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Nehemiah 8-10
GOD’S WORD Translation
Nehemiah 8-10
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Public Reading of Moses’ Teachings
8 ⌞When the seventh month came,⌟ all the people gathered together in the courtyard in front of Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord had commanded Israel ⌞to follow⌟. 2 Then Ezra the priest brought the Teachings in front of the assembly. This included men, women, and any ⌞children⌟ who could understand what they heard. This took place on the first day of the seventh month. 3 From daybreak until noon, he read from it in the courtyard in front of Water Gate to the men, women, and ⌞children⌟ who could understand it. All the people listened to the Book of Moses’ Teachings.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a raised wooden platform made for this occasion. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right. Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchiah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam stood beside him on his left. 5 Ezra, standing higher than all the other people, opened the book in front of all the people. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra thanked the Lord, the great God. All the people responded, “Amen! Amen!” as they raised their hands and then bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord. 7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—explained the Teachings to the people while they were standing there. 8 They read the Book of God’s Teachings clearly and explained the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people told them, “This is a holy day for the Lord your God. Don’t mourn or cry.” All the people were crying as they listened to the reading of God’s Teachings. 10 Then he told them, “Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who cannot provide for themselves. Today is a holy day for the Lord. Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people by saying, “Listen. Today is a holy day. Don’t be sad.”
12 Then all the people went to eat and drink and to send portions. They had a big, joyful celebration because they understood the words that had been explained to them.
The Festival of Booths Is Observed
13 On the second day the leaders of the families of all the people, including the priests and the Levites, met with Ezra the scribe to study the words of God’s Teachings. 14 They found written in the Teachings that the Lord had given an order through Moses that the people of Israel should live in booths during a festival in the seventh month. 15 They should announce this command and send this message throughout all their cities and Jerusalem: “Go to the mountains, and get branches—olive and wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other thick-leaved branches—to make booths as it is written.”
16 So the people went to get branches to make booths for themselves. Some made booths on their roofs, others in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s temple, in the open area by Water Gate, or in the open area at Ephraim Gate.
17 The whole assembly that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. From the time of Jeshua (son of Nun) to that day, the people of Israel had not done this. There was a big, joyful celebration. 18 Day by day, from the first day of the festival to the last day, Ezra continued to read from the Book of God’s Teachings. The people celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, they had a closing festival assembly in accordance with the regulations.
A Day of Fasting and Confession
9 When the Israelites assembled on the twenty-fourth day of this month, they fasted, wore sackcloth, and threw dirt on their heads. 2 Those who were descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins as well as the wicked things their ancestors had done. 3 They stood in their places, and for one-fourth of the day, ⌞they listened as⌟ the Book of the Teachings of the Lord their God was read, and for another fourth ⌞of the day⌟, they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.
A Day of Prayer
4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chanani stood on the stairs built for the Levites and cried loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up, and thank the Lord your God:
CREATION
From everlasting to everlasting your glorious name is praised
and lifted high above all blessing and praise.
6 You alone are the Lord.
You made heaven, the highest heaven, with all its armies.
You made the earth and everything on it,
the seas and everything in them.
You give life to them all, and the armies of heaven worship you.
ABRAHAM
7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram
and took him from Ur of the Chaldeans
and gave him the name Abraham.
8 You found that his heart was faithful to you.
You made a promise [a] to him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites to his descendants.
You kept your promise because you are fair.
THE EXODUS
9 You saw how our ancestors suffered in Egypt,
and you heard them crying at the Red Sea.
10 You performed miraculous signs and did amazing things to Pharaoh
and all his servants and all the people in his land
because you knew how arrogantly
they were treating our ancestors.
You made a name for yourself, a name which remains to this day.
11 You divided the sea in front of them
so that they could walk through the sea on dry ground.
You threw into deep water those who pursued your people
as someone throws a stone into raging water.
WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS
12 You led them during the day by a column of smoke
and during the night by a column of fire to give them light
to see the way they should go.
13 You came from heaven to Mount Sinai
and spoke with them from heaven.
You gave them fair rules, trustworthy teachings,
and good laws and commandments.
14 You taught them about your holy day of rest.
You gave them commandments, laws, and teachings
through your servant Moses.
15 You gave them bread from heaven to satisfy their hunger
and made water flow from a rock to quench their thirst.
You told them to take possession of the land
that you swore you would give them.
16 But they—our own ancestors—acted arrogantly.
They became stubborn and wouldn’t obey your commands.
17 They refused to listen.
They forgot the miracles you performed for them.
They became stubborn and appointed a leader
to take them back to slavery ⌞in Egypt⌟.
But you are a forgiving God,
one who is compassionate, merciful, patient,
and always ready to forgive.
You never abandoned them,
18 even when they made a metal statue of a calf for themselves
and said, ‘This is your god who took you out of Egypt.’
They committed outrageous sins.
19 But because of your endless compassion,
you didn’t abandon them in the desert.
The column of smoke didn’t leave them during the day,
but it led them on their way.
The column of fire didn’t leave them during the night,
but it gave them light to see the way they should go.
