 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.

6:3  So I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I shall not be able to come down, lest the work should cease; as soon as I have finished it, I will come down to you.

6:4  And they sent to me again to this effect, and I sent them word accordingly.

6:5  Then Sanballat sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand.

6:6  And in it was written, It has been reported among the Gentiles that you and the Jews are planning to revolt. Therefore you are building the wall, and you will be a king to them.

6:7  And moreover you have appointed prophets to yourself, that you might dwell in Jerusalem as a king over Judah; and now these words will be reported to the king. Now then, come, let us take counsel together.

6:8  And I sent to him, saying, It has not happened according to these words, even as you say, for you frame them falsely out of your own heart.

6:9  For all were trying to alarm us, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from this work, and it shall not be done. Now therefore I have strengthened my hands.

6:10  And I came into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the Son of Mehetabel, and he was shut up; and he said, Let us assemble together in the house of God, in the midst of it, and let us shut the doors of it; for they are coming by night to slay you.

6:11  And I said, Who is the man that shall enter into the house, that he may live?

6:12  And I observed, and behold, God had not sent him, for the prophecy was a fable devised against me:

6:13  and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired a multitude against me, that I might be frightened, and do this, and sin, and become to them an ill name, that they might reproach me.

6:14  Remember, O God, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their deeds, and the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who tried to alarm me.

6:15  So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

6:16  And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard of it, that all the nations round about us feared, and great alarm fell upon them, and they knew that it was of our God that this work should be finished.

6:17  And in those days letters came to Tobiah from many nobles of Judah, and those of Tobiah came to them.

6:18  For many in Judah were bound to him by oath, because he was son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and Jehohanan his son had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah for a wife.

6:19  And they reported his words to me, and carried out my words to him: and Tobiah sent letters to terrify me.

Chapter 7

7:1  And it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

7:2  that I gave charge to my brother, and Hanani the ruler of the palace, over Jerusalem; for he was a true man, and one that feared God beyond many.

7:3  And I said to them, The gates of Jerusalem shall not be opened till sunrise; and while they are still watching, let the doors be shut, and bolted; and set watches of them that dwell in Jerusalem, every man at his post, and every man over against his house.

7:4  Now the city was wide and large, and the people were few in it, and the houses were not built.

7:5  And God put it into my heart, and I gathered the nobles and the rulers and the people into companies; and I found a register of the company that came up first, and I found written in it as follows:

7:6  Now these are the children of the country, that came up from captivity, of the number which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried away, and they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, every man to his city.

7:7  Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Ezra, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah, and Masphar, men of the people of Israel.

7:8  The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.

7:9  The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.

7:10  The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.

7:11  The children of Pahath-Moab, with the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand six hundred and eighteen.

7:12  The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

7:13  The children of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.

7:14  The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.

7:15  The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.

7:16  The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.

7:17  The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.

7:18  The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.

7:19  The children of Bagvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.

7:20  The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.

7:21  The children of Ater, the son of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

7:22  The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.

7:23  The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.

7:24  The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve; the children of Asen, two hundred and twenty-three.

7:25  The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.

7:26  The children of Bethlehem, a hundred and twenty-three; the children of Netopha, fifty-six.

7:27  The children of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.

7:28  The men of Beth Azmaveth, forty-two.

7:29  The men of Kirjath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.

7:30  The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty.

7:31  The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.

7:32  The men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred and twenty-three.

7:33  The men of Nebo, a hundred and fifty-two.

7:34  The men of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-two.

7:35  The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

7:36  The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.

7:37  The children of Lod and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.

7:38  The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

7:39  The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.

7:40  The children of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two.

7:41  The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven.

7:42  The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

7:43  The Levites: the children of Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with the children of Uduia, seventy-four.

7:44  The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight.

7:45  The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty-eight.

7:46  The Nethinim: the children of Sea, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabaoth,

7:47  the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,

7:48  the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,

7:49  the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,

7:50  the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,

7:51  the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah,

7:52  the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,

7:53  the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

7:54  the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

7:55  the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,

7:56  the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

7:57  The children of the servants of Solomon: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

7:58  the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

7:59  the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth, the children of Zebaim the children of Amon.

7:60  All the Nethinim, and children of the servants of Solomon, were three hundred and ninety-two.

7:61  And these went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not declare the houses of their families, or their seed, whether they were of Israel.

7:62  The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.

7:63  And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, for they took wives of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and they were called by their name.

7:64  These sought the pedigree of their company, and it was not found, and they were removed as polluted from the priesthood.

7:65  And the governor said, that they should not eat of the most holy things, until a priest should stand up to give light.

