LXX Nehemiah

News from Jerusalem

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. And in the month Kislev, of the twentieth year, I was in the citadel of Susa. 2 And Hanani, one of my brothers, came with men from Judah. I asked them about the survivors who had been left from captivity and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those remaining, those left from captivity there in the land, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s walls are broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

Nehemiah’s Prayer

4 And when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for several days, and kept fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 I said, “No, please, Lord God of heaven, mighty, great, and fearsome, who keeps the covenant and shows mercy to those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 please let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear your slave’s prayer, which I am praying before you today, day and night, for the sons of Israel, your slaves. I confess the sins of the sons of Israel that we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s household have sinned. 7 We have completely broken with you and have not kept the commandments, rules, and judgments that you commanded your servant Moses.

8 “Please remember the word you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are faithless, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 And if you return to me, keep my commandments, and do them, even if you are scattered to the farthest end of heaven, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I chose for my name to dwell there.’

10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed with your great power, and with your strong hand. 11 No, please, Lord, but let your ear be attentive to your slave’s prayer and the prayer of your servants who want to fear your name. Please give your servant success today and grant him compassion before this man.” I was the king’s cupbearer.⁠a

The King Grants Permission

1 And in the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the wine was before me, and I took the wine, and gave it to the king, and there was no one else before him. 2 The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, and why aren’t you feeling well? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” I was very afraid,

3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, since the city, the home of my ancestors’ tombs, has been laid waste, and its gates consumed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What are you asking for in this matter?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant finds favor before you, so that you send him to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, I will rebuild it.”

6 The king and his concubine sitting next to him said to me, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” It pleased the king, and he sent me. I gave him a time limit.

7 I said to the king, “If it seems good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors beyond the river so that they will escort me until I reach Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the garden which belongs to the king, so that he will give me timber to cover the gates, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I will enter into it.” And the king gave to me, because the hand of God was good.

9 And I came to the governors beyond the river, and I gave them the king’s letters. The king had sent army commanders and cavalry with me. 10 And Sanballat the Horonite heard it, and Tobiah the slave, the Ammonite, and it distressed them that a man had come to seek good for the sons of Israel.

The Night Journey

11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. 12 And I got up at night, I and a few men with me, and I told no one what God put into my heart to do with Israel, and there was no animal with me, except the animal which I rode upon. 13 I went out through the Golela Gate toward the mouth of the spring of the fig trees and the Dung Gate. I was grieving at Jerusalem’s wall, which they are tearing down, and its gates had been consumed by fire. 14 I went on to the Ain Gate and into the king’s pool, and there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 I went up along the wadi wall at night and was grieving at the wall. I was at the Valley Gate and returned.

16 And the guards did not know why I went, or what I was doing, and until that time I did not tell it to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the honored men, or to the generals, or to the rest of the men who were doing the work.

The Call to Rebuild

17 I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been given to fire. Come, let us rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, and we will no longer be a disgrace.” 18 And I told them of the hand of God which was good to me, also about the words of the king which he spoke to me. And I said, “Let us get up and build!” And their hands were strengthened for good.

19 And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the slave, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, and they mocked us, and came to us, and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

20 I answered them, “The God of heaven himself will give us success. We are his pure slaves, and we will build. You have no share, rightful claim, or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Rebuilding the Gates and Walls

1 Eliashib the high priest and his brothers the priests got up and built the Sheep Gate. They made it holy and set up its doors. They made it holy as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And beside the sons of the men of Jericho, and beside the sons of Zaccur the son of Imri.

3 And the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They roofed it, and set up its doors, and bolts, and bars. 4 And next to them one from Ramoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz took charge, and next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel took charge, and next to them Zadok the son of Baana took charge. 5 And next to them the Tekoites took charge, but the Adorim did not contribute their necks to their service. 6 And Joiada the son of Pasek, and Meshullam son of Besodeiah, reinforced the gate of Jeshanah. They roofed it, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars.

