Nehemiah 13:1-9

1On that day 1they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that 2no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but 3hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, 4our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3So when they heard the law, 5they excluded 6all foreigners from Israel.

4Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, 7who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being 8related to 9Tobiah, 5had prepared a large 10room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil 11prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the 12contributions for the priests. 6But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in 13the thirty-second year of 14Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, 7and I came to Jerusalem and 15learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, 16by preparing a 17room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8It was very displeasing to me, so I 18threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9Then I gave an order and 19they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.