NE_TXT

NE-1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came

to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in

Shushan the palace,

NE-1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain]

men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had

escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning

Jerusalem.

NE-1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the

captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and

reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the

gates thereof are burned with fire.

NE-1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I

sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and

prayed before the God of heaven,

NE-1:5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the

great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them

that love him and observe his commandments:

NE-1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open,

that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray

before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy

servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which

we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have

sinned.

NE-1:7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not

kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments,

which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

NE-1:8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst

thy servant Moses, saying, [If] ye transgress, I will scatter

you abroad among the nations:

NE-1:9 But [if] ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and

do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost

part of the heaven, [yet] will I gather them from thence, and

will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name

there.

NE-1:10 Now these [are] thy servants and thy people, whom thou

hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

NE-1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive

to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants,

who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy

servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.

For I was the king's cupbearer.

*NE-2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the

twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine [was] before

him: and I took up the wine, and gave [it] unto the king. Now I

had not been [beforetime] sad in his presence.

NE-2:2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why [is] thy

countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing

[else] but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

NE-2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why

should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my

fathers' sepulchres, [lieth] waste, and the gates thereof are

consumed with fire?

NE-2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make

request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

NE-2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if

thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest

send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres,

that I may build it.

NE-2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by

him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou

return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

NE-2:7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king,

let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that

they may convey me over till I come into Judah;

NE-2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest,

that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the

palace which [appertained] to the house, and for the wall of the

city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king

granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

NE-2:9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave

them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the

army and horsemen with me.

NE-2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant,

the Ammonite, heard [of it], it grieved them exceedingly that

there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of

Israel.

NE-2:11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

NE-2:12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me;

neither told I [any] man what my God had put in my heart to do

at Jerusalem: neither [was there any] beast with me, save the

beast that I rode upon.

NE-2:13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even

before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the

walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates

thereof were consumed with fire.

NE-2:14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the

king's pool: but [there was] no place for the beast [that was]

under me to pass.

NE-2:15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed

the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley,

and [so] returned.

NE-2:16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did;

neither had I as yet told [it] to the Jews, nor to the priests,

nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did

the work.

NE-2:17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we

[are] in, how Jerusalem [lieth] waste, and the gates thereof are

burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of

Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

NE-2:18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good

upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me.

And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened

their hands for [this] good [work].

NE-2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant,

the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard [it], they laughed

us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What [is] this thing

that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

NE-2:20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of

heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise

and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in

Jerusalem.

*NE-3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren

the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it,

and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they

sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

NE-3:2 And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next

to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.

NE-3:3 But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who

[also] laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the

locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

NE-3:4 And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah,

the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of

Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired

Zadok the son of Baana.

NE-3:5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their

nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

NE-3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of

Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams

thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof,

and the bars thereof.

NE-3:7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and

Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto

the throne of the governor on this side the river.

NE-3:8 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of

the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of

[one of] the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the

broad wall.

NE-3:9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the

ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.

NE-3:10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph,

even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush

the son of Hashabniah.

NE-3:11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of

Pahathmoab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the

furnaces.

NE-3:12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh,

the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

NE-3:13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of

Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks

thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall

unto the dung gate.

NE-3:14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab,

the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the

doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

NE-3:15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son

of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and

covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and

the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the

king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of

David.

NE-3:16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler

of the half part of Bethzur, unto [the place] over against the

sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the

house of the mighty.

NE-3:17 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani.

Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of

Keilah, in his part.

NE-3:18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of

Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah.

NE-3:19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the

ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the

armoury at the turning [of the wall].

NE-3:20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired

the other piece, from the turning [of the wall] unto the door of

the house of Eliashib the high priest.

NE-3:21 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son

of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib

even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

NE-3:22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the

plain.

NE-3:23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against

their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the

son of Ananiah by his house.

NE-3:24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another

piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning [of the wall],

even unto the corner.

NE-3:25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning [of the

wall], and the tower which lieth out from the king's high house,

that [was] by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son

of Parosh.