7:66  And all the congregation was about forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,

7:67  besides their male and female servants, these were seven thousand three hundred and thirty seven. And the men and women singers were two hundred and forty-five.

7:69  Their donkeys were two thousand seven hundred.

7:70  And some of the heads of families gave into the treasury to Nehemiah for the work a thousand pieces of gold, fifty bowls, and thirty priests' garments.

7:71  And some of the heads of families gave into the treasuries of the work, twenty thousand pieces of gold, and two thousand three hundred pounds of silver.

7:72  And the rest of the people gave twenty thousand pieces of gold, and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver, and sixty-seven priests' garments.

7:73  And the priests, and Levites, and porters, and singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities.

Chapter 8

8:1  And the seventh month arrived, and the children of Israel were settled in their cities. And all the people were gathered as one man to the broad place before the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord commanded Israel.

8:2  So Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and everyone who had understanding was present to hear, on the first day of the seventh month.

8:3  And he read in it from sunrise until midday, before the men and the women; and they understood it, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

8:4  And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden stage, and there stood next to him Mattithiah, Shema, Hanani, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and at his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

8:5  And Ezra opened the book before all the people, for he was above the people; and it came to pass when he had opened it, that all the people stood.

8:6  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 face to the ground.

8:7  And Jeshua, Bani and Sherebiah instructed the people in the law, and the people stood in their place.

8:8  And they read in the Book of the Law of God, and Ezra taught, and instructed them distinctly in the knowledge of the Lord, and the people understood from the reading.

8:9  And Nehemiah and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites, and they that instructed the people, spoke and said to all the people, It is a holy day to the Lord our God; do not mourn, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.

8:10  And the governor said to them, Go, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them that have nothing; for this day is holy to our Lord: and faint not, for the Lord is our strength.

8:11  And the Levites caused all the people to be silent, saying, Be silent, for it is a holy day, and do not be grieved.

8:12  So all the people departed to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, for they understood the words which he made known to them.

8:13  And on the second day the heads of families assembled with all the people, also the priests and Levites, to Ezra the scribe, to attend to all the words of the Law.

8:14  And they found written in the law which the Lord commanded Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths, in the feast in the seventh month,

8:15  and that they should sound with trumpets in all their cities, and in Jerusalem. And Ezra said, Go forth to the mountain, and bring olive branches, and branches of cypress trees, and branches of myrtle, and branches of palm trees, and branches of every thick tree, to make booths, according to that which was written.

8:16  And the people went forth, and brought them, and made booths for themselves, each one upon his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the streets of the city, and as far as the gate of Ephraim.

8:17  And all the congregation who had returned from the captivity made booths, and dwelt in 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 joy.

8:18  And Ezra read in the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day even to the last day; and they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

Chapter 9

9:1  Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel assembled with fasting, and in sackcloth, and with ashes on their head.

9:2  And the children of Israel separated themselves from every stranger, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

9:3  And they stood in their place, and read in the Book of the Law of the Lord their God; and they confessed their sins to the Lord, and worshipped the Lord their God.

9:4  And there stood upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and the sons of Kadmiel, Shebaniah the son of Sarabia, sons of Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

9:5  And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, said, Rise up, bless the Lord our God forever and ever; and let them bless Your glorious name, and exalt it with all blessing and praise.

9:6  And Ezra said, You are the only true Lord; You have made the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and everything in it, the seas, and everything in them; and You give life to all things, and the hosts of heaven worship You.

9:7  You are the Lord God, You chose Abram, and brought him out of the land of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name of Abraham.

9:8  And You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give to him and to his seed the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites; and You have confirmed Your words, for You are righteous.

9:9  And You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and You heard their cry at the Red Sea.

9:10  And You showed signs and wonders in Egypt, on Pharaoh and all his servants, and on all the people of his land; for You knew that they behaved insolently against them; and You made Yourself a name, as it is this day.

9:11  And You divided the sea before them, and they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land; and You cast them that were about to pursue them into the deep, as a stone into the mighty waters.

9:12  And You guided them by day by a pillar of cloud, and by night by a pillar of fire, to enlighten for them the way in which they should walk.

9:13  Also You came down upon Mount Sinai, and You spoke to them out of heaven, and gave them right judgments, and laws of truth, ordinances, and good commandments.

9:14  And You made known to them Your holy Sabbath; You enjoined upon them commandments, and ordinances, and a law, by the hand of Your servant Moses.

9:15  And You gave them bread from heaven for their food, and You brought them water from a rock for their thirst; and You told them to go in to inherit the land over which You stretched out Your hand to give to them.

