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Nehemiah 13
1599 Geneva Bible
Nehemiah 13
1599 Geneva Bible
13 1 The Law is read. 3 They separate from them all strangers. 15 Nehemiah reproveth them that break the Sabbath. 30 An ordinance to serve God.
1 And on that day they did read in the book of Moses, in the audience of the people, and it was found written therein, that the Ammonite, and the Moabite (A)should not enter into the Congregation of God,
2 Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, (B)but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: and our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 Now when they had heard the Law, they separated from Israel [a]all those that were mixed.
4 ¶ And before [b]this had the Priest Eliashib the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, being [c]kinsman to Tobiah:
5 And he had made him a great chamber, and there had they aforetime laid the offerings, the incense, and the vessels, and the tithes of corn, of wine, and of oil (appointed for the Levites, and the singers, and the porters) and the offerings of the Priests.
6 But in all this time was not I in Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of [d]Artachshashta King of Babel, came I unto the King, and [e]after certain days I obtained of the King.
7 And when I was come to Jerusalem, I understood [f]the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in that he had made him a chamber in the court of the house of God,
8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the vessels of the house of Tobiah out of the chamber.
9 And I commanded them to cleanse the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God with the meat offering and the incense.
10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given, and that everyone was fled to his land, even the Levites and singers that executed the work.
11 Then reproved I the rulers and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I assembled them, and set them in their place.
12 Then brought all Judah the tithes of corn and of wine, and of oil unto the treasures.
13 And I made treasurers over the treasures, Shelemiah the Priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah, and under their hand Hanan the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah: for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.
14 Remember me, O my God, herein, and wipe not out my [g]kindness that I have showed on the house of my God, and on the offices thereof.
15 In those days saw I in Judah them, that trod wine presses on the Sabbath, and that brought in sheaves, and which laded asses also with wine, grapes, and figs, and all burdens, and brought them into Jerusalem upon the Sabbath day: and [h]I protested to them in the day that they sold vittles.
16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish and all wares, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah even in Jerusalem.
17 Then reproved I the rulers of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and break the Sabbath day?
18 Did not your fathers [i]thus, and our God brought all this plague upon us, and upon this city? yet ye increase the wrath upon Israel, in breaking the Sabbath.
19 And when the gates of Jerusalem began to be [j]dark before the Sabbath, I commanded to shut the gates, and charged, that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath, and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20 So the chapmen and merchants of all merchandise remained once or twice all night without Jerusalem.
21 And I protested among them, and said unto them, Why tarry ye all night about the wall? If ye do it once again, I will lay hands upon you. From that time came they no more on the Sabbath.
22 ¶ And I said unto the Levites, that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and [k]keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and pardon me according to thy great mercy.
23 In those days also I saw Jews that married wives of [l]Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab.
24 And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, and according to the language of the one people, and of the other people.
25 Then I reproved them, and [m]cursed them, and smote certain of them, and pulled off their hair, and took an oath of them by God, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, neither shall ye take of their daughters unto your sons nor for yourselves.
26 (C)Did not Solomon the king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no King like him: for he was (D)beloved of his God, and God had made him King over Israel: (E)yet strange women caused him to sin.
27 Shall we then obey unto you, to do all this great evil, and to transgress against our God, even to marry strange wives?
28 And one of the sons of Joiada the son of Eliashib the high Priest was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite: but I chased him from me.
29 Remember them, O my God, that [n]defile the Priesthood, and the covenant of the Priesthood, and of the Levites.
30 Then cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the Priests and of the Levites, every one in his office,
31 And for the offering of the wood at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, [o]in goodness.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 13:3 That is, all such which had joined in unlawful marriage, and also those with whom God had forbidden them to have society.
- Nehemiah 13:4 That the separation was made.
- Nehemiah 13:4 He was joined in affinity with Tobiah the Ammonite and enemy of the Jews.
- Nehemiah 13:6 Called also Darius, Ezra 7:1.
- Nehemiah 13:6 Or, at the year’s end.
- Nehemiah 13:7 Thus we see to what inconveniences the people fall into, when they are destitute of one that hath the fear of God, seeing that their chief governor was but a while absent, and yet they fell into such great absurdities: as appeareth also, Exod. 32:1.
- Nehemiah 13:14 He protesteth that he did his duty with a good conscience, yet he doth not justify himself in therein, but desireth God to favor him and to be merciful unto him for his own goodness sake, as verse 22 and 31.
- Nehemiah 13:15 I declared unto them, that God would not suffer such transgressors of his Law to be unpunished.
- Nehemiah 13:18 Was not this a great cause, why God plagued us in times past: meaning, that if they transgressed now in the same again, their plague should be greater.
- Nehemiah 13:19 About the time that the Sun went down: for the Sabbath lasted from the Sun going down of the one day, to the Sun setting of the other.
- Nehemiah 13:22 Meaning, of the Temple, that none that was unclean, should enter.
- Nehemiah 13:23 Which was a city of the Philistines, and they had married wives thereof, and so had corrupted their speech and Religion.
- Nehemiah 13:25 That is, I did excommunicate them, and drive them out of the congregation.
- Nehemiah 13:29 Punish them according to their fault and evil example, which they have given to the rest of thy people contrary to their vocation.
- Nehemiah 13:31 That is, to show mercy unto me.
Nehemiah 13
New International Version
Nehemiah 13
New International Version
Nehemiah’s Final Reforms
13 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,(A) 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam(B) to call a curse down on them.(C) (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)(D) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.(E)
4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms(F) of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah,(G) 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes(H) of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes(I) king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib(J) had done in providing Tobiah(K) a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.(L) 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms,(M) and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.(N)
10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them,(O) and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.(P) 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”(Q) Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.
12 All Judah brought the tithes(R) of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms.(S) 13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.(T)
14 Remember(U) me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.
15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath.(V) Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath(W) to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city?(X) Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”(Y)
19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath,(Z) I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember(AA) me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.
23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married(AB) women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.(AC) 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language(AD) of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath(AE) in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.(AF) 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.(AG) He was loved by his God,(AH) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.(AI) 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying(AJ) foreign women?”
28 One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib(AK) the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat(AL) the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.
29 Remember(AM) them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.(AN)
30 So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign,(AO) and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31 I also made provision for contributions of wood(AP) at designated times, and for the firstfruits.(AQ)
Remember(AR) me with favor, my God.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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