NE-3:26 Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto [the place]

over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that

lieth out.

NE-3:27 After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over

against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of

Ophel.

NE-3:28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every

one over against his house.

NE-3:29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against

his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of

Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

NE-3:30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and

Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired

Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

NE-3:31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto

the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against

the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.

NE-3:32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep

gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

*NE-4:1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we

builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and

mocked the Jews.

NE-4:2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria,

and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify

themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day?

will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish

which are burned?

NE-4:3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite [was] by him, and he said, Even

that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down

their stone wall.

NE-4:4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their

reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the

land of captivity:

NE-4:5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be

blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked [thee] to

anger before the builders.

NE-4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined

together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to

work.

NE-4:7 But it came to pass, [that] when Sanballat, and Tobiah,

and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard

that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, [and] that the

breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

NE-4:8 And conspired all of them together to come [and] to

fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

NE-4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a

watch against them day and night, because of them.

NE-4:10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens

is decayed, and [there is] much rubbish; so that we are not able

to build the wall.

NE-4:11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither

see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and

cause the work to cease.

NE-4:12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by

them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence

ye shall return unto us [they will be upon you].

NE-4:13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall,

[and] on the higher places, I even set the people after their

families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

NE-4:14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles,

and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye

afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible,

and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters,

your wives, and your houses.

NE-4:15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was

known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that

we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.

NE-4:16 And it came to pass from that time forth, [that] the

half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of

them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the

habergeons; and the rulers [were] behind all the house of Judah.

NE-4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare

burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his

hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a

weapon.

NE-4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his

side, and [so] builded. And he that sounded the trumpet [was] by

me.

NE-4:19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to

the rest of the people, The work [is] great and large, and we

are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

NE-4:20 In what place [therefore] ye hear the sound of the

trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.

NE-4:21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the

spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

NE-4:22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let

every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the

night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.

NE-4:23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the

men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our

clothes, [saving that] every one put them off for washing.

*NE-5:1 And there was a great cry of the people and of their

wives against their brethren the Jews.

NE-5:2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our

daughters, [are] many: therefore we take up corn [for them],

that we may eat, and live.

NE-5:3 [Some] also there were that said, We have mortgaged our

lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of

the dearth.

NE-5:4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for

the king's tribute, [and that upon] our lands and vineyards.

NE-5:5 Yet now our flesh [is] as the flesh of our brethren, our

children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our

sons and our daughters to be servants, and [some] of our

daughters are brought unto bondage [already]: neither [is it] in

our power [to redeem them]; for other men have our lands and

vineyards.

NE-5:6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these

words.

NE-5:7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles,

and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of

his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.

NE-5:8 And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed

our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and

will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us?

Then held they their peace, and found nothing [to answer].

NE-5:9 Also I said, It [is] not good that ye do: ought ye not

to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the

heathen our enemies?

NE-5:10 I likewise, [and] my brethren, and my servants, might

exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this

usury.

NE-5:11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their

lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also

the hundredth [part] of the money, and of the corn, the wine,

and the oil, that ye exact of them.

NE-5:12 Then said they, We will restore [them], and will

require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I

called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should

do according to this promise.

NE-5:13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every

man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not

this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all

the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the

people did according to this promise.

NE-5:14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their

governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto

the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is],

twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the

governor.

NE-5:15 But the former governors that [had been] before me were

chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine,

beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare

rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of

God.

NE-5:16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither

bought we any land: and all my servants [were] gathered thither

unto the work.

NE-5:17 Moreover [there were] at my table an hundred and fifty

of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from

among the heathen that [are] about us.

NE-5:18 Now [that] which was prepared [for me] daily [was] one

ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and

once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this

required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage

was heavy upon this people.

NE-5:19 Think upon me, my God, for good, [according] to all

that I have done for this people.

*NE-6:1 Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and

Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I

had builded the wall, and [that] there was no breach left

therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon

the gates;)

NE-6:2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come,

let us meet together in [some one of] the villages in the plain

of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

NE-6:3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I [am] doing a

great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work

cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

NE-6:4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I

answered them after the same manner.

