1 Words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chisleu, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa, the capital of the kingdom,
2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with some men of Judah, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left. of the captivity, and for Jerusalem.
3 And they said to me: The remnant, those who remain of the captivity, there in the province, are in great evil and disgrace, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
4 When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for some days, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
5 And I said, I pray to you, O Lord, God of heaven, strong, great, and fearsome, who keeps the covenant and mercy to those who love him and keep his commandments;
6 Now let your ears be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant, which I now pray before you day and night, for the children of Israel your servants; and I confess the sins of the children of Israel that we have committed against you; yes, I and my father’s house have sinned.
7 We have become extremely corrupt against you, and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and precepts that you gave to Moses your servant.
8 Remember now the word which you spoke to Moses your servant, saying, If you sin, I will scatter you among the peoples;
9 But if you return to me, and keep my commandments, and do them, although your dispersion be to the ends of the heavens, I will gather you from there, and bring you to the place which I have chosen to make my name dwell there.
10 So they are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and by your mighty hand.
11 I pray you, O Lord, let your ear now be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who desire to revere your name; Grant now good success to your servant, and give him favor before that man. Because I served as the king’s cupbearer.
1 It came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that when the wine was already before him, I took the wine and served it to the king. And since I had not been sad before in his presence,
2 the king said to me: Why is your face sad? Well, you’re not sick. This is nothing but heartbreak. Then I was greatly afraid.
3 And I said to the king: Long live the king. How can my face not be sad, when the city, the house of my fathers’ tombs, is deserted, and its gates consumed by fire?
4 The king said to me: What do you ask for? Then I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 and said to the king, If it pleases the king, and your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, and I will rebuild it.
6 Then the king said to me (and the queen was sitting next to him): How long will your journey be, and when will you return? And it pleased the king to send me, after I had appointed him a time.
7 Furthermore I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let me be given letters to the governors on the other side of the river, so that they can give me passage until I reach Judah;
8 and a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, to give me wood to frame the gates of the palace of the house, and for the wall of the city, and the house in which I will be. And the king granted it to me, according to the beneficial hand of my God upon me.
9 Then I came to the governors on the other side of the river, and gave them the king’s letters. And the king sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard it, they were extremely displeased that someone should come to seek the good of the children of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and after remaining there three days,
12 I rose up in the night, I and a few men with me, and did not declare to any man what God had put in my heart to do in Jerusalem; nor was there any horse with me, except the only one on which I rode.
13 And I went out by night through the gate of the Valley to the fountain of the Dragon and to the gate of the Dunghill; and I saw the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down, and its gates that were consumed by fire.
14 Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool; but there was no place for the horse he was on to pass.
15 And I went up by night by the torrent and looked at the wall, and I turned and entered by the gate of the Valley, and I returned.
16 And the officers did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor until then had I declared it to the Jews and priests, nor to the nobles and officials, nor to the others who did the work.
17 So I said to them: You see the evil in which we are, that Jerusalem is deserted, and its gates consumed by fire; Come, and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, and let us be no longer in disgrace.
18 Then I declared to them how the hand of my God had been good upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us arise and build. Thus they strengthened their hands for good.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us, and despised us, saying, What is this thing that ye do? Are you rebelling against the king?
20 And I said to them in answer, The God of heaven, he will prosper us, and we his servants will arise and build, for you have no part or right or memory in Jerusalem.
1 Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brother priests, and built the Sheep Gate. They repaired and raised its gates as far as the tower of Hamea, and they built as far as the tower of Hananeel.
2 Next to it the men of Jericho built, and then Zakur the son of Imri built.
3 The sons of Senaah built the Fish Gate; They timbered it, and built its doors, with its locks and bolts.
4 Next to them he restored Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Cosh, and next to them he restored Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. Together with them Zadok son of Baana restored.
5 And immediately the Tekoites restored them; but his great ones did not lend themselves to help the work of their Lord.
6 The Old Gate was restored by Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodias; They timbered it, and built its doors, with their locks and bolts.
7 Next to them he restored Melathias the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, men from Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the dominion of the governor on the other side of the river.
8 Next to them Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the silversmiths, restored; next to whom Hananiah, the son of a perfumer, also restored. Thus they left Jerusalem repaired up to the wide wall.
9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, governor of half the region of Jerusalem, also restored.
10 He restored Jedaiah the son of Harumaph next to them, and in front of his house; and Hathus son of Hasabnias restored next to him.