8 And next to them Hananiah the son of Rokeim reinforced the section, and they left Jerusalem as far as the broad wall. 9 And next to them Rephaiah reinforced the section, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem. 10 Beside them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph reinforced the section opposite his house, and beside him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah reinforced the section. 11 A second Malchijah, the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath Moab reinforced the section as far as the Tower of the Furnaces. 12 And next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh reinforced the section, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah reinforced the Valley Gate. They built it, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate. 14 And Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth Haccherem, reinforced the Dung Gate, he and his sons, and they covered it, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars. 15 And the wall of the Pool of the Fleeces at the king’s shearing, and as far as the steps going down from the City of David.

16 After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, reinforced the section as far as the garden of David’s grave, and as far as the artificial pool, and as far as Bethaggabarim.⁠a 17 After him the Levites reinforced the section, Rehum the son of Bani: next to him Hashabiah reinforced the section, ruler of half the district of Keilah, in his district. 18 And after him their brothers reinforced the section, Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Beside him Azzur the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, reinforced a second section of the Ascent Tower, where it joins the corner. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai, reinforced a second section, from the corner as far as the door of Beth Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz, reinforced a second section from the door of the Beth Eliashib, to the end of the Beth Eliashib.

22 After him the priests, the men of Achechar, reinforced the section. 23 After him Benjamin and Hasshub reinforced the section opposite their house, and after him Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah reinforced the section beside his house. 24 After him Bani the son of Henadad, reinforced a second section from the Beth Azariah as far as the corner and to the bend, 25 of Palal the son of Uzai, opposite the corner, and the upper tower projecting from the king’s house at the court of the guard, and after him Pedaiah the son of Parosh. 26 And the Nethinim lived in Ophel, as far as the garden of the Water Gate to the east, and there is the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites reinforced a second section opposite the great projecting tower, as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 The priests reinforced the section above the Horse Gate, each man opposite his own house. 29 And after him Zadok the son of Immer reinforced the section opposite his own house, and after him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, reinforced the section, the guard of the East Gate. 30 After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, reinforced a second section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah reinforced the section opposite his treasury. 31 After him Malchijah the son of Sarephi reinforced the section as far as Beth Nethinim, and the traders opposite the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the ascent at the bend. 32 In the middle of the ascent to the Sheep Gate, the smiths and traders reinforced the section.

Sanballat’s Mockery

33 When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it distressed him, and he was very angry, and mocked the Jews. 34 He said before his brothers, “Is this the power of Samaria, that these Jews are building their own city?” 35 And Tobiah the Ammonite came near to him, and they said to one another, “They won’t sacrifice or eat in their place, will they? Won’t a fox go up and pull down their stone wall?”

36 “Hear, our God, because we have become an object of ridicule. Turn their insults back on their own heads, and give them over to ridicule in a land of captivity, 37 and do not cover over lawlessness.”⁠b

Preparing for Attack

1 But when Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabs, and the Ammonites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was advancing, and that the gaps were beginning to close, it greatly distressed them. 2 And all of them gathered together, to come to fight in Jerusalem. 3 So we prayed to our God and set guards against them day and night, because of them.

4 Judah said, “The strength of the enemies has been crushed, and there is much rubble. We will not be able to build on the wall.”

5 Those oppressing us said, “They won’t know or see until we come among them, kill them, and stop the work.” 6 And when the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us, “They are coming up against us from every place.”

7 I stationed men in the lowest parts of the place behind the wall, in sheltered places. I stationed the people by divisions, with their swords, spears, and bows. 8 I looked, got up, and said to the honored men, the generals, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember our great and fearsome God, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Working Under Guard

9 And when our enemies heard that it was made known to us, and God had scattered their plans, we all returned to the wall, each man to his work. 10 And from that day half of the outcasts did the work, and half of them stood in defense, and there were spears, and shields, and bows, and body armor, and leaders behind the whole house of Judah, 11 of those building on the wall. The men lifting with carrying gear were armed. Each did the work with one hand and held a javelin with the other. 12 The builders each had a sword fastened at the waist, and they kept building. The man sounding the horn was beside him.

13 I said to the honored men, the leaders, and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and great, and we are scattered far apart on the wall, each man far from his brother. 14 Wherever you hear the sound of the horn, gather to us there, and our God will fight for us.”

