Principles of Separation
1 On that daythey read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found writtenthat no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God,
2 because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, buthired Balaam against them to curse them.However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 So it was, when they had heard the Law,that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.
The Reforms of Nehemiah
4 Now before this,Eliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God,wasallied withTobiah.
5 And he had prepared for him a large room,where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil,which were commandedtobegivento the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests.
6 But during all this I was not in Jerusalem,for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king,
7 and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, inpreparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God.
8 And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room.
9 Then I commanded them tocleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
10 I also realized that the portions for the Levites hadnot been giventhem;for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back tohis field.
11 SoI contended with the rulers, and said,“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place.
12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.
13 And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to themwasHanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were consideredfaithful, and their taskwasto distribute to their brethren.
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!
15 In those days I sawpeoplein Judah treading wine presseson the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and allkindsofburdens,which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warnedthemabout the day on which they were selling provisions.
16 Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and soldthemon the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thingisthis that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day?
18 Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as itbegan to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath.Then I postedsomeof my servants at the gates,sothatno burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20 Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.
21 Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you dosoagain, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they came nomoreon the Sabbath.
22 And I commanded the Levites thatthey should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God,concerningthis also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!
23 In those days I also saw Jewswhohad married women ofAshdod, Ammon,andMoab.
24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.
25 So Icontended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made themswear by God,saying,“You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.
26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him,who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel.Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.
27 Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil,transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”
28 Andoneof the sonsof Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest,wasa son-in-law ofSanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood andthe covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I alsoassigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service,
31 andtobringingthe wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.
# Remember me, O my God, for good!