11 Malchiah son of Harim and Hasub son of Pahat-moab restored another section, and the tower of the Furnaces.
12 Next to them Shallum the son of Halohes, governor of half the region of Jerusalem, restored, he and his daughters.
13 The Gate of the Valley was restored by Hanun with the inhabitants of Zanoa; They rebuilt it, and raised its gates, with their locks and bolts, and a thousand cubits of the wall, up to the gate of the Dung.
14 Malchiah son of Rechab, governor of the province of Bethhacherem, rebuilt the Dung Gate; He rebuilt it, and raised its doors, its locks, and its bolts.
15 Shallum son of Colhoze, governor of the region of Mizpah, restored the Fountain Gate; He rebuilt it, timbered it, and raised its gates, its locks, and its bolts, and the wall of the pool of Siloam toward the king’s garden, and even to the steps leading down from the city of David.
16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, governor of half the region of Beth-sur, restored, as far as before the tombs of David, and as far as the plowed pool, and as far as the house of the Mighty Men.
17After him the Levites restored; Rehum the son of Bani, and with him Hashabiah, governor of half the region of Keilah, restored his region.
18 After him they restored his brothers, Bavai son of Henadad, governor of half the region of Keilah.
19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, governor of Mizpah, restored another section opposite the rise of the armory on the corner.
20 After him Baruch son of Zabai with all fervor restored another section, from the corner to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
21 After him Meremoth son of Uriah son of Cos restored another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of Eliashib’s house.
22 After him the priests, the men of the plain, restored.
23 After them Benjamin and Hasub restored, opposite his house; and after these he restored Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananias, near his house.
24 After him Binnui son of Henadad restored another section, from the house of Azariah to the corner of the wall, and to the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai, opposite the corner and the high tower coming out of the king’s house, which is in the court of the prison. After him, Pedaiah son of Pharos.
26 And the servants of the temple who dwelt in Ophel restored as far as opposite the Water Gate on the east, and the tower that stood out.
27 After them the Tekoites restored another section, opposite the great tower that stands out, to the wall of Ophel.
28 From the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one in front of his house.
29 After them Zadok the son of Imer restored, opposite his house; and after him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, guard of the Eastern Gate, restored.
30 After him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Salaf restored another section. After them he restored Meshullam the son of Berechiah, opposite his chamber.
31 After him Malchiah the son of the silversmith restored, even to the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Gate of Judgment, and to the corner room.
32 And between the corner room and the Sheep Gate, the silversmiths and the merchants restored.
1 When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was very angry and furious, and he mocked the Jews.
2 And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these weak Jews doing? Will they be allowed to offer their sacrifices again? Will they finish in one day? Will the stones that were burned rise from the heaps of dust?
3 And Tobias the Ammonite was standing by him, and said, What they build of the stone wall, if a fox come up, he will tear it down.
4 Hear, O our God, that we are the object of his contempt, and he turns their burden upon his head, and gives them up as a spoil in the land of his captivity.
5 Do not cover their iniquity, nor let their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they are angry with those who build.
6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was finished to half its height, because the people had the courage to work.
7 But it came to pass that when Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabs, the Ammonites, and those of Ashdod heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired, because the breaches were now beginning to be closed, they became very angry;
8 And they all conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and harm it.
9 Then we prayed to our God, and for their sake we set a guard against them day and night.
10 And Judah said, The forces of the carriers are weakened, and the rubble is great, and we cannot build the wall.
11 And our enemies said, Let them not know, nor see, until we come among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.
12 But it happened that when the Jews who lived among them came, they said to us ten times: From all the places from which you return, they will fall on you.
13 Then in the lower parts of the place, behind the wall, and in the open places, I placed the people by families, with their swords, with their spears and with their bows.
14 Then I looked, and I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials, and to the rest of the people: Do not be afraid of them; Remember the Lord, great and fearsome, and fight for your brothers, for your sons and for your daughters, for your wives and for your houses.
15 And when our enemies heard that we had understood it, and that God had defeated their counsel, we all returned to the wall, each one to his task.
16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on the work, and the other half had spears, shields, bows, and breastplates; and behind them were the leaders of the whole house of Judah.
17 Those who built on the wall, those who carried, and those who carried, worked with one hand at the work, and in the other they held the sword.
18 For those who built each had his sword girded around his waist, and so they built; and he who played the trumpet was near me.
19 And I said to the nobles, and to the officials, and to the rest of the people: The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall, far from each other.
20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us; our God will fight for us.