20 You gave them your good Spirit to teach them.
You didn’t keep your manna to yourself.
You gave them water to quench their thirst.
21 You provided for them in the desert for 40 years,
and they had everything they needed.
Their clothes didn’t wear out, and their feet didn’t swell.
CONQUEST OF CANAAN
22 You gave kingdoms and nations to the Israelites
and assigned them their boundaries.
So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
the land of the king of Heshbon,
and the land of King Og of Bashan.
23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky.
You brought them into the land you told their parents to enter and possess.
24 Their children took possession of the land.
You defeated for them the Canaanites, who lived in the land.
You handed the Canaanite kings and their people over to them
to do whatever they wanted with the Canaanites.
25 The Israelites captured fortified cities and a rich land.
They took possession of houses filled with all sorts of good things,
cisterns, vineyards, olive trees,
and plenty of fruit trees.
So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat.
They enjoyed the vast supply of good things you gave them.
ISRAEL’S REBELLION
26 But they were defiant and rebelled against you.
They threw your teachings over their shoulders
and killed your prophets who warned them to turn back to you.
They committed outrageous sins.
27 You handed them over to their enemies, who made them suffer.
When they began to suffer, they cried to you.
You heard them from heaven.
You gave them saviors to rescue them from their enemies
because of your endless compassion.
28 As soon as they felt some relief,
they were again doing what you considered evil.
You abandoned them to their enemies, who conquered them.
They cried to you again, and you heard them from heaven.
You rescued them many times because of your compassion.
29 You warned them in order to bring them back to your teachings,
but they became arrogant and would not obey your commandments.
They sinned by not following your regulations.
If anyone follows them, he will find life in them.
But they gave you the cold shoulder,
became impossible to deal with, and wouldn’t listen.
30 You were patient with them for many years.
You warned them by your Spirit through your prophets.
However, they wouldn’t listen.
So you handed them over to the people in the surrounding nations.
31 But your compassion is endless.
You didn’t destroy them or abandon them.
You are a merciful and compassionate God.
THE PRESENT
32 And now, our God, you are the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God.
You faithfully keep your promises.
Do not consider all the hardships
that we have been going through as unimportant.
The hardships have come to our kings, leaders, priests, prophets,
ancestors, and all your people
from the time of the kings of Assyria until now.
33 But you were fair about everything that has happened to us.
You have been faithful, but we have been wicked.
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors didn’t obey your teachings.
They didn’t pay attention to your commandments or the warnings
that you gave them.
35 When they lived in their own kingdom and enjoyed the many good things
that you gave them in a vast, fertile land
which was set in front of them, they didn’t serve you
or turn away from their wicked lives.
36 Look ⌞at us⌟ now. We’re slaves!
In the land you gave our ancestors,
they could eat its produce and ⌞enjoy⌟ its good things.
But now we’re slaves!
37 The many products ⌞from our land⌟ go to the kings you put over us.
This is because of our sins.
These kings have control over our bodies,
and they do as they please with our livestock.
We are in agony.[b]
An Agreement in Writing
38 “We are making a binding agreement ⌞and putting it⌟ in writing because of all this. Our leaders, Levites, and priests are putting their seals on the document.”
10 [c]The following people sealed the agreement: Governor Nehemiah (son of Hacaliah), Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchiah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9 These were the Levites: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (of the sons of Henadad), Kadmiel, 10 and their relatives Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 These were the leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28 The rest of the people took an oath. These people included the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the inhabitants of the land for the sake of God’s Teachings. Their wives, sons, daughters, and everyone who is capable of understanding also took an oath. 29 They joined their relatives, the nobles, in binding themselves with a curse and an oath to follow God’s teachings given by Moses, God’s servant. They also bound themselves to follow all the commandments, rules, and regulations of the Lord our Lord.
30 We will not allow our daughters to marry the inhabitants of the land or allow their daughters to marry our sons. 31 If the inhabitants of the land bring merchandise or grain to sell on the day of rest—a holy day, we won’t buy anything from them on the day of rest or any other holy day. During the seventh year, we won’t plant the fields or collect any debts.
32 Also, we take upon ourselves the obligation to give an eighth of an ounce of silver every year for worship in our God’s temple: 33 for rows of the bread of the presence, and for the daily grain offerings and daily burnt offerings, on the weekly days of rest—holy days, and on the New Moon Festivals, and at the appointed annual festivals, for the holy gifts and offerings for sin that make peace with God for Israel, and for all the other work in the temple of our God.
34 We priests, Levites, and laypeople have drawn lots to decide the order in which the heads of our families should bring wood to our God’s temple to burn on the altar of the Lord our God at appointed times every year according to the directions in the Teachings. 35 We have drawn lots to decide who should bring the first produce harvested and the first fruit from every tree each year to the Lord’s temple. 36 Following the directions in the Teachings, we have drawn lots to decide who should bring the firstborn of our sons, our cattle, and our flocks to the priests serving in our God’s temple. 37 Also, we have drawn lots to decide who should bring the best of our coarse flour, contributions, fruit from every tree, new wine, and olive oil to the priests, to the storerooms. We will bring for the Levites one-tenth of the produce from our fields, because the Levites are the ones who collect one-tenth of the produce from all our farm communities. 38 A priest—one of Aaron’s descendants—should be with the Levites when they collect the tenth. Then the Levites should bring one-tenth of these tenths to our God’s temple, into the rooms of the storehouses there. 39 The Israelites and the Levites should bring into the storerooms their contributions of grain, new wine, and olive oil. They should bring these products to the place where the utensils of the holy place are and where the priests who serve and the gatekeepers and the singers are. We won’t neglect our God’s temple.