15 We kept doing the work, and half of them held the spears from the rise of dawn until the stars appeared. 16 At that time I said to the people, “Spend the night inside Jerusalem, and let the night be a time of guard duty for you and the day a time of work.” 17 I was there with the men of the advance guard behind me, and none of us took off his clothes.

The People’s Outcry

1 And the outcry of the people and their wives was great against their brothers the Jews.

2 Some said, “With our sons and daughters we are many. We will get grain, eat, and stay alive.”

3 Some said, “We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and houses, and we will get grain and eat.”

4 Some said, “We borrowed silver for the king’s tribute, our fields, our vineyards, and our houses. 5 Now our flesh is like our brothers’ flesh, and our sons are like their sons. Look, we are oppressing our sons and daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters are being oppressed. Our hands have no power, and our fields and vineyards belong to the honored men.”

The Demand for Repayment

6 And I was deeply distressed as I heard their outcry and these words. 7 My heart deliberated within me, and I argued with the honored men and the leaders. I said to them, “Will a man demand repayment from his brother? You are demanding repayment!” I called a great assembly against them, 8 and said to them, “We willingly acquired our Jewish brothers who were being sold to the nations. Are you selling your own brothers?” They fell silent and found nothing to say.

9 I said, “What you are doing is not good. Not this way! In the fear of our God you will leave behind the insults of the nations, our enemies. 10 My brothers, my acquaintances, and I have put silver and grain at their disposal. Let us now abandon this demand for repayment. 11 Please return their fields, vineyards, olive orchards, and houses to them today, and from the silver bring out grain, wine, and oil for them.”

12 They said, “We will give it back and will not demand anything from them. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made them swear to act according to this word.

13 I shook out my garment and said, “May God shake out of his house and his labor every man who does not uphold this word. He will be shaken out like this and left empty.” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. The people did this.

Nehemiah’s Conduct as Governor

14 From the day that he commanded me to be their ruler in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, twelve years, I and my brothers did not eat provision extorted from them. 15 As for the earlier exactions that burdened them before me, they even took their last silver for bread and wine, forty didrachmas. Their outcasts exercise authority over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 I did not take control over them through the work on the wall. I did not acquire a field, and everyone gathered there was there for the work. 17 And the Jews, numbering one hundred and fifty men, and those coming to us from the surrounding nations, were at my table. 18 One calf was prepared for each day, and six choice sheep and a male goat were prepared for me. Every ten days there was wine of every sort in abundance. Even with these I did not ask for the bread of exaction, because the service was a heavy burden on this people. 19 Remember me, God, for good, in all that I have done for this people.

Sanballat’s Messages

1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall, no breath was left in them. Up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates. 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in the villages on the plain of Ono.” They were planning to harm me.

3 I sent them messengers, saying, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down, in case the work stops. When I finish it, I will come down to you.” 4 They sent me this sort of message, and I sent them a corresponding answer.

5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 It was written in it, “It has been heard among the nations that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That is why you are building the wall, and you are becoming their king. 7 You have also appointed prophets for yourself so that you might sit in Jerusalem as king in Judah. Now these words will be reported to the king. Come, let us discuss it together.”

8 I sent word to him, saying, “These things you say have not happened. You are inventing these lies out of your own heart.” 9 They were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will grow weak from this work, and it will not be done.” Now I strengthened my hands.

The False Prophecy

10 I went into the house of Shimei the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, and he was confined. He said, “Let us gather together inside God’s house and close its doors, because they are coming at night to kill you.”

11 I said, “Who is the man who will enter the house and live?”

12 I recognized that God had not sent him, because the prophecy was a message against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired 13 a crowd against me so that I would be frightened, do this, sin, and get a bad name among them, so that they could insult me.

14 Remember, God, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these acts of his, and the prophet Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who tried to frighten me.

The Wall Completed

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us feared, and great alarm fell upon them, and they knew that this work had been completed through our God.

17 And in those days letters came to Tobiah from many honored men of Judah, and those of Tobiah came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound to him by oath, because he was son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and Johanan his son had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 And they reported his words to me, and conveyed my words to him, and Tobiah sent letters to terrify me.