9:16  But they and our fathers behaved proudly, and hardened their neck, and did not hearken to Your commandments,

9:17  and refused to listen, and remembered not Your wonders which You worked among them. And they hardened their neck, and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You, O God, are merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy, and You did not forsake them.

9:18  And still farther they even made for themselves a molded calf, and said, These are the gods that brought us up out of Egypt: and they worked great provocations.

9:19  Yet You in Your great mercy did not forsake them in the wilderness; You did not turn away from them the pillar of the cloud by day, to guide them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to enlighten for them the way in which they should walk.

9:20  And You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water in their thirst.

9:21  And You sustained them forty years in the wilderness; You did not allow anything to fail them. Their garments did not wear out, and their feet were not bruised.

9:22  Moreover, You gave them kingdoms, and divided nations to them; and they inherited the land of Sihon, king of Hesbron, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

9:23  And You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land of which You spoke to their fathers;

9:24  And they inherited it; and You destroyed from before them the inhabitants in the land of the Canaanites, and You gave into their hands them and their kings, and the nations of the land, to do unto them as it pleased them.

9:25  And they took lofty cities, and inherited houses full of all good things, wells already dug, vineyards and olive yards, and every fruit tree in abundance. So they ate, and were filled, and grew fat, and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

9:26  But they turned, and revolted from You, and cast Your law behind their backs; and they killed Your prophets, who testified against them to turn them back to You, and they worked great provocations.

9:27  Then You gave them into the hand of them that afflicted them, and they did afflict them. And they cried to You in the time of their affliction, and You heard them from heaven, and in Your great mercy You gave them deliverers, and saved them from the hand of them that afflicted them.

9:28  But when they rested, they did evil again before You, so You left them in the hands of their enemies, and they ruled over them; and they cried again to You, and You heard from heaven, and delivered them in Your great mercy.

9:29  And You testified against them, to bring them back to Your law; but they hearkened not, and sinned against Your commandments and Your judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in them; and they turned their back, and hardened their neck, and heard not.

9:30  Yet You had patience with them for many years, and testified to them by Your Spirit by the hand of Your prophets: but they hearkened not; so You gave them into the hand of the nations of the land.

9:31  But You in Your many mercies did not appoint them to destruction, and did not forsake them; for You are strong, and merciful, and compassionate.

9:32  And now, O our God, the powerful, the great, the mighty, and the terrible, keeping Your covenant and Your mercy, let not all this trouble seem little in Your sight which has come upon us, and our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and upon all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria even to this day.

9:33  For You are righteous in all the things that come upon us; and You have dealt faithfully, but we have greatly sinned.

9:34  And our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our fathers, have not performed Your law, and have not given heed to Your commandments, and have not kept Your testimonies which You testified to them.

9:35  And they did not serve You in Your kingdom, and in Your great goodness which You gave to them, and in the large and fat land which You furnished before them, and they turned not from their evil devices.

9:36  Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land which You gave to our fathers, to eat the fruit of it and the good things of it, behold, we are servants upon it;

9:37  and its produce is abundant for the kings whom You appointed over us because of our sins; and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, as it pleases them, and we are in great affliction.

9:38  And in regard to all these circumstances we make a covenant, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, set their seal to it.

Chapter 10

10:1  And over them that sealed were Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,

10:2  Seraiah, Azariah, and Jeremiah,

10:3  Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,

10:4  Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

10:5  Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

10:6  Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

10:7  Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

10:8  Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these were priests.

10:9  And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel

10:10  and his brothers, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

10:11  Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,

10:12  Zacchur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

10:13  Hodijah, the sons of Beninu.

10:14  The heads of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu,

10:15  the sons of Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

10:16  Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

10:17  Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

10:18  Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,

10:19  Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

10:20  Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

10:21  Meshezebel, Zadok, Jaddua,

10:22  Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

10:23  Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

10:24  Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

10:25  Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

10:26  Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

10:27  Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

10:28  And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and everyone who drew off from the nations of the land to the law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding,

10:29  were urgent with their brothers, and bound them under a curse, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in the law of God, which was given by the hand of Moses, the servant of God; to keep and to do all the commandments of the Lord, and His judgments, and His ordinances.

10:30  And that we will not, they said, give our daughters to the people of the land, nor will we take their daughters to our sons.

10:31  And as for the people of the land who bring wares and all manner of merchandise to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on the holy day; and we will leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

10:32  And we will impose ordinances upon ourselves, to levy on ourselves a third of a shekel yearly for the service of the house of our God;

10:33  the showbread, and the continual grain offering, and for the continual whole burnt offering, of the Sabbaths, of the new moon, for the feast, and for the holy things, and the sin offerings, to make atonement for Israel, and for the works of the house of our God.