NE-6:5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner

the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

NE-6:6 Wherein [was] written, It is reported among the heathen,

and Gashmu saith [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel:

for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be

their king, according to these words.

NE-6:7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee

at Jerusalem, saying, [There is] a king in Judah: and now shall

it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now

therefore, and let us take counsel together.

NE-6:8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things

done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own

heart.

NE-6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall

be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore,

[O God], strengthen my hands.

NE-6:10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of

Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who [was] shut up; and he said,

Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and

let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay

thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

NE-6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who [is

there], that, [being] as I [am], would go into the temple to

save his life? I will not go in.

NE-6:12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but

that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and

Sanballat had hired him.

NE-6:13 Therefore [was] he hired, that I should be afraid, and

do so, and sin, and [that] they might have [matter] for an evil

report, that they might reproach me.

NE-6:14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according

to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the

rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

NE-6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth [day]

of [the month] Elul, in fifty and two days.

NE-6:16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard

[thereof], and all the heathen that [were] about us saw [these

things], they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they

perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

NE-6:17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many

letters unto Tobiah, and [the letters] of Tobiah came unto them.

NE-6:18 For [there were] many in Judah sworn unto him, because

he [was] the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his

son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of

Berechiah.

NE-6:19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and

uttered my words to him. [And] Tobiah sent letters to put me in

fear.

*NE-7:1 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had

set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the

Levites were appointed,

NE-7:2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of

the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he [was] a faithful man,

and feared God above many.

NE-7:3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be

opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them

shut the doors, and bar [them]: and appoint watches of the

inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one

[to be] over against his house.

NE-7:4 Now the city [was] large and great: but the people

[were] few therein, and the houses [were] not builded.

NE-7:5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the

nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be

reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy

of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,

NE-7:6 These [are] the children of the province, that went up

out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom

Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came

again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;

NE-7:7 Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah,

Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum,

Baanah. The number, [I say], of the men of the people of Israel

[was this];

NE-7:8 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy

and two.

NE-7:9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and

two.

NE-7:10 The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two.

NE-7:11 The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua

and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred [and] eighteen.

NE-7:12 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and

four.

NE-7:13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five.

NE-7:14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.

NE-7:15 The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.

NE-7:16 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight.

NE-7:17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred

twenty and two.

NE-7:18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and

seven.

NE-7:19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and

seven.

NE-7:20 The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five.

NE-7:21 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.

NE-7:22 The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight.

NE-7:23 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.

NE-7:24 The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve.

NE-7:25 The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.

NE-7:26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore

and eight.

NE-7:27 The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.

NE-7:28 The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two.

NE-7:29 The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven

hundred forty and three.

NE-7:30 The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.

NE-7:31 The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two.

NE-7:32 The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.

NE-7:33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two.

NE-7:34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred

fifty and four.

NE-7:35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

NE-7:36 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.

NE-7:37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred

twenty and one.

NE-7:38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and

thirty.

NE-7:39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of

Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.

NE-7:40 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.

NE-7:41 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty

and seven.

NE-7:42 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

NE-7:43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, [and]

of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four.

NE-7:44 The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred forty

and eight.

NE-7:45 The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of

Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the

children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty

and eight.

NE-7:46 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of

Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

NE-7:47 The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the

children of Padon,

NE-7:48 The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the

children of Shalmai,

NE-7:49 The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the

children of Gahar,

NE-7:50 The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the

children of Nekoda,

NE-7:51 The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the

children of Phaseah,

NE-7:52 The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the

children of Nephishesim,

NE-7:53 The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the

children of Harhur,

NE-7:54 The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the

children of Harsha,

NE-7:55 The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the

children of Tamah,

NE-7:56 The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

NE-7:57 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of

Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

NE-7:58 The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the

children of Giddel,

NE-7:59 The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the

children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.

NE-7:60 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's

servants, [were] three hundred ninety and two.

NE-7:61 And these [were] they which went up [also] from

Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could

not show their father's house, nor their seed, whether they

[were] of Israel.