The City’s Guards

1 When the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites had been reviewed, 2 I gave orders to Hananiah my brother and Hananiah the ruler of the citadel in Jerusalem, because he was a truthful man who feared God more than many. 3 I said to them, “Jerusalem’s gates will not be opened until sunrise, and while they are still keeping watch, let the doors be shut and barred. Station guards from those living in Jerusalem, each man at his post and each man opposite his house.”

4 Now the city was wide and large, and the people were few in it, and the houses were not built.

The Register of the Returnees

5 And God put it into my heart, and I gathered the honored men, and the rulers, and the people, into companies. I found a register of the company that came up first, and I found written in it as follows:

6 These are the sons of the country who came up from captivity in the exile that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken away. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each man to his own city, 7 with Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and Nehemiah, Azariah, and Daemia, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Ezra, Bigvai, Nehum, Baana, Mispar, men of the people of Israel.
8 The sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.
9 The sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.
10 The sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.
11 The sons of Pahath Moab, in relation to the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
12 The sons of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
13 The sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.
14 The sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
15 The sons of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.
16 The sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.
17 The sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.
18 The sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.
19 The sons of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
20 The sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.
21 The sons of Ater, in relation to Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
22 The sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.
23 The sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.
24 The sons of Hariph, one hundred and twelve.

The Towns

25 The sons of Gibeon, ninety-five.
26 The sons of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three. The sons of Netophah, fifty-six.
27 The sons of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight.
28 The men of Beth-Azmaveth, forty-two.
29 The men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
30 The men of Ramah and Gibeah, six hundred and twenty-one.
31 The men of Michmash, one hundred and twenty-two.
32 The men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three.
33 The men of Nebo-aar, fifty-two.
34 The men of Elam-aar, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
35 The sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
36 The sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.
37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.
38 The sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

Priests and Temple Workers

39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, for the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
40 The sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two.
41 The sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven.
42 The sons of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, in relation to Kadmiel and the sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.
45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.
46 The Nethinim: the sons of Sea, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
47 the sons of Keros, the sons of Ziha, the sons of Padon,
48 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,
49 the sons of Anan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,
50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,
51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzzi, the sons of Paseah,
52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim,
53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Adasan,
55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,
56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
57 The sons of the slaves of Solomon: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,
58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,
59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth, the sons of Hazzebaim, the sons of Emim.
60 All the Nethinim, and sons of the slaves of Solomon, were three hundred and ninety-two.

Uncertain Ancestry

61 These came up from Tel Melah, Harsha, Cherub, Eron, Immer, but they could not declare the ancestral households and their descendants, whether they were from Israel. 62 The sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.

63 From the priests: the sons of Hebia, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took wives from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name. 64 They looked for their company’s records, but they were not found, and they were dismissed from the priesthood. 65 Athersatha said that they were not to eat from the most holy things until the priest came forward to give light.

Totals and Offerings

66 The whole assembly, as one, numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
67 besides their male slaves and female servants, these were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, and the male singers and female singers, two hundred and forty-five.
68 Horses, seven hundred and thirty-six, mules, two hundred and forty-five.
69 Camels, four hundred and thirty-five, donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

70 And some of the leaders of the ancestral families gave into the treasury to Nehemiah for the work a thousand gold coins, fifty bowls, and thirty priests’ garments. 71 And some of the leaders of the ancestral families gave into the treasuries of the work, twenty thousand gold coins, and two thousand two hundred minas of silver. 72 And the rest of the people gave twenty thousand gold coins, and two thousand two hundred minas of silver, and sixty-seven priests’ garments.

73 And the priests, and Levites, and gatekeepers, and singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, settled in their cities. And the seventh month arrived, and the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Ezra Reads the Law

1 And all the people were gathered as one man to the square before the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly both of men and women, and everyone who had understanding was present to listen, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read in it from sunrise to midday,⁠a before the men and the women, and they understood it, and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform, and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shemaiah, and Hananiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right, and on his left stood Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, and Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book before all the people, for he was above the people, and when he had opened it, all the people stood. 6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen,” raising their hands. They bowed and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 And Jeshua and Benaiah and Sherebiah instructed the people in the law, and the people stood in their place. 8 And they read in the book of the law of God, and Ezra taught and gave clear instruction in the knowledge of the Lord,⁠b and the people understood during the reading.

