Nehemiah 13

1 On that day there was a reading from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and they saw that it said in the book that no Ammonite or Moabite might ever come into the meeting 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 did not give the children of Israel bread and water when they came to them, but got Balaam to put a curse on them: though the curse was turned into a blessing by our God.

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 So after hearing the law, they took out of Israel all the mixed people.

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

4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who had been placed over the rooms of the house of our God, being a friend of Tobiah,

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

5 Had made ready for him a great room, where at one time they kept the meal offerings, the perfume, and the vessels and the tenths of the grain and wine and oil which were given by order to the Levites and the music-makers and the door-keepers, and the lifted 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 But all this time I was not at Jerusalem: for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went to the king; and after some days, I got the king to let me go,

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 And I came to Jerusalem; and it was clear to me what evil Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in making ready for him a room in the buildings of the house of God.

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 And it was evil in my eyes: so I had all Tobiah's things put out of the room.

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

9 Then I gave orders, and they made the rooms clean: and I put back in them the vessels of the house of God, with the meal offerings and the perfume.

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

10 And I saw that the Levites had not been given what was needed for their support; so that the Levites and the music-makers, who did the work, had gone away, everyone to his field.

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 Then I made protests to the chiefs, and said, Why has the house of God been given up? And I got them together and put them in their places.

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

12 Then all Judah came with the tenth part of the grain and wine and oil and put it into the store-houses.

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

13 And I made controllers over the store-houses, Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and with them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah: they were taken to be true men and their business was the distribution of these things to their brothers.

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 Keep me in mind, O my God, in connection with this, and do not let the good which I have done for the house of my God and its worship go from your memory completely.

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 In those days, I saw in Judah some who were crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and getting in grain and putting it on asses; as well as wine and grapes and figs and all sorts of goods which they took into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I gave witness against them on the day when they were marketing food.

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 And there were men of Tyre there, who came with fish and all sorts of goods, trading with the children of Judah and in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

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

17 Then I made protests to the chiefs of Judah, and said to them, What is this evil which you are doing, not keeping the Sabbath day holy?

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

18 Did not your fathers do the same, and did not our God send all this evil on us and on this town? but you are causing more wrath to come on Israel by not keeping the Sabbath holy.

Did not your fathers thus, 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?

19 And so, when the streets of Jerusalem were getting dark before the Sabbath, I gave orders for the doors to be shut and not to be open again till after the Sabbath: and I put some of my servants by the door so that nothing might be taken 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 So the traders in all sorts of goods took their night's rest outside Jerusalem once or twice.

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

21 Then I gave witness against them and said, Why are you waiting all night by the wall? if you do so again I will have you taken prisoners. From that time they did not come again on the Sabbath.

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.

22 And I gave the Levites orders to make themselves clean and come and keep the doors and make the Sabbath holy. Keep this in mind to my credit, O my God, and have mercy on me, for great is your mercy.

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.

23 And in those days I saw the Jews who were married to women of Ashdod and Ammon and Moab:

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

24 And their children were talking half in the language of Ashdod; they had no knowledge of the Jews' language, but made use of the language of the two peoples.

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

25 And I took up the cause against them, cursing them and giving blows to some of them and pulling out their hair; and I made them take an oath by God, saying, You are not to give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

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.

26 Was it not in these things that Solomon, king of Israel, did wrong? among a number of nations there was no king like him, and he was dear to his God, and God made him king over all Israel: but even he was made to do evil by strange 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 Are we then without protest to let you do all this great evil, sinning against our God by taking strange women for your wives?

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

28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib, the chief priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: so I sent him away from me.

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 Keep them in mind, O my God, because they have put shame on the priests' name and on the agreement of the priests and the 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 So I made them clean from all strange people, and had regular watches fixed for the priests and for the Levites, everyone in his work;

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

31 And for the wood offering, at fixed times, and for the first fruits. Keep me in mind, O my God, for good.

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.