Nehemiah 13:4-31

4Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, 1who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being 2related to 3Tobiah, 5had prepared a large 4room for him, where previously they used to put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil 5prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the 6contributions for the priests. 6But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in 7the thirty-second year of 8Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had come to the king. After some time, however, I requested a leave of absence from the king, 7and I came to Jerusalem and 9learned about the evil that Eliashib had committed for 10Tobiah, 11by preparing a 12room for him in the courtyards of the house of God. 8It was very displeasing to me, so I 13threw all of Tobiah’s household articles out of the room. 9Then I gave an order, and 14they cleansed the rooms; and I returned the utensils of the house of God there with the grain offering and the frankincense.

10I also 15discovered that 16the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so the Levites and the singers who performed the service had 17gone away, 18each to his own field. 11So I 1920reprimanded the officials and said, “21Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. 12All Judah then brought 22the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13To be in charge of the storehouses, I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for 23they were considered reliable, and it was 24their task to distribute to their kinsmen. 1425Remember me for this, my God, and do not wipe out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

15In those days I saw in Judah people who were treading wine presses 26on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, 27and they were bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So 28I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16Also people of Tyre were living 29there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17Then 30I 31reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, 32by profaning the Sabbath day? 1833Did your fathers not do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19And 34it came about that just as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered that the doors be shut, 35and that they were not to open them until after the Sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the Sabbath day. 20Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21Then 36I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will 37use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22And I ordered the Levites that 38they were to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also 39remember me, my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your mercy.

23In those days I also saw that the Jews had 4041married women from 42Ashdod, 43Ammon, and Moab. 24As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them knew how to speak the language of Judah, but 44only the language of his own people. 25So 45I quarreled with them and cursed them, and 46struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and 47made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 2648Did Solomon the king of Israel not sin regarding these things? 49Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and 50he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27Has it not then been reported about you that you have committed all this great evil 51by acting unfaithfully against our God, by 52marrying foreign women?” 28Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, became a son-in-law of 53Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased him away from me. 2954Remember them, my God, 55because they have defiled the priesthood and the 56covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

3057So I purified them from everything foreign, and assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each in his work, 31and I arranged 58for the delivery of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. 59Remember me, my God, for good.