Footnotes
- 9:8 Or “covenant.”
- 9:37 Nehemiah 9:38 in English Bibles is Nehemiah 10:1 in the Hebrew Bible.
- 10:1 Nehemiah 10:1–39 in English Bibles is Nehemiah 10:2–40 in the Hebrew Bible.
Nehemiah 8-10
New International Version
Nehemiah 8-10
New International Version
8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.(A) They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,(B) which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month(C) Ezra the priest brought the Law(D) before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate(E) in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform(F) built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing(G) above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands(H) and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites(I)—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed(J) the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites(K) who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(L) For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing(M) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy(N) of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,(O) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters(P) during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.[b]
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate(Q) and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.(R) 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.(S) From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated(T) it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read(U) from the Book of the Law(V) of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,(W) there was an assembly.(X)
The Israelites Confess Their Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(Y) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(Z) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(AA) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites(AB) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(AC) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[c]”
“Blessed be your glorious name,(AD) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.(AE) You made the heavens,(AF) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(AG) the earth(AH) and all that is on it, the seas(AI) and all that is in them.(AJ) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(AK) worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(AL) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(AM) and named him Abraham.(AN) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(AO) You have kept your promise(AP) because you are righteous.(AQ)
9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(AR) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[d](AS) 10 You sent signs(AT) and wonders(AU) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(AV) for yourself,(AW) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(AX) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(AY) like a stone into mighty waters.(AZ) 12 By day(BA) you led(BB) them with a pillar of cloud,(BC) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(BD) you spoke(BE) to them from heaven.(BF) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(BG) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(BH) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(BI) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(BJ) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(BK) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(BL) to give them.(BM)
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(BN) and they did not obey your commands.(BO) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(BP) the miracles(BQ) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(BR) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(BS) But you are a forgiving God,(BT) gracious and compassionate,(BU) slow to anger(BV) and abounding in love.(BW) Therefore you did not desert them,(BX) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(BY) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(BZ)
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(CA) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(CB) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(CC) to instruct(CD) them. You did not withhold your manna(CE) from their mouths, and you gave them water(CF) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(CG) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(CH) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(CI)
22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon[e](CJ) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.(CK) 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,(CL) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land.(CM) You subdued(CN) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land;(CO) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,(CP) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;(CQ) they reveled in your great goodness.(CR)
26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.(CS) They killed(CT) your prophets,(CU) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.(CV) 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,(CW) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion(CX) you gave them deliverers,(CY) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.(CZ) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion(DA) you delivered them(DB) time after time.
29 “You warned(DC) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant(DD) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’(DE) Stubbornly they turned their backs(DF) on you, became stiff-necked(DG) and refused to listen.(DH) 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.(DI) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.(DJ) 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end(DK) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful(DL) God.
32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty(DM) and awesome,(DN) who keeps his covenant of love,(DO) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship(DP) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;(DQ) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.(DR) 34 Our kings,(DS) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors(DT) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness(DU) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you(DV) or turn from their evil ways.
36 “But see, we are slaves(DW) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.(DX)
The Agreement of the People
38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,(DY) putting it in writing,(DZ) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”[f]
10 [g]Those who sealed it were:
Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hakaliah.
Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah,(EA) Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur,(EB) Amariah, Malkijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk,
5 Harim,(EC) Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah.
These were the priests.(ED)
9 The Levites:(EE)
Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
10 and their associates: Shebaniah,
Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zakkur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.
14 The leaders of the people:
Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,(EF)
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,(EG)
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah,(EH) Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluk, Harim and Baanah.
28 “The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants(EI) and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples(EJ) for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand— 29 all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath(EK) to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.
30 “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.(EL)
31 “When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath,(EM) we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land(EN) and will cancel all debts.(EO)
32 “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel[h] each year for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the bread set out on the table;(EP) for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon(EQ) feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings[i] to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.(ER)
34 “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots(ES) to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood(ET) to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.
35 “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits(EU) of our crops and of every fruit tree.(EV)
36 “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn(EW) of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.(EX)
37 “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil.(EY) And we will bring a tithe(EZ) of our crops to the Levites,(FA) for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.(FB) 38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes(FC) up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept.
“We will not neglect the house of our God.”(FD)
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
- Nehemiah 8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
- Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
- Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Nehemiah 9:22 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the
- Nehemiah 9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.
- Nehemiah 10:1 In Hebrew texts 10:1-39 is numbered 10:2-40.
- Nehemiah 10:32 That is, about 1/8 ounce or about 4 grams
- Nehemiah 10:33 Or purification offerings
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
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