NE-7:62 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the

children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.

NE-7:63 And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the

children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took [one] of

the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called

after their name.

NE-7:64 These sought their register [among] those that were

reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they,

as polluted, put from the priesthood.

NE-7:65 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not

eat of the most holy things, till there stood [up] a priest with

Urim and Thummim.

NE-7:66 The whole congregation together [was] forty and two

thousand three hundred and threescore,

NE-7:67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of

whom [there were] seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven:

and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing

women.

NE-7:68 Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules,

two hundred forty and five:

NE-7:69 [Their] camels, four hundred thirty and five: six

thousand seven hundred and twenty asses.

NE-7:70 And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work.

The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold,

fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests' garments.

NE-7:71 And [some] of the chief of the fathers gave to the

treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two

thousand and two hundred pound of silver.

NE-7:72 And [that] which the rest of the people gave [was]

twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pound of silver,

and threescore and seven priests' garments.

NE-7:73 So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and

the singers, and [some] of the people, and the Nethinims, and

all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month

came, the children of Israel [were] in their cities.

*NE-8:1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one

man into the street that [was] before the water gate; and they

spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses,

which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

NE-8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the

congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with

understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

NE-8:3 And he read therein before the street that [was] before

the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and

the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all

the people [were attentive] unto the book of the law.

NE-8:4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which

they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah,

and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on

his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and

Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam.

NE-8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people;

(for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all

the people stood up:

NE-8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the

people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and

they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their]

faces to the ground.

NE-8:7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub,

Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan,

Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the

law: and the people [stood] in their place.

NE-8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly,

and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.

NE-8:9 And Nehemiah, which [is] the Tirshatha, and Ezra the

priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said

unto all the people, This day [is] holy unto the LORD your God;

mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard

the words of the law.

NE-8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and

drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is

prepared: for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye

sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

NE-8:11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold

your peace, for the day [is] holy; neither be ye grieved.

NE-8:12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink,

and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had

understood the words that were declared unto them.

NE-8:13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief

of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites,

unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.

NE-8:14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had

commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in

booths in the feast of the seventh month:

NE-8:15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their

cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and

fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches,

and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths,

as [it is] written.

NE-8:16 So the people went forth, and brought [them], and made

themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in

their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the

street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of

Ephraim.

NE-8:17 And all the congregation of them that were come again

out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for

since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not

the children of Israel done so. And there was very great

gladness.

NE-8:18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day,

he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast

seven days; and on the eighth day [was] a solemn assembly,

according unto the manner.

*NE-9:1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the

children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with

sackclothes, and earth upon them.

NE-9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all

strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the

iniquities of their fathers.

NE-9:3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book

of the law of the LORD their God [one] fourth part of the day;

and [another] fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the

LORD their God.

NE-9:4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua,

and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, [and]

Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.

NE-9:5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah,

Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, [and] Pethahiah, said, Stand up

[and] bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be

thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and

praise.

NE-9:6 Thou, [even] thou, [art] LORD alone; thou hast made

heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth,

and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is]

therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven

worshippeth thee.

NE-9:7 Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and

broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him

the name of Abraham;

NE-9:8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest

a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the

Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites,

and the Girgashites, to give [it, I say], to his seed, and hast

performed thy words; for thou [art] righteous:

NE-9:9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,

and heardest their cry by the Red sea;

NE-9:10 And showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all

his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou

knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get

thee a name, as [it is] this day.

NE-9:11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they

went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their

persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the

mighty waters.

NE-9:12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy

pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light

in the way wherein they should go.

NE-9:13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest

with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true

laws, good statutes and commandments:

NE-9:14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and

commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of

Moses thy servant:

NE-9:15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and

broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst,

and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land

which thou hadst sworn to give them.

NE-9:16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened

their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,

NE-9:17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy

wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks,

and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their

bondage: but thou [art] a God ready to pardon, gracious and

merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest

them not.