10:34  And we cast lots for the office of wood-bearing, we the priests, and the Levites, and the people, to bring wood into the house of our God, according to the house of our families, at certain set times, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law;

10:35  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;

10:36  the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, for the priests that minister in the house of our God.

10:37  And the firstfruits of our grain, and the fruit of every tree, of wine, and of oil, will we bring to the priests to the treasury of the house of God; and a tithe of our land to the Levites; for the Levites themselves shall receive tithes in all the cities of the land we cultivate.

10:38  And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites in the tithe of the Levite: and the Levites shall bring up their tithe to the house of our God, into the treasuries of the house of God.

10:39  For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring into the treasuries the firstfruits of the grain, and wine, and oil; to where the holy vessels are, and the priests, and the ministers, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

Chapter 11

11:1  And the chiefs of the people dwelt in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one of every ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine-tenths in the other cities.

11:2  And the people blessed all the men that volunteered to dwell in Jerusalem.

11:3  Now these are the chiefs of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah; every man dwelt in his possession in their cities: Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the children of the servants of Solomon.

11:4  And there dwelt in Jerusalem some of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, and some of the sons of Perez;

11:5  and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-Hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joarib, son of Zechariah, son of Shiloni.

11:6  All the sons of Perez who dwelt in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight men of might.

11:7  And these were the children of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah.

11:8  And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight.

11:9  And Joel son of Zichri was overseer over them: and Judah son of Senuah was second in the city.

11:10  Of the priests: both Jedaiah son of Joiarib, and Jachin.

11:11  Seraiah, son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Maraioth, son of Ahitub, was over the house of God.

11:12  And their brothers doing the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah,

11:13  and his brothers, chiefs of families, two hundred and forty-two: and Amashai son of Azarel, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,

11:14  and his brothers, mighty men of war, a hundred and twenty-eight: and their overseer was Zabdiel son of one of the great men.

11:15  And of the Levites: Shemaiah, son of Hasshub,

11:17  Matthaniah son of Micha, and Jobeb son of Samui,

11:18  two hundred and eighty-four.

11:19  And the porters: Akkub, Talmon, and their brothers, a hundred and seventy-two.

11:22  And the overseer of the Levites was the son of Bani, son of Uzzi, son of Hashabiah, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph the singers some were over the house of God,

11:23  for so was the king's commandment concerning them.

11:24  And Pethahiah son of Baseza was in attendance on the king in every matter for the people,

11:25  and with regard to villages in their country district. And some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba,

11:26  and in Jeshua,

11:27  and in Beersheba.

11:30  And their villages were Lachish and her lands: and they pitched their tents in Beersheba.

11:31  And the children of Benjamin dwelt from Gibeah to Michmash.

11:36  And of the Levites there were divisions to Judah and to Benjamin.

Chapter 12

12:1  Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

12:2  Amaria, Malluch, and

12:3  Shechaniah.

12:7  These were the chiefs of the priests, and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

12:8  And the Levites were: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the bands,

12:9  and his brothers were appointed to the daily courses.

12:10  And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada,

12:11  and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.

12:12  And in the days of Joiakim, his brothers the priests and the heads of families were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

12:13  of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

12:14  of Malluch, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

12:15  of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

12:16  of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

12:17  of Abijah, Zichri; of Minjamin, Moadiah; of Piltai, one;

12:18  of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan;

12:19  of Joiarib, Matthenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

12:20  of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

12:21  of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nathanel.

12:22  The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Joa, Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded heads of families. Also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian.

12:23  And the sons of Levi, heads of families, were written in the Book of the Chronicles, even to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

12:24  And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua; and the sons of Kadmiel, and their brothers over against them, were to sing hymns of praise, according to the commandment of David the man of God, course by course.

12:25  When I gathered the porters,

12:26  it was in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Josadak, and in the days of Nehemiah; and Ezra the priest was the scribe.

12:27  And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep a feast of dedication and gladness with thanksgiving, and they sounded cymbals with songs, and had psalteries and harps.

12:28  And the sons of the singers were assembled both from the neighborhood round about to Jerusalem, and from the villages,

12:29  and from the country, for the singers built themselves villages by Jerusalem.

12:30  And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the porters, and the wall.

12:31  And they brought up the princes of Judah on the wall, and they appointed two great companies for thanksgiving, and they passed on the right hand on the wall of the Refuse Gate.

12:32  And after them went Hoshaiah, and half the princes of Judah,

12:33  and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

12:34  Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah.