A Holy Day

9 And Nehemiah, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites, and those instructing the people, spoke and said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord our God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

10 He said to them, “Go, eat rich food, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who have nothing, because this day is holy to our Lord. Do not collapse, because he is your strength.” 11 The Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be quiet, because this day is holy. Do not lose heart.” 12 So all the people went away to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to celebrate with great joy, for they understood the words which he made known to them.

The Festival of Shelters

13 And on the second day the leaders of the ancestral families gathered with all the people, also the priests and Levites, to Ezra the scribe, to pay attention to all the words of the law. 14 And they found written in the law which the Lord commanded Moses, that the sons of Israel should live in shelters, during the festival in the seventh month, 15 and that they should sound with trumpets in all their cities, and in Jerusalem. Ezra said, “Go out to the mountain and bring olive leaves, cypress leaves, myrtle leaves, palm leaves, and leaves from leafy trees to make shelters, as written.”

16 And the people went out, and brought them, and made shelters for themselves, each man on his roof, and in their courtyards, and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the squares of the city, and as far as the Ephraim Gate. 17 And all the assembly who had returned from the captivity made shelters, and lived in shelters, because the sons of Israel had not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, and there was great joy. 18 He read in the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day, and they celebrated the festival seven days, and on the eighth day held a closing ceremony according to the rule.

Confession and Worship

1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel gathered with fasting, and in sackcloth. 2 And the sons of Israel separated themselves from every foreign son, and stood and confessed their sins, and the lawless acts of their ancestors. 3 And they stood in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God, and they confessed to the Lord, and worshiped the Lord their God.

4 Jeshua, the sons of Kadmiel, Shecaniah the son of Sherebiah, and the sons of Chenani stood on the Levites’ steps and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever. They will bless your glorious name and exalt it with every blessing and praise.”

Ezra’s Prayer

6 Ezra said,⁠a “You yourself alone are Lord. You made the heaven, and the heaven of heaven, and all their positions, the earth, and all things that are in it, the seas, and all things in them, and you give life to all things, and the armies of heaven worship you. 7 You are the Lord God. You chose Abram, and brought him out of the land of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name of Abraham, 8 and you found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give to him and to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Jebusites, and Girgashites, and you have confirmed your words, for you are righteous.

9 And you saw the humiliation of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea. 10 And you showed signs in Egypt, on Pharaoh and all his servants, and on all the people of his land, because you knew that they behaved insolently against them, and you made yourself a name, as on this day. 11 And you split the sea before them, and they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you threw into the depths those who pursued them closely, as a stone in the mighty water. 12 And you guided them by day by a pillar of cloud, and by night by a pillar of fire, to light the way they would travel on. 13 Also you came down onto Mount Sinai, and you spoke to them out of heaven, and gave them straightforward judgments, and laws of truth, ordinances, and good commandments. 14 And you made known to them your holy Sabbath. You commanded them commandments, and ordinances, and a law, through your slave Moses. 15 And you gave them bread from heaven when they lacked grain, and you brought out water for them from a rock for their thirst. And you told them to go in to inherit the land over which you stretched out your hand to give it to them.

16 But they and our ancestors behaved proudly, and stiffened their necks, and did not listen to your commandments, 17 and refused to listen, and did not remember your wonders that you performed among them, and they stiffened their necks, and began to return to their slavery in Egypt, and you, God, are merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy, and you did not abandon them. 18 They even made themselves a cast-metal calf and said, ‘These are the gods who brought us up out of Egypt,’ and they did things that greatly provoked anger. 19 Yet in your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. You did not turn away from them the pillar of the cloud by day, to guide them on the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light the way they would travel on. 20 And you gave your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water in their thirst. 21 You sustained them for forty years in the wilderness. They lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out, and their feet were not torn.

22 Moreover, you gave them kingdoms, and allotted peoples to them, and they inherited the land of Sihon king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 And you multiplied their sons as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land of which you spoke to their ancestors, and they inherited it. 24 And you wiped out from before them those living in the land of the Canaanites, and you gave into their hands them and their kings, and the nations of the land, to do to them as they pleased. 25 And they took lofty cities, and inherited houses full of all good things, hewn cisterns, vineyards, and olive orchards, and every fruit tree in abundance: so they ate, and were filled, and grew fat, and lived in luxury through your great goodness.