NE-9:18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said,

This [is] thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had

wrought great provocations;

NE-9:19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in

the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them

by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by

night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.

NE-9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and

withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them

water for their thirst.

NE-9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the

wilderness, [so that] they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed

not old, and their feet swelled not.

NE-9:22 Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and

didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of

Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og

king of Bashan.

NE-9:23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of

heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou

hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to

possess [it].

NE-9:24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and

thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the

Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings,

and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they

would.

NE-9:25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and

possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and

oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and

were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy

great goodness.

NE-9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled

against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy

prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and

they wrought great provocations.

NE-9:27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their

enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when

they cried unto thee, thou heardest [them] from heaven; and

according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who

saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

NE-9:28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before

thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies,

so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned,

and cried unto thee, thou heardest [them] from heaven; and many

times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;

NE-9:29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring

them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened

not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments,

(which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the

shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

NE-9:30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst

against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not

give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people

of the lands.

NE-9:31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not

utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou [art] a

gracious and merciful God.

NE-9:32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the

terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the

trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our

kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets,

and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the

kings of Assyria unto this day.

NE-9:33 Howbeit thou [art] just in all that is brought upon us;

for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:

NE-9:34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor

our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments

and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

NE-9:35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in

thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and

fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from

their wicked works.

NE-9:36 Behold, we [are] servants this day, and [for] the land

that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and

the good thereof, behold, we [are] servants in it:

NE-9:37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou

hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion

over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we

[are] in great distress.

NE-9:38 And because of all this we make a sure [covenant], and

write [it]; and our princes, Levites, [and] priests, seal [unto

it].

*NE-10:1 Now those that sealed [were], Nehemiah, the Tirshatha,

the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,

NE-10:2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

NE-10:3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,

NE-10:4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

NE-10:5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

NE-10:6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

NE-10:7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

NE-10:8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these [were] the priests.

NE-10:9 And the Levites: both Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui

of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;

NE-10:10 And their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita,

Pelaiah, Hanan,

NE-10:11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,

NE-10:12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

NE-10:13 Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.

NE-10:14 The chief of the people; Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam,

Zatthu, Bani,

NE-10:15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

NE-10:16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

NE-10:17 Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,

NE-10:18 Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,

NE-10:19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

NE-10:20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

NE-10:21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,

NE-10:22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

NE-10:23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,

NE-10:24 Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek,

NE-10:25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

NE-10:26 And Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

NE-10:27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

NE-10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites,

the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had

separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law

of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one

having knowledge, and having understanding;

NE-10:29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and

entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law,

which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and

do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments

and his statutes;

NE-10:30 And that we would not give our daughters unto the

people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

NE-10:31 And [if] the people of the land bring ware or any

victuals on the sabbath day to sell, [that] we would not buy it

of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and [that] we would

leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

NE-10:32 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves

yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the

house of our God;

NE-10:33 For the showbread, and for the continual meat offering,

and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the

new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy [things], and

for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and [for]

all the work of the house of our God.

NE-10:34 And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites,

and the people, for the wood offering, to bring [it] into the

house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times

appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our

God, as [it is] written in the law:

NE-10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the

firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the

house of the LORD:

NE-10:36 Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as

[it is] written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and

of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the

priests that minister in the house of our God:

NE-10:37 And [that] we should bring the firstfruits of our

dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees,

of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the

house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites,

that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of

our tillage.

NE-10:38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the

Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall

bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to

the chambers, into the treasure house.

NE-10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi

shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the

oil, unto the chambers, where [are] the vessels of the sanctuary,

and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers:

and we will not forsake the house of our God.

*NE-11:1 And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the

rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell

in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts [to dwell] in [other]

cities.

NE-11:2 And the people blessed all the men, that willingly

offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

NE-11:3 Now these [are] the chief of the province that dwelt in

Jerusalem: but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his

possession in their cities, [to wit], Israel, the priests, and

the Levites, and the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's

servants.

NE-11:4 And at Jerusalem dwelt [certain] of the children of

Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah;

Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of

Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the

children of Perez;

NE-11:5 And Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh,

the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the

son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni.

