On that day athey read
aloud from the book
of Moses
in the hearing
of the people
; and there was found
written
in it that bno
Ammonite
or Moabite
should ever
enter
the assembly
of God
,
because they did not meet
the sons
of Israel
with bread
and water
, but ahired
Balaam
against
them to curse
them. However, bour God
turned
the curse
into a blessing
.
So when they heard the law
, athey excluded
ball
foreigners
from Israel
.
Now prior to this
, Eliashib
the priest
, awho was appointed
over the chambers
of the house
of our God
, being 1related
to bTobiah
,
had prepared a large
1room
for him, where
formerly
they put
the grain offerings
, the frankincense
, the utensils
and the tithes
of grain
, wine
and oil
aprescribed
for the Levites
, the singers
and the gatekeepers
, and the 2contributions
for the priests
.
But during all this
time I was not in Jerusalem
, for in athe thirty-second
year
of bArtaxerxes
king
of Babylon
I had gone
to the king
. After
some time
, however, I asked
leave from the king
,
and I came to Jerusalem
and 1learned
about the evil
that Eliashib
had done
for Tobiah
, aby preparing
a 2room
for him in the courts
of the house
of God
.
It was very displeasing
to me, so I athrew
all
of Tobiah's
household
goods
out of the room
.
Then I gave an order
and athey cleansed
the rooms
; and I returned
there
the utensils
of the house
of God
with the grain offerings
and the frankincense
.
I also 1discovered that athe portions
of the Levites
had not been given
them, so that the Levites
and the singers
who performed
the service
had 2gone
away
, beach
to his own field
.
So I 1 areprimanded the officials
and said
, " bWhy
is the house
of God
forsaken
?" Then I gathered
them together and restored
them to their posts
.
All Judah
then brought
athe tithe
of the grain
, wine
and oil
into the storehouses
.
In charge of the storehouses
I appointed
Shelemiah
the priest
, Zadok
the scribe
, and Pedaiah
of the Levites
, and in addition
to them was Hanan
the son
of Zaccur
, the son
of Mattaniah
; for athey were considered
reliable
, and it was 1their task
to distribute
to their 2kinsmen
.
aRemember me for this
, O my God
, and do not blot
out my loyal
deeds
which
I have performed
for the house
of my God
and its services
.
In those days
I saw
in Judah
some who were treading
wine
presses
aon the sabbath
, and bringing
in sacks
of grain
and loading
them on donkeys
, as well
as wine
, grapes
, figs
and all
kinds of loads
, band they brought
them into Jerusalem
on the sabbath
day
. So cI admonished
them on the day
they sold
food
.
Also men of Tyre
were living
1there who imported
fish
and all
kinds of merchandise
, and sold
them to the sons
of Judah
on the sabbath
, even in Jerusalem
.
Then aI 1reprimanded the nobles
of Judah
and said
to them, "What
is this
evil
thing
you are doing
, 2by profaning
the sabbath
day
?
" aDid not your fathers do
the same
, so that our God
brought
on us and on this
city
all
this
trouble
? Yet you are adding
to the wrath
on Israel
by profaning
the sabbath
."
aIt came about that just
as it grew
dark
at the gates
of Jerusalem
before
the sabbath
, I commanded
that the doors
should be shut
1and that they should not open
them until
after
the sabbath
. Then I stationed
some of my servants
at the gates
so that no
load
would enter
on the sabbath
day
.
Once or twice
the traders
and merchants
of every
kind of merchandise
spent
the night
outside
Jerusalem
.
Then aI 1warned them and said
to them, "Why
do you spend
the night
in front
of the wall
? If
you do
so again
, I will 2use
force
against you." From that time
on they did not come
on the sabbath
.
And I commanded the Levites
that athey should purify
themselves and come
as gatekeepers
to sanctify
the sabbath
day
. For this
also
bremember
me, O my God
, and have
compassion
on me according to the greatness
of Your lovingkindness
.
In those days
I also
saw
that the Jews
had 1 amarried
women
from bAshdod
, cAmmon
and Moab
.
As for their children, half
spoke
in the language
of Ashdod
, and none
of them was able
to speak
the language
of Judah
, but 1the language
of his own
people
.
So aI contended with them and cursed
them and bstruck
some
of them and pulled
out their hair
, and cmade them swear
by God
, "You shall not give
your daughters
to their sons
, nor
take
of their daughters
for your sons
or for yourselves.
" aDid not Solomon king
of Israel
sin
regarding
these
things
? bYet among the many
nations
there was no
king
like
him, and che was loved
by his God
, and God
made
him king
over
all
Israel
; nevertheless
the foreign
women
caused even
him to sin
.
" 1Do we then hear about you that you have committed
all
this
great
evil
aby acting
unfaithfully
against our God
by 2marrying
foreign
women
?"
Even one of the sons of Joiada
, the son
of Eliashib
the high
priest
, was a son-in-law
of aSanballat
the Horonite
, so I drove
him away
from me.
aRemember them, O my God
, 1because
they have defiled
the priesthood
and the bcovenant
of the priesthood
and the Levites
.
aThus I purified them from everything
foreign
and appointed
duties
for the priests
and the Levites
, each
in his task
,
and I arranged afor the supply of wood
at appointed
times
and for the first
fruits
. bRemember
me, O my God
, for good
.