26 But they turned, and revolted from you, and threw your law behind their bodies, and they killed your prophets, who testified against them to turn them back to you, and they did things that greatly provoked anger. 27 Then you gave them into the hand of their oppressors, and they oppressed them, and they cried to you in the time of their oppression, and you heard them from your heaven, and in your great compassion gave them deliverers, and saved them from the hand of their oppressors. 28 But when they rested, they did evil again before you, so you left them in the hands of their enemies, who ruled over them, and they cried again to you, and you heard them from heaven, and rescued them in your great compassion. 29 You warned them to bring them back to your law. They did not listen but sinned against your commandments and judgments, which a man will live by if he does them. They turned their backs in disobedience, stiffened their necks, and did not listen. 30 You bore with them for many years and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. They did not listen, and you handed them over to the peoples of the land. 31 But you in your great compassion did not bring them to an end or abandon them, because you are strong, and merciful, and compassionate.

32 “Now, our God, the powerful, the great, the mighty, and the fearsome, who keeps your covenant and your mercy, do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come on us, and our kings, and our leaders, and our priests, and our prophets, and our ancestors, and upon all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria to this day. 33 But you are righteous in all the things that come upon us, because you have acted faithfully, but we have greatly sinned. 34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your law or pay attention to your commandments and the testimonies you gave them. 35 And they did not serve you in your kingdom, and in your great goodness which you gave to them, and in the broad and rich land which you set before them, and they did not turn from their evil practices. 36 Look, we are slaves today, and as for the land which you gave to our ancestors to eat the fruit of it, 37 it is for the kings whom you appointed over us because of our sins; and they have power over our bodies, and over our livestock, as it pleases them, and we are in great oppression.”

The Written Pledge

1 Because of all this we are making a pledge of faithfulness and writing it down. All our leaders, our Levites, and our priests are sealing it.

2 And among those sealing were Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
3 the son of Seraiah, and Azariah, and Jeremiah,
4 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
5 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
6 Iram, Meremoth, Obadiah,
7 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
8 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
9 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. These were priests.

10 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Benaiah of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
11 and his brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Anan,
12 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
13 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
14 Hodiah, the sons of Beninu.

15 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, the sons of
16 Bani, Azgad, Bebai,
17 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
18 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
19 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
20 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
21 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
22 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
23 Pelatiah, Anan, Anaiah,
24 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
25 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
26 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
27 and Ahijah, Ainan, Enan,
28 Malluch, Harim, Baana.

The Oath to Follow the Law

29 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and everyone coming from the peoples of the land to the law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding, 30 were prevailing over their brothers, cursed them, and entered into a curse and an oath to follow the law of God, which was given through Moses, God’s slave, and to keep and do all the commandments of our Lord and his judgments, 31 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor will we take their daughters for our sons.

32 As for the peoples of the land who bring goods and anything for sale on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. We will release the seventh year and every claim for repayment.

Support for the Temple

33 And we will impose commands on ourselves to pay one-third of a didrachma each year for the service of the house of our God, 34 for the bread of the Presence and the regular offering, the regular whole burnt offering of the Sabbaths and new moons, the festivals, the holy things and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and the work of the house of our God.

35 And we cast lots for the assignment of carrying wood, we the priests, and the Levites, and the people, to bring wood into the house of our God, for the house of our ancestral families, at appointed times, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law, 36 and to bring the firstfruits of our land, and the firstfruits of the fruit of every tree, year by year, into the house of the Lord, 37 the firstborn of our sons, and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, for the priests that minister in the house of our God.

38 We will bring the firstfruits of our grain, the fruit of every tree, wine, and oil to the priests, to the treasury of God’s house, and a tenth of our land’s produce to the Levites. The Levites themselves collect tithes in all the cities of our service. 39 And the priest the son of Aaron will be with the Levite at the tithe of the Levite, and the Levites will bring up the tenth of the tithe to the house of our God, into the treasuries of the house of God. 40 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi will bring the firstfruits of grain, wine, and oil into the treasuries. The holy vessels and the priests who minister, the gatekeepers, and the singers are there. We will not abandon the house of our God.

