Nehemiah 13:7-31

7and I came to Jerusalem and 1learned about the evil that Eliashib had committed for 2Tobiah, 3by preparing a 4room for him in the courtyards of the house of God. 8It was very displeasing to me, so I 5threw all of Tobiah’s household articles out of the room. 9Then I gave an order, and 6they cleansed the rooms; and I returned the utensils of the house of God there with the grain offering and the frankincense.

10I also 7discovered that 8the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so the Levites and the singers who performed the service had 9gone away, 10each to his own field. 11So I 1112reprimanded the officials and said, “13Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. 12All Judah then brought 14the 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 15they were considered reliable, and it was 16their task to distribute to their kinsmen. 1417Remember 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 18on the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, 19and they were bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So 20I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16Also people of Tyre were living 21there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17Then 22I 23reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, 24by profaning the Sabbath day? 1825Did 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 26it came about that just as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered that the doors be shut, 27and 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 28I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will 29use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22And I ordered the Levites that 30they were to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also 31remember 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 3233married women from 34Ashdod, 35Ammon, 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 36only the language of his own people. 25So 37I quarreled with them and cursed them, and 38struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and 39made 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. 2640Did Solomon the king of Israel not sin regarding these things? 41Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and 42he 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 43by acting unfaithfully against our God, by 44marrying foreign women?” 28Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, became a son-in-law of 45Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased him away from me. 2946Remember them, my God, 47because they have defiled the priesthood and the 48covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

3049So I purified them from everything foreign, and assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each in his work, 31and I arranged 50for the delivery of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. 51Remember me, my God, for good.