21 So we worked at the work; and half of them had spears from the rising of dawn until the stars came out.
22 Then I also said to the people: Each man with his servant should remain within Jerusalem, and serve as a watchman by night and on the work by day.
23 And neither I, nor my brothers, nor my young men, nor the people on duty who followed me, took off our clothes; each one undressed only to bathe.
1 Then there was a great cry from the people and their wives against their Jewish brothers.
2 There were those who said: We, our sons and our daughters, are many; Therefore, we have borrowed grain to eat and live.
3 And there were those who said: We have pawned our lands, our vineyards and our houses, to buy grain, because of the famine.
4 And there were those who said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, on our lands and vineyards.
5 Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children; And behold, we gave our sons and our daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters are already in slavery, and we have no possibility of rescuing them, because our lands and our vineyards belong to others.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 Then I considered it, and rebuked the nobles and the officials, and said to them: Do you each demand interest from your brothers? And I called a great assembly against them,
8 and said to them: We, according to our ability, rescued our Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations; And you even sell your brothers, and they will be sold to us? And they were silent, because they did not have to respond.
9 And I said, What you do is not good. Will you not walk in the fear of our God, so as not to be a reproach to the nations that are our enemies?
10 I also and my brothers and my servants have lent them money and grain; Let us now remove this tax from them.
11 I beg you to give them back today their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, and one hundredth of the money, grain, wine and oil, which you demand from them as interest.
12 And they said, We will return it, and we will demand nothing from them; We will do as you say. Then I called together the priests, and made them swear that they would do according to this.
13 Furthermore I shook my garment, and said, May God shake every man out of his house and his work who does not do this, and let him be shaken and void. And the whole congregation responded: Amen! and they praised the Lord. And the people did according to this.
14 Also from the day the king commanded me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes until the thirty-second year, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s bread.
15 But the first governors who were before me overwhelmed the people, and took from them for bread and wine more than forty shekels of silver, and even their servants ruled over the people; but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
16 Also in the work of this wall I restored my share, and we did not buy any inheritance; and all my servants together were there at the work.
17 Furthermore, one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, and those who came from the nations around us, were at my table.
18 And what was prepared for each day was an ox and six chosen sheep; Birds were also prepared for me, and every ten days it came in all abundance; and with all this I never required bread from the governor, because the servitude of this people was serious.
19 Remember me for good, my God, and all that I did for this people.
1 When Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach in it (although until that time I had not put the doors on the gates),
2 Sanballat and Gesem sent to tell me: Come and let us meet in one of the villages in the Ono countryside. But they had thought to do me wrong.
3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot go; because the work would cease, leaving it to go to you.
4 And they sent to me with the same matter four times, and I answered them in the same way.
5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me to say the same thing for the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,
6 in which it was written: It has been heard among the nations, and Gasmu says it, that you and the Jews plan to rebel. ; and that is why you build the wall, with the aim, according to these words, of being its king;
7 and that you have appointed prophets to proclaim about you in Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah! And now the king will hear such words; Come, therefore, and let us consult together.
8 Then I sent and told him: There is no such thing as you say, but you invent it out of your heart.
9 For they all frightened us, saying, Their hands will be weak in the work, and it will not be finished. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Then I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, because he was shut up; who said to me: Let us gather together in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, because they are coming to kill you; Yes, tonight they will come to kill you.
11 Then I said, Should a man like me flee? And who, who was like me, would enter the temple to save his life? I won’t go in.
12 And I understood that God had not sent him, but that he spoke that prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him.
13 Because he was bribed to make me fear thus, and that I should sin, and serve them a bad name by that I should be disgraced.
14 Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these things they did; Also remember Noadiah the prophetess, and the other prophets who tried to make me afraid.
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 And when all our enemies heard it, all the nations that were around us feared, and were humbled, and knew that this work had been done by our God.
17 Likewise in those days many letters went from the rulers of Judah to Tobiah, and those from Tobiah came to them.
18 For many in Judah had conspired with him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Ara; and Johanan his son had taken to wife the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
19 They also recounted his good works before me, and my words were related to him. And he sent Tobias letters to frighten me.
1 After the wall was built, and the gates were set, and gatekeepers and singers and Levites were appointed,
2 I commanded my brother Hanani, and Hananiah, commander of the fortress of Jerusalem (for this man was a true man and feared God, more than many);
3 and I said to them, Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot; and even if there are people there, close the doors and bar them. And I appointed guards for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each one in his turn, and each one before his house.