Those Living in Jerusalem

1 And the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one of every ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine-tenths in the other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3 Now these are the leaders of the province who lived in Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, each man on his own property in their cities: Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the sons of the slaves of Solomon.

4 And there lived in Jerusalem some of the sons of Judah, and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah son of Azaia, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, and some of the sons of Perez, 5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col Hozeh, son of Uzziah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Thezia, son of the Seloni. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight strong men.

7 And these were the sons of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah. 8 And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight. 9 And Joel son of Zichri was overseer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in the city.

Priests and Levites

10 Of the priests: also Jedaiah son of Joiarib, and Jachin. 11 Seraiah, son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, opposite the house of God. 12 And their brothers doing the work of the house: Amasai son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, 13 leaders of ancestral families, two hundred and forty-two. And Amashsai son of Esdriel, 14 and his brothers, men strong in battle, one hundred and twenty-eight, and their overseer was Badiel.

15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah, son of Hasshub, son of Ezri, 17 Mattaniah son of Mica, and Obed son of Shammua, 18 two hundred and eighty-four.

19 And the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their brothers, one hundred and seventy-two.

22 The overseer of the Levites was the son of Bani, Uzzi the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mica, from the sons of Asaph, the singers, opposite the work of God’s house, 23 because this was the king’s commandment concerning them.

24 And Pethahiah son of Baseza was at the king’s hand in every matter for the people,

The Villages

25 and for the villages in their field. Some of the sons of Judah lived in Kiriath Arbok,⁠a 26 and in Jeshua, 27 and in Beersheba, 30 Their villages were Lachish and its fields, and they camped in Beersheba. 31 The sons of Benjamin were from Geba, Michmash. 36 And of the Levites there were divisions of Judah for Benjamin.

Priests and Levites

1 Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch,
3 Shecaniah. 7 These were the leaders of the priests, and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Machaniah. He himself and his brothers were in charge of the groups, 9 for the daily divisions.

10 And Jeshua fathered Joiakim, and Joiakim fathered Eliashib, and Eliashib fathered Joiada, 11 and Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.

The Family Leaders

12 And in the days of Joiakim, his brothers the priests and the leaders of the ancestral families were, for Seraiah, Meraiah; to Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 to Ezra, Meshullam; to Amariah, Johanan;
14 to Malluch, Jonathan; to Shecaniah, Joseph;
15 to Harim, Adna; to Meraioth, Helkai;
16 to Addai, Zechariah; to Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 to Abijah, Zichri; to Benjamin, at the times; to Piltai;
18 to Bilgah, Shammua; to Shemaiah, Jonathan;
19 to Joiarib, Mattenai; to Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 to Sallai, Kallai; to Amok, Ebed;
21 to Hilkiah, Hashabiah; to Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded as leaders of ancestral families, also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, leaders of ancestral families, were written in the book of the daily records, until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

24 The leaders of the Levites, Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, and the sons of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them were to sing hymns and give praise according to the command of David the man of God, division facing division, 25 when I gathered the gatekeepers,⁠a 26 in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah. Ezra was the priest and scribe.

The Rededication of the Wall

27 And at the rededication of the wall of Jerusalem they looked for the Levites where they were, to bring them to Jerusalem, to celebrate the rededication joyfully with thanksgiving and songs, playing cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 And the sons of the singers were gathered both from the neighborhood around Jerusalem, and from the villages, 29 and from the country, because the singers built themselves villages in Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites were purified, and they purified the people, and the gatekeepers, and the wall.

31 And I brought up the leaders of Judah on the wall, and I appointed two great ones for praise, and they proceeded to the right on the wall of dung. 32 And after them went Hoshaiah, and half the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, and Ezra, and Meshullam, 34 and Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah and Jeremiah. 35 And some of the sons of the priests with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph, 36 and his brothers, Shemaiah, and Uzziel, to praise with the hymns of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe was in front of them, 37 at the Ain Gate opposite them, and they went up by the steps of the City of David, in the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate to the east.

38 And the second one for praise went on to meet them, and I followed it, and half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of the Furnaces, and as far as the broad wall, 39 and above the Ephraim Gate, and to the Jeshanah Gate, and to the Fish Gate, and by the Tower of Hananel, and as far as the Sheep Gate. They stood in the Guard Gate.