NE-11:6 All the sons of Perez that dwelt at Jerusalem [were]

four hundred threescore and eight valiant men.

NE-11:7 And these [are] the sons of Benjamin; Sallu the son of

Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of

Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of

Jesaiah.

NE-11:8 And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and

eight.

NE-11:9 And Joel the son of Zichri [was] their overseer: and

Judah the son of Senuah [was] second over the city.

NE-11:10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin.

NE-11:11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the

son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, [was] the

ruler of the house of God.

NE-11:12 And their brethren that did the work of the house

[were] eight hundred twenty and two: and Adaiah the son of

Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of

Zechariah, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchiah,

NE-11:13 And his brethren, chief of the fathers, two hundred

forty and two: and Amashai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahasai,

the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,

NE-11:14 And their brethren, mighty men of valour, an hundred

twenty and eight: and their overseer [was] Zabdiel, the son of

[one of] the great men.

NE-11:15 Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the

son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

NE-11:16 And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the

Levites, [had] the oversight of the outward business of the

house of God.

NE-11:17 And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the

son of Asaph, [was] the principal to begin the thanksgiving in

prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda

the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

NE-11:18 All the Levites in the holy city [were] two hundred

fourscore and four.

NE-11:19 Moreover the porters, Akkub, Talmon, and their

brethren that kept the gates, [were] an hundred seventy and two.

NE-11:20 And the residue of Israel, of the priests, [and] the

Levites, [were] in all the cities of Judah, every one in his

inheritance.

NE-11:21 But the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel: and Ziha and Gispa

[were] over the Nethinims.

NE-11:22 The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem [was]

Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah,

the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers [were] over

the business of the house of God.

NE-11:23 For [it was] the king's commandment concerning them,

that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every

day.

NE-11:24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children

of Zerah the son of Judah, [was] at the king's hand in all

matters concerning the people.

NE-11:25 And for the villages, with their fields, [some] of the

children of Judah dwelt at Kirjatharba, and [in] the villages

thereof, and at Dibon, and [in] the villages thereof, and at

Jekabzeel, and [in] the villages thereof,

NE-11:26 And at Jeshua, and at Moladah, and at Bethphelet,

NE-11:27 And at Hazarshual, and at Beersheba, and [in] the

villages thereof,

NE-11:28 And at Ziklag, and at Mekonah, and in the villages

thereof,

NE-11:29 And at Enrimmon, and at Zareah, and at Jarmuth,

NE-11:30 Zanoah, Adullam, and [in] their villages, at Lachish,

and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and [in] the villages thereof.

And they dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

NE-11:31 The children also of Benjamin from Geba [dwelt] at

Michmash, and Aija, and Bethel, and [in] their villages,

NE-11:32 [And] at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

NE-11:33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

NE-11:34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

NE-11:35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.

NE-11:36 And of the Levites [were] divisions [in] Judah, [and]

in Benjamin.

*NE-12:1 Now these [are] the priests and the Levites that went

up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah,

Jeremiah, Ezra,

NE-12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

NE-12:3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

NE-12:4 Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,

NE-12:5 Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

NE-12:6 Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

NE-12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These [were] the chief

of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

NE-12:8 Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,

Sherebiah, Judah, [and] Mattaniah, [which was] over the

thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

NE-12:9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, [were] over

against them in the watches.

NE-12:10 And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib,

and Eliashib begat Joiada,

NE-12:11 And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

NE-12:12 And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of

the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

NE-12:13 Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

NE-12:14 Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

NE-12:15 Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

NE-12:16 Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

NE-12:17 Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

NE-12:18 Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

NE-12:19 And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

NE-12:20 Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

NE-12:21 Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

NE-12:22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and

Johanan, and Jaddua, [were] recorded chief of the fathers: also

the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian.

NE-12:23 The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, [were]

written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of

Johanan the son of Eliashib.

NE-12:24 And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah,

and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against

them, to praise [and] to give thanks, according to the

commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward.

NE-12:25 Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon,

Akkub, [were] porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the

gates.