4 For the city was spacious and large, but few people within it, and there were no houses rebuilt.
5 Then God put it in my heart to gather the nobles and officials and the people, so that they could be registered according to their genealogies. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who had gone up before, and I found in it written thus:
6 These are the sons of the province who came up from the captivity, of whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried away captive, and who returned to Jerusalem now. Judah, each to his city,
7 who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baana. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
8 The children of Paros, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.
9 The sons of Shephatiah were three hundred and seventy-two.
10 The sons of Ara were six hundred and fifty-two.
11 The children of Pahat-moab, of the children of Jeshua and of Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
12 The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
13 The sons of Zatu, eight hundred and forty-five.
14 The sons of Zacai were seven hundred and sixty.
15 The sons of Binui were six hundred and forty-eight.
16 The sons of Bebai were six hundred and twenty-eight.
17 The sons of Azgad, two thousand six hundred and twenty-two.
18 The sons of Adonicam were six hundred and sixty-seven.
19 The sons of Bigvai, two thousand sixty and seven.
20 The sons of Adin were six hundred and fifty-five.
21 The sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, were ninety-eight.
22 The sons of Hasum, three hundred and twenty-eight.
23 The sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.
24 The sons of Harif, one hundred and twelve.
25 The sons of Gibeon were ninety-five.
26 The men of Bethlehem and Netofah were one hundred and eighty-eight.
27 The men of Anathoth were one hundred and twenty-eight.
28 The men of Bethazmaveth were forty-two.
29 The men of Kiriathjearim, Kaphirah and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
30 The men of Ramah and Geba were six hundred and twenty-one.
31 The men of Michmash were one hundred and twenty-two.
32 The men of Bethel and Ai were one hundred and twenty-three.
33 The men of the other Nebo were fifty-two.
34 The sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
35 The sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
36 The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.
37 The sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.
38The sons of Shenaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
39 Priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
40 The sons of Imer, one thousand fifty and two.
41 The sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven.
42 The sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
43 Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
44 Singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.
45 Gatekeepers: The children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akcub, the children of Hatita, and the children of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.
46 Temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasufah, the sons of Tabaoth,
47 the sons of Cheros, the sons of Siahah, the sons of Paddon,
48 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Salmai,
49 the children of Hanan, the children of Gidel, the children of Gahar,
50 the children of Rheah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,
51 the children of Gazam, the children of Uzzah, the children of Paseah,
52 the children of Beshai, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephisesim,
53 the the children of Bacbuk, the children of Hakuphah, the children of Harhur,
54 the children of Bazlut, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsa,
55 the children of Barcos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tema,
56 the children of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.
57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,
58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darcon, the sons of Gidel,
59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil , the sons of Pocheret-hazebaim, the sons of Ammon.
60 All the servants of the temple and the sons of Solomon’s servants, three hundred and ninety-two.
61 And these are those who came up from Tel-mela, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Adon and Imer, who could not show the house of their fathers, nor their genealogy, if they were from Israel:
62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah and the sons of Necoda, six hundred and forty-two.
63 And of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Cosh, and the sons of Barzilai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzilai the Gileadite, and was called by their name.
64 These searched for his genealogy record, and it was not found; and they were excluded from the priesthood,
65 and the governor told them not to eat of the most holy things, until there was a priest with Urim and Thummim.
66 The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
67 without their male and female servants, who were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and among them were two hundred and forty-five male and female singers.
68 His horses, seven hundred and thirty-six; his mules, two hundred and forty-five;
69 camels, four hundred thirty-five; donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
70 And some of the heads of families gave offerings for the work. The governor gave one thousand drachmas of gold, fifty bowls, and five hundred and thirty priestly vestments for the treasury.
71 The heads of families gave twenty thousand drachmas of gold and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver to the treasury of the work.
72 And the rest of the people gave twenty thousand drachmas of gold, two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty-seven priestly vestments.
73And the priests, the Levites, the doorkeepers, the singers, the people, the servants of the temple, and all Israel, lived in their cities. When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities;
1 And all the people gathered together as one man in the square before the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both men and women and all who could understand, on the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read from the book before the square that is before the Water Gate, from dawn until noon, in the presence of men and women and all who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for this purpose, and next to him were Mattathias, Shema, Anijah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchiah, Hasum, Hasbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 So Ezra opened the book in the eyes of all the people, because he was higher than all the people; and when he opened it, all the people were attentive.
6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people responded: Amen! Amen! raising his hands; and they humbled themselves and worshiped Jehovah, bowing themselves to the ground.
