Nehemiæ 13

1 in die autem illo lectum est in volumine Mosi audiente populo et inventum est scriptum in eo quod non debeat introire Ammanites et Moabites in ecclesiam Dei usque in aeternum

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,

2 eo quod non occurrerint filiis Israhel cum pane et aqua et conduxerint adversum eum Balaam ad maledicendum ei et convertit Deus noster maledictionem in benedictionem

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!

3 factum est autem cum audissent legem separaverunt omnem alienigenam ab Israhel

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

4 et super hoc erat Eliasib sacerdos qui fuerat positus in gazofilacio domus Dei nostri et proximus Tobiae

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.

5 fecit ergo sibi gazofilacium grande et ibi erant ante eum reponentes munera et tus et vasa et decimam frumenti et vini et olei partes Levitarum et cantorum et ianitorum et primitias sacerdotales

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.

6 in omnibus autem his non fui in Hierusalem quia in anno tricesimo secundo Artarxersis regis Babylonis veni ad regem et in fine dierum rogavi regem

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.

7 et veni in Hierusalem et intellexi malum quod fecerat Eliasib Tobiae ut faceret ei thesaurum in vestibulis domus Dei

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.

8 et malum mihi visum est valde et proieci vasa domus Tobiae foras de gazofilacio

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

9 praecepique et mundaverunt gazofilacia et rettuli ibi vasa domus Dei sacrificium et tus

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

10 et cognovi quoniam partes Levitarum non fuissent datae et fugisset unusquisque in regionem suam de Levitis et de cantoribus et de his qui ministrabant

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.

11 et egi causam adversus magistratus et dixi quare dereliquimus domum Dei et congregavi eos et feci stare in stationibus suis

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.

12 et omnis Iuda adportabat decimam frumenti et vini et olei in horrea

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

13 et constituimus super horrea Selemiam sacerdotem et Sadoc scribam et Phadaiam de Levitis et iuxta eos Anan filium Zacchur filium Matthaniae quoniam fideles conprobati sunt et ipsis creditae sunt partes fratrum suorum

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.

14 memento mei Deus meus pro hoc et ne deleas miserationes meas quas feci in domo Dei mei et in caerimoniis eius

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.

15 in diebus illis vidi in Iuda calcabant torcularia in sabbato portantes acervos et onerantes super asinos vinum et uvas et ficus et omne onus et inferentes Hierusalem in die sabbati et contestatus sum ut in die qua vendere liceret venderent

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.

16 et Tyrii habitaverunt in ea inferentes pisces et omnia venalia et vendebant in sabbatis filiis Iuda et in Hierusalem

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

17 et obiurgavi optimates Iuda et dixi eis quae est res haec mala quam vos facitis et profanatis diem sabbati

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.

18 numquid non haec fecerunt patres nostri et adduxit Deus noster super nos omne malum hoc et super civitatem hanc et vos additis iracundiam super Israhel violando sabbatum

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!”

19 factum est itaque cum quievissent portae Hierusalem die sabbati dixi et cluserunt ianuas et praecepi ut non aperirent eas usque post sabbatum et de pueris meis constitui super portas ut nullus inferret onus in die sabbati

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.

20 et manserunt negotiatores et vendentes universa venalia foris Hierusalem semel et bis

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

21 et contestatus sum eos et dixi eis quare manetis ex adverso muri si secundo hoc feceritis manum mittam in vos itaque ex tempore illo non venerunt in sabbato

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.

22 dixi quoque Levitis ut mundarentur et venirent ad custodiendas portas et sanctificandum diem sabbati et pro hoc ergo memento mei Deus meus et parce mihi secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum

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.

23 sed et in diebus illis vidi Iudaeos ducentes uxores azotias ammanitidas et moabitidas

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

24 et filii eorum ex media parte loquebantur azotice et nesciebant loqui iudaice et loquebantur iuxta linguam populi et populi

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.

25 et obiurgavi eos et maledixi et cecidi ex ipsis viros et decalvavi eos et adiuravi in Deo ut non darent filias suas filiis eorum et non acciperent de filiabus eorum filiis suis et sibimet ipsis dicens

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.

26 numquid non in huiuscemodi re peccavit Salomon rex Israhel et certe in gentibus multis non erat rex similis ei et dilectus Deo suo erat et posuit eum Deus regem super omnem Israhel et ipsum ergo ad peccatum duxerunt mulieres alienigenae

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.

27 numquid et nos inoboedientes faciemus omne malum grande hoc ut praevaricemur in Deo nostro et ducamus uxores peregrinas

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

28 de filiis autem Ioiada filii Eliasib sacerdotis magni gener erat Sanaballat Horonitis quem fugavi a me

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.

29 recordare Domine Deus meus adversum eos qui polluunt sacerdotium iusque sacerdotale et leviticum

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

30 igitur mundavi eos ab omnibus alienigenis et constitui ordines sacerdotum et Levitarum unumquemque in ministerio suo

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

31 et in oblatione lignorum in temporibus constitutis et in primitiis memento mei Deus meus in bonum

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.