12:35  And some of the sons of the priest with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Matthaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zacchur, son of Asaph:

12:36  and his brothers, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nathanel, Judah, and Hanani, to praise with the hymns of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them,

12:37  at the gate, to praise before them, and they went up by the steps of the City of David, in the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the Water Gate

12:39  of Ephraim, and to the Fish Gate, and by the Tower of Hananel, and as far as the Sheep Gate.

12:42  And the singers were heard, and were numbered.

12:43  And in that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced; for God had made them very joyful: and their wives and their children rejoiced; and the joy in Jerusalem was heard from afar off.

12:44  And in that day they appointed men over the treasuries, for the treasures, the firstfruits, and the tithes, and for the chiefs of the cities who were assembled among them, to furnish portions for the priests and Levites; for there was joy in Judah over the priests and over the Levites that waited.

12:45  And they kept the charges of their God, and the charges of the purification, and ordered the singers and the porters, according to the commandments of David and his son Solomon.

12:46  For in the days of David, Asaph was originally first of the singers, and they sang hymns and praises to God.

12:47  And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, a daily rate; and consecrated them to the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them to the sons of Aaron.

Chapter 13

13:1  In that day they 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 congregation of God forever;

13:2  because they met not the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.

13:3  And it came to pass, when they heard the law, that they were separated, even every alien in Israel.

13:4  And before this time Eliashib the priest dwelt in the treasury of the house of our God, connected with Tobiah;

13:5  and he made himself a great treasury, and there they were formerly in the habit of bestowing the offerings, and the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithe of the grain, and the wine, and the oil, the ordered portion of the Levites, and singers, and porters; and the firstfruits of the priests.

13:6  But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king, and after a certain time I made my request of the king;

13:7  and I came to Jerusalem, and I understood the evil which Eliashib had done in the case of Tobiah, in making for him a treasury in the court of the house of God.

13:8  And it appeared very evil to me; so I cast forth all the furniture of the house of Tobiah from the treasury.

13:9  And I gave orders, and they purified the treasuries; and I restored the vessels into the house of God, and the offerings, and the frankincense.

13:10  And I understood that the portion of the Levites had not been given; and they had fled everyone to his field, the Levites and the singers doing the work.

13:11  And I strove with the commanders, and said, Why has the house of God been abandoned? And I assembled them, and set them in their place.

13:12  And all Judah brought a tithe of the wheat and the wine and the oil into the treasuries,

13:13  to the charge of Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites. And next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Matthaniah; for they were accounted faithful. It was their office to distribute to their brothers.

13:14  Remember me, O God, in this, and let not my kindness be forgotten which I have wrought in regard to the house of the Lord God.

13:15  In those days I saw in Judah men treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and carrying sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of burden, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

13:16  And I testified in the day of their sale. Also there dwelt in it men bringing fish, and selling every kind of merchandise to the children of Judah and in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

13:17  And I strove with the free children of Judah, and said to them, What is this evil thing which you do, and profane the Sabbath day?

13:18  Did not your fathers commit this same trespass, and our God brought upon them and upon us and upon this city all these evils? And do you bring additional wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath?

13:19  And it came to pass, when the gates were set up in Jerusalem, before the Sabbath, that I spoke, and they shut the gates; and I gave orders that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath. And I set some of my servants at the gates, that none should bring in burdens on the Sabbath day.

13:20  So all the merchants lodged, and carried on traffic outside of Jerusalem once or twice.

13:21  Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why do you lodge in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will stretch out my hand upon you. From that time they came not on the Sabbath.

13:22  And I told the Levites who were purifying themselves, and came and kept the gates, that they should sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O God, for these things, and spare me according to the abundance of Your mercy.

13:23  And in those days I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab.

13:24  And their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod, and did not know how to speak in the Jewish language.

13:25  And I strove with them and cursed them; and I struck some of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, and you shall not take of their daughters to your sons.

13:26  Did not Solomon king of Israel sin thus? Yet there was no king like him among many nations, and he was beloved of God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet strange women turned him aside.

13:27  So we will not hearken to you to do all this evil, to break covenant with our God, to marry strange wives.

13:28  And Elishub the high priest, one of the sons of Joiada, son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, I chased away from me.

13:29  Remember them, O God, for their false connection with the priesthood, and the breaking the covenant of the priesthood, and for defiling the Levites.

13:30  So I purged them from all foreign connection, and established courses for the priests and the Levites, every man according to his work.

13:31  And the offering of the wood-bearers was at certain set times, and in the times of the firstfruits. Remember me, O our God, for good.