7 And the Levites, Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akcub, Sabetai, Hodias, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabed, Hanan, and Pelaiah, made the people understand the law; and the people were attentive in their place.
8 And they read in the book of the law of God clearly, and put the meaning, so that they understood the reading.
9 And Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who made the people understand, said to all the people, It is a holy day to the Lord our God; do not grieve, nor cry; because all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said to them, Go, eat fat, and drink sweet wine, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared; because it is a holy day to our Lord; do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
11 The Levites therefore silenced all the people, saying, Be still, for it is a holy day, and do not grieve.
12 And all the people went away to eat and drink, and to give portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they had understood the words that had been taught to them.
13 The next day the heads of the families of all the people, priests and Levites, gathered together to Ezra the scribe, to understand the words of the law.
14 And they found it written in the law that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in tabernacles in the feast of the seventh month;
15 and that they should make known, and proclaim through all their cities and through Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain, and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm trees, and every leafy tree, to make tabernacles, as is written.
16 So the people went out and brought branches and made tabernacles, each on his roof, in his courts, in the courts of the house of God, in the square of the Water Gate, and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the congregation that returned from the captivity made tabernacles, and dwelt in tabernacles; For from the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the children of Israel had not done so. And there was great joy.
18 And Ezra read from the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last; and they celebrated the solemn feast for seven days, and the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the rite.
1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the children of Israel gathered together with fasting, and with sackcloth and earth on them.
2 And now the descendants of Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners; and standing, they confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And standing in their place, they read the book of the law of the LORD their God a fourth part of the day, and a fourth part they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.
4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Buni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani stood up on the steps of the Levites, and cried aloud to the LORD their God.
5 And the Levites said, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hasabnias, Sherebias, Hodias, Shebaniah, and Petaiah, Arise, bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting; and bless your name, glorious and high above all blessing and praise.
6 You alone are Jehovah; You made the heavens, and the heavens of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is in it, the seas and all that is in them; and you give life to all these things, and the armies of heaven worship you.
7 You are the God, O Lord, who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham;
8 and you found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give him the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite, to give it to his descendants; and you kept your word, because you are righteous.
9 And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry at the Red Sea;
10 and you did signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, because you knew that they had acted arrogantly against them; and you made a great name for yourself, as on this day.
11 You divided the sea before them, and they passed through it on dry ground; You have already cast his persecutors into the depths, like a stone into deep waters.
12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day, and with a pillar of fire by night, to light the way for them to go.
13 And you came down upon Mount Sinai, and spake with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments,
14 and ordained for them the holy Sabbath for yourself, and by the hand of Moses your servant you prescribed for them commandments, statutes and the law.
15 You gave them bread from heaven in their hunger, and in their thirst you brought water from the rock for them; and you told them to come in and possess the land, for which you raised your hand and swore that you would give it to them.
16But they and our fathers were arrogant, and hardened their necks, and did not listen to your commandments.
17 They did not want to hear, nor did they remember your wonders that you had done for them; but they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they thought of setting a leader to return to their servitude. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy, because you did not abandon them.
18 Furthermore, when they made for themselves a molten calf and said, This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt; and they committed great abominations,
19 yet you, by your many mercies, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not depart from them by day to guide them along the way, nor by night did the pillar of fire depart from them to light the way they should go.
20 And you sent your good Spirit to teach them, and you did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
21 You supported them forty years in the wilderness; They had no need of anything; His clothes did not grow old, nor did his feet swell.
22 And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, and divided them into districts; and they possessed the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 You multiplied their children like the stars of heaven, and you brought them to the land of which you had told their fathers that they were going to enter and possess it.
24 And the sons came and possessed the land, and you humbled before them the inhabitants of the country, the Canaanites, whom you gave into their hand, and their kings, and the people of the land, so that they might do with them as they pleased. .
25 And they took fortified cities and fertile land, and inherited houses full of all good things, cisterns made, vineyards and olive groves, and many fruit trees; They ate, were satisfied, and delighted in your great goodness.
26 But they provoked you to anger, and rebelled against you, and cast your law behind their backs, and killed your prophets who protested against them to convert them to you, and did great abominations.
27 Then you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who afflicted them. But in the time of their tribulation they cried to you, and you heard them from heaven; and according to your great mercy you sent them deliverers to save them from the hand of their enemies.