NE-12:26 These [were] in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua,

the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor,

and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

NE-12:27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they

sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to

Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with

thanksgivings, and with singing, [with] cymbals, psalteries, and

with harps.

NE-12:28 And the sons of the singers gathered themselves

together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem,

and from the villages of Netophathi;

NE-12:29 Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields

of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages

round about Jerusalem.

NE-12:30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves,

and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

NE-12:31 Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall,

and appointed two great [companies of them that gave] thanks,

[whereof one] went on the right hand upon the wall toward the

dung gate:

NE-12:32 And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes

of Judah,

NE-12:33 And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

NE-12:34 Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

NE-12:35 And [certain] of the priests' sons with trumpets;

[namely], Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah,

the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur,

the son of Asaph:

NE-12:36 And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai,

Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical

instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before

them.

NE-12:37 And at the fountain gate, which was over against them,

they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up

of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate

eastward.

NE-12:38 And the other [company of them that gave] thanks went

over against [them], and I after them, and the half of the

people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even

unto the broad wall;

NE-12:39 And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old

gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and

the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood

still in the prison gate.

NE-12:40 So stood the two [companies of them that gave] thanks

in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:

NE-12:41 And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah,

Elioenai, Zechariah, [and] Hananiah, with trumpets;

NE-12:42 And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and

Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers

sang loud, with Jezrahiah [their] overseer.

NE-12:43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and

rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the

wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of

Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

NE-12:44 And at that time were some appointed over the chambers

for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and

for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the

cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for

Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.

NE-12:45 And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of

their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the

commandment of David, [and] of Solomon his son.

NE-12:46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old [there were]

chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto

God.

NE-12:47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the

days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the

porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified [holy

things] unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified [them] unto

the children of Aaron.

*NE-13:1 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the

audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the

Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation

of God for ever;

NE-13:2 Because they met not the children of Israel with bread

and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should

curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.

NE-13:3 Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that

they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

NE-13:4 And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the

oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, [was] allied

unto Tobiah:

NE-13:5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where

aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and

the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the

oil, which was commanded [to be given] to the Levites, and the

singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.

NE-13:6 But in all this [time] was not I at Jerusalem: for in

the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I

unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the

king:

NE-13:7 And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil

that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the

courts of the house of God.

NE-13:8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the

household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.

NE-13:9 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and

thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with

the meat offering and the frankincense.

NE-13:10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had

not been given [them]: for the Levites and the singers, that did

the work, were fled every one to his field.

NE-13:11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the

house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set

them in their place.

NE-13:12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the

new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

NE-13:13 And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah

the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah:

and next to them [was] Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of

Mattaniah: for they were counted faithful, and their office

[was] to distribute unto their brethren.

NE-13:14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not

out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and

for the offices thereof.

NE-13:15 In those days saw I in Judah [some] treading wine

presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading

asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all [manner of]

burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day:

and I testified [against them] in the day wherein they sold

victuals.

NE-13:16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought

fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the

children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

NE-13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said

unto them, What evil thing [is] this that ye do, and profane the

sabbath day?

NE-13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring

all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more

wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

NE-13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem

began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates

should be shut, 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.

NE-13:20 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware

lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.

NE-13:21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why

lodge ye about the wall? if ye do [so] again, I will lay hands

on you. From that time forth came they no [more] on the sabbath.

NE-13:22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse

themselves, and [that] they should come [and] keep the gates, to

sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, [concerning]

this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

NE-13:23 In those days also saw I Jews [that] had married wives

of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:

NE-13:24 And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod,

and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the

language of each people.

NE-13:25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote

certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear

by God, [saying], Ye shall not give your daughters unto their

sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

NE-13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things?

yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was

beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel:

nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

NE-13:27 Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great

evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?

NE-13:28 And [one] of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib

the high priest, [was] son in law to Sanballat the Horonite:

therefore I chased him from me.

NE-13:29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the

priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the

Levites.

NE-13:30 Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed

the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his

business;

NE-13:31 And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for

the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

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