Nehemiah 13

1-3 Also on that same day there was a reading from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. It was found written there that no Ammonite or Moabite was permitted to enter the congregation of God, because they hadn't welcomed the People of Israel with food and drink; they even hired Balaam to work against them by cursing them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing. When they heard the reading of The Revelation, they excluded all foreigners from Israel.

4-5  Some time before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of The Temple of God. He was close to Tobiah and had made available to him a large storeroom that had been used to store Grain-Offerings, incense, worship vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil for the Levites, singers, and security guards, and the offerings for the priests.

6-9  When this was going on I wasn't there in Jerusalem; in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had traveled back to the king. But later I asked for his permission to leave again. I arrived in Jerusalem and learned of the wrong that Eliashib had done in turning over to him a room in the courts of The Temple of God. I was angry, really angry, and threw everything in the room out into the street, all of Tobiah's stuff. Then I ordered that they ceremonially cleanse the room. Only then did I put back the worship vessels of The Temple of God, along with the Grain-Offerings and the incense.

10-13  And then I learned that the Levites hadn't been given their regular food allotments. So the Levites and singers who led the services of worship had all left and gone back to their farms. I called the officials on the carpet, "Why has The Temple of God been abandoned?" I got everyone back again and put them back on their jobs so that all Judah was again bringing in the tithe of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms. I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms. I made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their right-hand man. These men had a reputation for honesty and hard work. They were responsible for distributing the rations to their brothers.

14  Remember me, O my God, for this. Don't ever forget the devoted work I have done for The Temple of God and its worship.

15-16  During those days, while back in Judah, I also noticed that people treaded wine presses, brought in sacks of grain, and loaded up their donkeys on the Sabbath. They brought wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of stuff to sell on the Sabbath. So I spoke up and warned them about selling food on that day. Tyrians living there brought in fish and whatever else, selling it to Judeans— in Jerusalem , mind you!—on the Sabbath.

17-18  I confronted the leaders of Judah: "What's going on here? This evil! Profaning the Sabbath! Isn't this exactly what your ancestors did? And because of it didn't God bring down on us and this city all this misery? And here you are adding to it—accumulating more wrath on Jerusalem by profaning the Sabbath."

19  As the gates of Jerusalem were darkened by the shadows of the approaching Sabbath, I ordered the doors shut and not to be opened until the Sabbath was over. I placed some of my servants at the gates to make sure that nothing to be sold would get in on the Sabbath day.

20-21  Traders and dealers in various goods camped outside the gates once or twice. But I took them to task. I said, "You have no business camping out here by the wall. If I find you here again, I'll use force to drive you off."
And that did it; they didn't come back on the Sabbath.

22  Then I directed the Levites to ceremonially cleanse themselves and take over as guards at the gates to keep the sanctity of the Sabbath day.
Remember me also for this, my God. Treat me with mercy according to your great and steadfast love.

23-27  Also in those days I saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Half the children couldn't even speak the language of Judah; all they knew was the language of Ashdod or some other tongue. So I took those men to task, gave them a piece of my mind, even slapped some of them and jerked them by the hair. I made them swear to God: "Don't marry your daughters to their sons; and don't let their daughters marry your sons—and don't you yourselves marry them! Didn't Solomon the king of Israel sin because of women just like these? Even though there was no king quite like him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel, foreign women were his downfall. Do you call this obedience—engaging in this extensive evil, showing yourselves faithless to God by marrying foreign wives?"

28  One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I drove him out of my presence.

29  Remember them, O my God, how they defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priests and Levites.

30-31  All in all I cleansed them from everything foreign. I organized the orders of service for the priests and Levites so that each man knew his job. I arranged for a regular supply of altar wood at the appointed times and for the firstfruits.
Remember me, O my God, for good.

Nehemiah 13

Further Reforms by Nehemiah

1 On that day the book of Moses was read aloud in the hearingt of the people. They foundt written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite may ever enter the assembly of God,2 for they had not met the Israelites with foodt and water, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.)

3 When they heard the law, they removed from Israel all who were of mixed ancestry.
4 But prior to this time, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been appointed over the storeroomss of the temple of our God.

5 He made for himself a large storeroom where previously they had been keepingt the grain offering, the incense, and the vessels, along with the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil as commanded for the Levites, the singers, the gate keepers, and the offering for the priests.
6 During all this time I was not in Jerusalem,s for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I had gone back to the king. After some timet I had requested leave of the king,7 and I returned to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah by supplying him with a storeroom in the courts of the temple of God.8 I was very upset, and I threw all of Tobiah’s household possessions out of the storeroom.

9 Then I gave instructions that the storerooms should be purified, and I brought back the equipmentt of the temple of God, along with the grain offering and the incense.
10 I also discovered that the grain offerings for the Levites had not been provided, and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all gone off to their fields.

11 So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking “Why is the temple of God neglected?” Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions.t
12 Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil to the storerooms.

13 I gave instructionss that Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a certain Levite named Pedaiah be put in charge oft the storerooms, and that Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, be their assistant,t for they were regarded as trustworthy. It was then their responsibility to oversee the distribution to their colleagues.t

14 Please remember me for this, O my God, and do not wipe out the kindness that I have done for the temple of my God and for its services!
15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day that they sold these provisions.16 The people from Tyres who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of merchandise and were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah – and in Jerusalem, of all places!t17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

18 Isn’t this the way your ancestorst acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”
19 When the evening shadowst began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I orderedt the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positionedt some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.20 The traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice.21 But I warned them and said,t “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!”t From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath.s

22 Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love.
23 Also in those days I saw the men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod (or the language of one of the other peoples mentionedt) and were unable to speak the language of Judah.25 So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, “You will not marry offt your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!26 Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God madet him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!

27 Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marryingt foreign wives?”

28 Now one of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I banished him from my sight.

29 Please remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the covenant of the priesthood,s and the Levites.
30 So I purified them of everything foreign, and I assigned specifict duties to the priests and the Levites.

31 I also provided fort the wood offering at the appointed times and also for the first fruits.
Please remember me for good, O my God.