28 But once they had peace, they again did evil before you, so you abandoned them into the hand of their enemies who dominated them; But they returned and cried to you again, and you heard them from heaven and according to your mercies many times you delivered them.
29 You warned them to return to your law; but they were filled with pride, and did not listen to your commandments, but sinned against your judgments, which if a man does, he will live in them; They rebelled, stiffened their necks, and did not listen.
30 You endured them for many years, and you testified to them with your Spirit through your prophets, but they did not listen; therefore you delivered them into the hand of the people of the earth.
31 But because of your many mercies you did not consume them, nor did you forsake them; because you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 Now therefore, our God, great, strong, fearsome God, who keeps the covenant and mercy, may not all the suffering that has overtaken our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, to our fathers and to all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 But you are righteous in everything that has come upon us; for you have done rightly, but we have done evil.
34 Our kings, our princes, our priests and our fathers did not carry out your law, nor did they heed your commandments and your testimonies with which you admonished them.
35 And they in their kingdom and in your great good which you gave them, and in the spacious and fertile land which you gave before them, did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil deeds.
36 Behold, today we are servants; Here we are, servants in the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good.
37 And its fruit is multiplied for the kings whom you have set over us for our sins, who rule over our bodies, and over our livestock, according to their will, and we are in great distress.
38 Therefore, because of all this, we make a faithful promise, and we write it down, signed by our princes, by our Levites, and by our priests.
1 Those who signed were: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hachaliah, and Zedekiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchiah,
4 Hathus, Shebaniah, Maluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah; These were priests.
9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
10 and his brothers Shebaniah, Hodias, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Micaiah, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.
14 The leaders of the people: Paros, Pahat-moab, Elam, Zatu, Bani,
15 Buni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azur,
18 Hodiah, Hasum, Bezai,
19 Harif, Anathoth , Nebai,
20 Magpiah, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelathias, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasub,
24 Halohesh, Pilhah, Sobek,
25 Rehum, Hasabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Maluc, Harim and Baana.
28 And the rest of the people, the priests, Levites, gatekeepers and singers, the servants of the temple, and all those who had separated from the people of the lands to the law of God, with their wives, their sons and daughters, all who had understanding and discernment,
29 they gathered together with their brothers and their leaders, to protest and swear that they would walk in the law of God, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and that they would keep and fulfill all the commandments, decrees and statutes of Jehovah our Lord.
30 And that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land, nor would we take their daughters for our sons.
31 Likewise, if the people of the land brought merchandise and foodstuffs to sell on the Sabbath, we would take nothing from them on that day or on any other sanctified day; and that in the seventh year we would let the land rest, and remit all debt.
32 We also imposed on ourselves by law the charge of contributing each year with the third part of a shekel for the work of the house of our God;
33for the shewbread and for the continual offering, for the continual burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the festivals, and for the sanctified things and the sacrifices of atonement for the sin of Israel, and for all the service of the house of our God.
34 We the priests, the Levites, and the people also cast lots for the offering of wood, to bring it to the house of our God, according to the houses of our fathers, at the appointed times each year, to burn on the altar of Jehovah our God, as it is written in the law.
35 And that every year we would bring to the house of the Lord the firstfruits of our land, and the firstfruits of the fruit of every tree.
36 Likewise the firstborn of our children and of our livestock, as it is written in the law; and that we would bring the firstborn of our herds and of our sheep to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God;
37 that we would also bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of every tree, and the wine and the oil, for the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our land for the frock coats; and that the Levites would receive the tenths of our labors in all the cities;
38 and that the priest son of Aaron would be with the Levites, when the Levites received the tithe; and that the Levites would take the tithe of the tithe to the house of our God, to the chambers of the treasury house.
39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi are to bring the offering of grain, wine, and oil to the treasury chambers; and there will be the utensils of the sanctuary, and the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the singers; and we will not abandon the house of our God.
1 The leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem; But the rest of the people cast lots to bring one in ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, and the other nine in the other cities.
2 And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
3 These are the leaders of the province who lived in Jerusalem; But in the cities of Judah they dwelt every one in his possession, in his cities; the Israelites, the priests and Levites, the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants.
4 So in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and the children of Benjamin. Of the sons 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 sons of Perez,
5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhoze, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of Shiloni.
6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight strong men.
7 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 Itiel, the son of Jesaiah.
