Neh 13 | NASB2020 | STEP | On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud as the people listened ; and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to enter the assembly of God ,

Nehemiah 13

Foreigners Excluded

1 On that day the Book of Moses was ^aread aloud ^{▼▼Lit in the ears of the people}as the people listened; and there was found written in it that ^cno Ammonite or Moabite was ever to enter the assembly of God, 2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but ^dhired Balaam against them to curse them. However, ^eour God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 So when they heard the Law, ^fthey excluded ^gall foreigners from Israel.

Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed

4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, ^hwho was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being ^{▼▼Lit close to}related to ^jTobiah, 5 had prepared a large ^{▼▼Or chamber}room for him, where previously they used to put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil ^lprescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the ^{▼▼Or uplifted offerings}contributions for the priests. 6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in ⁿthe thirty-second year of ^oArtaxerxes king of Babylon I had come to the king. After some time, however, I requested a leave of absence from the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem and ^{▼▼Or understood}learned about the evil that Eliashib had committed for ^{▼▼An Ammonite, banned from the temple}Tobiah, ^rby preparing a ^{▼▼Or chamber, and so in vv 8, 9}room for him in the courtyards of the house of God. 8 It was very displeasing to me, so I ^tthrew all of Tobiah’s household articles out of the room. 9 Then I gave an order, and ^uthey cleansed the rooms; and I returned the utensils of the house of God there with the grain offering and the frankincense.

Tithes Restored

10 I also ^{▼▼Or knew}discovered that ^wthe portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so the Levites and the singers who performed the service had ^{▼▼Lit fled}gone away, ^yeach to his own field. 11 So I ^{▼▼Or contended with
,} ^aareprimanded the officials and said, “ ^abWhy has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. 12 All Judah then brought ^acthe tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 To 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 ^adthey were considered reliable, and it was ^{▼▼Lit on them to}their task to distribute to their kinsmen. 14 ^afRemember 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.

Sabbath Restored

15 In those days I saw in Judah people who were treading wine presses ^agon the Sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, ^ahand they were bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So ^aiI admonished them on the day they sold food. 16 Also people of Tyre were living ^{▼▼Lit in it}there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17 Then ^akI ^{▼▼Or contended with}reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, ^{▼▼Lit and}by profaning the Sabbath day? 18 ^anDid 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.”

19 And ^aoit came about that just as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered that the doors be shut, ^{▼▼Lit and commanded}and 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. 20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then ^aqI warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will ^{▼▼Lit send a hand against}use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 And I ordered the Levites that ^asthey were to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day. For this also ^atremember me, my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your mercy.

Mixed Marriages Forbidden

23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had ^{▼▼Lit given dwelling to
,} ^avmarried women from ^awAshdod, ^axAmmon, and Moab. 24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them knew how to speak the language of Judah, but ^{▼▼Lit according to the tongue of people and people}only the language of his own people. 25 So ^azI quarreled with them and cursed them, and ^bastruck some of them and pulled out their hair, and ^bbmade 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. 26 ^bcDid Solomon the king of Israel not sin regarding these things? ^bdYet among the many nations there was no king like him, and ^behe was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27 Has it not then been reported about you that you have committed all this great evil ^bfby acting unfaithfully against our God, by ^{▼▼Lit giving dwelling to}marrying foreign women?” 28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, became a son-in-law of ^bhSanballat the Horonite, so I chased him away from me. 29 ^biRemember them, my God, ^{▼▼Lit for the defilements of}because they have defiled the priesthood and the ^bkcovenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 ^blSo I purified them from everything foreign, and assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each in his work, 31 and I arranged ^bmfor the delivery of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. ^bnRemember me, my God, for good.