40 And the two for praise stood in the house of God, and I, and half of the generals with me, 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Benjamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets, 42 and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Johanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers were heard, and were reviewed.

43 And in that day they offered great sacrifices, and were joyful, because God had made them very joyful, and their wives and their children were joyful, and the joy in Jerusalem was heard far away.

Temple Duties and Portions

44 And on that day they appointed men over the treasuries, for the treasures, the firstfruits, and the tithes, and for the leaders of the cities who had gathered among them, to provide portions for the priests and Levites, because there was joy in Judah over the priests and over the Levites who were standing. 45 They kept watch over their God’s guard posts, the purification posts, the singers, and the gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in David’s days Asaph was the leading singer of hymns and praise to God from the beginning. 47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, as required for each day. They set portions apart as holy for the Levites, and the Levites set them apart as holy for the sons of Aaron.

The Reading of Moses’s Book

1 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and it was found written in it that the Ammonites and Moabites should not enter into the assembly of God forever, 2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against him to curse him, and our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When they heard the law, everyone of mixed origin in Israel was separated.

Tobiah’s Treasury

4 And before this time Eliashib the priest lived in the treasury of the house of our God, a close relative of Tobiah, 5 and he prepared a large treasury for him, and there they had earlier put the manaa, and the frankincense, and the vessels,⁠a and the tithe of the grain, and the wine, and the oil, the command for the Levites, and singers, and gatekeepers, and the firstfruits of the priests. 6 But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king, and after the days had ended I made a request of the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem, and I understood the evil which Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in making for him a treasury in the court of the house of God. 8 It seemed very evil to me, and I threw all the vessels of Tobiah’s house out of the treasury. 9 And I gave orders, and they purified the treasuries, and I restored there the vessels of the house of God, and the manaa, and the frankincense.

The Levites’ Portions

10 And I understood that the portions of the Levites had not been given, and they had fled each man to his field, the Levites and the singers doing the work. 11 I argued with the generals and said, “Why has God’s house been abandoned?” I gathered them and stationed them at their posts. 12 And all Judah brought a tithe of the wheat and the wine and the oil into the treasuries, 13 to the charge of Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and next to them was Anan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, because they were considered trustworthy, and their task was to distribute to their brothers.

14 Remember me, God, in this, and do not let the mercy I showed in the house of the Lord God be wiped out.

Keeping the Sabbath

15 In those days I saw in Judah men treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and carrying sheaves, and loading donkeys with both wine, and grapes, and figs, and every kind of burden, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, and I warned them on the day they sold. 16 Also men lived in it, bringing fish, and selling every kind of merchandise to the sons of Judah and in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

17 I argued with the free sons of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors act this way? Our God brought all these evils on them, on us, and on this city. You are adding anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 When it grew quiet at Jerusalem’s gates before the Sabbath, I spoke, and they shut the gates, and I gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath, and I set some of my servants at the gates, so that no one would carry loads on the Sabbath day. 20 They all spent the night and conducted sales outside Jerusalem once, then a second time.

21 I warned them and said, “Why are you spending the night in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will stretch out my hand against you.” From that time they did not come on the Sabbath.

22 I told the Levites who were purifying themselves and coming to guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me, God, for these things, and spare me according to the fullness of your mercy.

Foreign Marriages

23 And in those days I saw the Jews who had settled women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab, 24 and their sons spoke half in the language of Ashdod, and did not know how to speak in the Jewish language.

25 And I argued with them and cursed them, and I struck some of them, and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “If you give your daughters to their sons, and if you take any of their daughters for your sons! 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin this way? Yet there was no king like him among many nations, and he was loved by God, and God made him king over all Israel. Foreign women turned even him away. 27 We will not listen to you to do all this evil, to be faithless to our God and settle foreign women.”

28 I drove away from me one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. 29 Remember them, God, concerning their dismissal from the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood, and the Levites.

30 So I cleansed them from all foreign connection, and established divisions for the priests and the Levites, each man according to his work. 31 And the offering of the wood carriers was at appointed times, and in the times of the firstfruits. Remember me, our God, for good.