8 And after him Gabai and Salai were nine hundred and twenty-eight.
9 And Joel the son of Zicri was their prefect, and Judah the son of Senua was second in the city.
10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitob, prince of the house of God,
12 and their brothers, those who did the work of the house, eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelalia, the son of Amshi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchiah,
13 and his brothers, heads of families, two hundred and forty-two; and Amasai the son of Azareel, the son of Azai, the son of Meshilemoth, the son of Imer,
14 and his brothers, men of great strength, one hundred and twenty-eight, the leader of whom was Zabdiel the son of Gedolim.
15 Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasub, the son of Azricam, the son of Hasabiah, the son of Buni;
16 Sabbetai and Jozabad, of the chief of the Levites, overseers of the external work of the house of God;
17 and Mattaniah the son of Micaiah, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the chief, the one who began the praise and thanksgiving at the time of prayer; Bacbuchias the second of his brothers; and Abda the son of Samua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
18 All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.
19 The gatekeepers, Akcub, Talmon, and their brothers, guarding the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two.
20 And the rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, in all the cities of Judah, each one in his inheritance.
21 The servants of the temple lived in Ophel; and Ziha and Gispah had authority over the temple servants.
22 And the leader of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, of the sons of Asaph, singers, over the work of the house of God.
23 For there was a commandment from the king concerning them, and a distribution for the singers for each day.
24 And Petaiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, served the king in all the affairs of the people.
25 Concerning the villages and their lands, some of the children of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, in Dibon and its villages, in Jecabseel and its villages,
26 in Jeshua, Molada and Beth-pelet,
27 in Hazar- Sual, in Beersheba and its towns,
28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its towns,
29 in En-rimmon, in Zora, in Jarmuth,
30 in Zanoah, in Adullam and its towns, in Lachish and its lands, and in Azekah and their villages. And they lived from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.
31 And the children of Benjamin lived from Geba, in Michmash, in Aiah, in Bethel and its villages,
32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananias,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gitaim,
34 Hadid, Sheboim, Neballat,
35 Lod, and Ono, valley of the craftsmen;
36 and some of the Levites, in the divisions of Judah and Benjamin.
1 These are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Maluch, Hathus,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginettus, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Maadiah , Bilga,
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amoch, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the chief priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah and Mattaniah, who with his brothers officiated in the songs of praise.
9 And Bacbuchiah and Uni, his brothers, each in his ministry.
10 Jeshua begat Jehoiakim, and Jehoiakim begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Jehoiada;
11 Jehoiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.
12 And in the days of Jehoiakim the chief priests of families were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; from Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 Ezra, Meshullam; of Amarias, Johanán;
14 of Melicú, Jonathan; of Sebanías, José;
15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraiot, Helcai;
16 of Iddo, Zechariah; from Ginethon, Meshullam;
17 Abijah, Zicri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
18 of Bilga, Samúa; of Shemaiah, Jonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Matenai; from Jedaiah, Uzi;
20 of Salai, Calai; of Amoc, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hasabiah; of Jedaiah, Nathanael.
22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Jehoiada, Johanan and Jaddua were registered by heads of families; also the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi, heads of families, were recorded in the book of chronicles until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24 The chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and his brothers before them, to praise and give thanks, according to the statute of David the man of God, keeping his turn.
25 Mattaniah, Bacbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akcub, guards, were porters to guard at the entrances to the gates.
26 These were in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest, the scribe.
27 For the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites from all their places to bring them to Jerusalem, to make the dedication and the celebration with praise and with songs, with cymbals, psalteries and zithers.
28 And the sons of the singers were gathered together, both from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophatites;
29 and from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; because the singers had built villages around Jerusalem.
30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I made the princes of Judah mount over the wall, and I placed two large choirs that went in procession; the one on the right, on the wall, towards the Dung Gate.
32 And Hoshaiah went after them with half of the princes of Judah,
33 and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah and Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah.
35 And of the sons of the priests went with trumpets Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph;
36 and his brothers Shemaiah, Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nathanael, Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe before them.
37 And at the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the steps of the city of David, by the ascent of the wall, from the house of David to the Water Gate, on the east.
38 The second choir went on the opposite side, and I followed them, with half the people on the wall, from the tower of the Horns to the wide wall;
39 and from the gate of Ephraim to the Old Gate and to the Fish Gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Hamea, to the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the door of the Jail.
40 Then the two choirs arrived at the house of God; and I, and half the officers with me,
41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzi, Johanan, Malchiah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers sang with a loud voice, and Izrahiah was the leader.
