Nehemiah 13

1 One day when the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the section was found where it was written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be allowed into the assembly of God,

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 for ever;

2 because they hadn't brought food and water when they met the Israelites, but instead they had hired Balaam to put a curse on them—though our God turned that curse into a blessing!

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.

3 When the people heard about this law, they separated out from Israel everyone who had foreign ancestry.

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

4 Before all this, Eliashib the priest, who was related to Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the Temple of our God.

And before this time Eliasib the priest dwelt in the treasury of the house of our God, connected with Tobias;

5 He had provided Tobiah with a large room which had previously been used to store the grain offerings, incense, and Temple items, as well as the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil allocated to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, in addition to the offerings for the priests.

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 corn, and the wine, and the oil, the ordered portion of the Levites, and singers, and porters; and the first-fruits of the priests.

6 When all this happened I was not in Jerusalem because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I requested permission from the king to go back.

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

7 When I arrived back in Jerusalem I discovered the dreadful thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courtyard of God's Temple.

and I came to Jerusalem, and I understood the mischief which Eliasib had done in the case of Tobias, in making for him a treasury in the court of the house of God.

8 I was extremely upset, and I went and threw out everything that was in Tobiah's room.

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

9 I ordered the rooms purified, and put back the Temple items, the grain offerings, and the incense.

And I gave orders, and they purified the treasuries: and I restored thither the vessels of the house of God, [and] the offerings, and the frankincense.

10 I also found out that the food allowances for the Levites were not being provided, so the Levites had gone back to take care of their fields, along with the singers who led the worship services.

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

11 I went and confronted the leaders, asking, “Why is God's Temple being neglected?” I called the Levites back and made sure they were carrying out their responsibilities.

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

12 Everyone in Judah then brought the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil into the storerooms.

And all Juda brought a tithe of the wheat and the wine and the oil into the treasuries,

13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, in charge of the storerooms with Hanan, son of Zakkur, son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered honest people. Their responsibility was to distribute the allowances to their fellow Levites.

to the charge of Selemia the priest, and Sadoc the scribe, and Phadaea of the Levites: and next to them [was] Anan the son of Zacchur, son of Matthanias; for they were accounted faithful: [it was] their office to distribute to their brethren.

14 My God, please remember me over this. Please don't forget my good deeds I have done for the Temple of my God and its services.

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.

15 Around that time I noticed people treading the winepress on Sabbath. I saw others collecting grain and loading it up on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, and bringing it all into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

In those days I saw in Juda [men] treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and carrying sheaves, and loading asses with both wine, and grapes, and figs, and every [kind of] burden, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the sabbath-day:

16 I told them off for selling their produce on that day.

and I testified in the day of their sale. Also their dwelt in it [men] bringing fish, and selling every [kind of] merchandise to the children of Juda and in Jerusalem on the sabbath.

17 Some people from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of things and they were selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.

And I strove with the free children of Juda, and said to them, What [is] this evil thing which ye do, and profane the sabbath-day?

18 I confronted the Jewish leaders, asking them, “Why are you are doing such an evil thing? You are violating the Sabbath day! Wasn't this what your forefathers did, bringing our God down on us, causing us and this city such disasters? Now you're bringing even more trouble on us by violating the Sabbath!”

Did not your fathers thus, and our God brought upon them and upon us and upon this city all these evils? and do ye bring additional wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath?

19 So I ordered Jerusalem's gates to be shut at sunset on the day before the Sabbath, and that were not to be opened until after the Sabbath had ended. I assigned some of my men to guard the gates to make sure no goods would be brought in on the Sabbath day.

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.

20 A couple of times merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside of Jerusalem.

So all [the merchants] lodged, and carried on traffic without Jerusalem once or twice.

21 I warned them, saying, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do that again I'll have you arrested!” After that they didn't come on the Sabbath.

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

22 Then I told the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. My God, please also remember me for doing this, and be merciful to me because of your trustworthy love.

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 thy mercy.

23 Around the same time I realized some Jews had married women from Ashdod, Moab, and Ammon.

And in those days I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:

24 Half their children could only speak the language of Ashdod or that of another people, and didn't know how to speak the language of Judah.

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

25 So I confronted them and told them they were cursed. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God, saying, “You must not allow your daughters to marry their sons, or allow your sons—or yourselves— to marry their daughters.

And I strove with them and cursed them; and I smote some of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying, ]Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, and ye shall not take of their daughters to your sons.

26 Wasn't it marriages like these that made King Solomon of Israel sin? There wasn't a king in any nation like him. God loved him, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was made to sin by foreign women.

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin thus? though 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.

27 So do we have to hear about you committing this dreadful sin, how you are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

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

28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. So I expelled him.

and Elisub the high priest, [one] of the sons of Joada, [being] son-in-law of Sanaballat the Uranite, I chased him away from me.

29 My God, remember them and what they did, violating the priesthood and the solemn agreement of the priests and Levites.

Remember them, O God, for their [false] connection with the priesthood, and [the breaking] the covenant of the priesthood, and [for defiling] the Levites.

30 I purified them from everything foreign, and I made sure the priests and Levites were carrying out their assigned responsibilities.

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

31 I also arranged for wood to be supplied for the altar at the specified times, and for the first part of the produce to be donated. My God, remember me favorably.

And the offering of the wood-bearers [was] at certain set times, and in the [times of the] first-fruits. Remember me, O our God, for good.