43 And they sacrificed numerous victims that day, and rejoiced, because God had recreated them with great contentment; The women and children were also happy; and the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day men were placed over the chambers of treasures, of offerings, of firstfruits and of tithes, to collect in them, from the common lands of the cities, the legal portions for the priests and Levites; for the joy of Judah was great regarding the priests and Levites who served.
45 And they had fulfilled the service of their God, and the service of the atonement, as well as the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the statute of David and Solomon his son.
46 For from the time of David and Asaph, long ago, there was a director of singers for songs and praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave food to the singers and the porters, each in its own day; They also consecrated their portions to the Levites, and the Levites consecrated part to the sons of Aaron.
1 That day it was read in the book of Moses, as the people heard it, and it was found written in it that the Ammonites and Moabites should never enter the congregation of God,
2 because they did not go out to meet the children of Israel with bread and water, but they gave money to Balaam to curse them; but our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 So when they heard the law, they separated from Israel all those mixed with foreigners.
4 And before this Eliashib the priest, being head of the chamber of the house of our God, had become related to Tobiah,
5 and had made him a large chamber, in which they kept the offerings, the incense, the utensils, the tithe of grain, wine and oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, the singers and the doorkeepers, and the offering of the priests.
6 But in all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king; and after a few days I asked the king’s permission
7 to return to Jerusalem; and then I learned of the evil that Eliashib had done out of consideration for Tobiah, making for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
8 And he grieved me greatly; and I threw all the furniture of Tobiah’s house out of the chamber,
9 and I told them to cleanse the chambers, and I brought back there the utensils of the house of God, the offerings and the incense.
10 I also found that the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, and that the Levites and singers who did the service had each fled to his field.
11 Then I rebuked the officials, and said, Why is the house of God abandoned? And I gathered them together and put them in their places.
12 And all Judah brought the tithe of grain, wine, and oil to the storehouses.
13 And I appointed Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe as overseers over them, and Pedaiah of the Levites; and in their service Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah; because they were considered faithful, and they had to distribute to their brothers.
14 Remember me, O God, in this regard, and do not blot out my mercies which I performed in the house of my God, and in his service.
15 In those days I saw some in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath day, carrying sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, and also grapes, figs, and all kinds of cargo, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. of rest; and I warned them about the day on which they sold provisions.
16 There were also Tyrians in the city who brought fish and all merchandise, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Judah in Jerusalem.
17And I rebuked the lords of Judah and said to them, What evil thing is this that you do, thus profaning the Sabbath?
18 Did not your fathers do so, and did our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? And do you add wrath to Israel by profaning the Sabbath?
19 So it came to pass, when it was getting dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, that I ordered the gates to be closed, and commanded that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath; and I placed some of my servants at the doors, so that on the Sabbath day they would not bring in burdens.
20 And the merchants and those who sold all kinds of merchandise stayed outside Jerusalem once and twice.
21 And I admonished them and said to them, Why do you stand before the wall? If you do it again, I’ll catch you. From then on they did not come on the Sabbath.
22 And I told the Levites to purify themselves and come to keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this reason also remember me, my God, and forgive me according to the greatness of your mercy.
23 I also saw in those days Jews who had taken wives from Ashdod, Ammonites, and Moabites;
24 and half of his sons spoke the language of Ashdod, because they did not know how to speak Judaic, but spoke according to the language of each people.
25 And I quarreled with them, and cursed them, and smote some of them, and tore out their hair, and made them swear, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, and you shall not take of their daughters for your sons, nor for yourselves.
26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by this? Although in many nations there was no king like him, who was loved by his God, and God had made him king over all Israel, even he was made to sin by foreign women.
27 And will we obey you to commit all this great evil of transgressing against our God, taking foreign wives?
28 And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him away from me.
29 Remember them, my God, against those who defile the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 So I cleansed them of all foreigners, and appointed the priests and Levites by their groups, each one in his service;
31 and for the offering of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, my God, for good.
37 And at the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the steps of the city of David, by the ascent of the wall, from the house of David to the Water Gate, on the east.
38 The second choir went on the opposite side, and I followed them, with half the people on the wall, from the tower of the Horns to the wide wall;
39 and from the gate of Ephraim to the Old Gate and to the Fish Gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Hamea, to the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the door of the Jail.
40 Then the two choirs arrived at the house of God; and I, and half the officers with me,
41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzi, Johanan, Malchiah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers sang with a loud voice, and Izrahiah was the leader.
43 And they sacrificed numerous victims that day, and rejoiced, because God had recreated them with great contentment; The women and children were also happy; and the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar