Neh 13:15-31 | ESV | STEP | In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath , and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys , and also wine , grapes , figs , and all kinds of loads , which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day . And I warned them on the day when they sold food .

p[See ver. 17 above]

q Ezra 10:5; [ch. 10:29, 30]

rSee 1 Kgs. 11:1-8

s 1 Kgs. 3:13; 2 Chr. 1:12

t[2 Sam. 12:24]

u Ezra 10:2

v ch. 12:10, 11, 22

w ver. 4, 7; ch. 3:1; 13:4, 7

x ch. 2:10, 19

ad ver. 14, 22

Nehemiah 13:15-31

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses ^aon the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, ^bwhich they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And ^cI warned them on the day when they sold food. 16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! 17 ^dThen I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, ^eprofaning the Sabbath day? 18 ^fDid not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster ^{▼▼The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context} on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 As soon as it ^hbegan to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 ⁱBut I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites ^jthat they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. ^kRemember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

23 In those days also I saw the Jews ^lwho had married women ^mof Ashdod, ⁿAmmon, and ^oMoab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 ^pAnd I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. ^qAnd I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 ^rDid not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? ^sAmong the many nations there was no king like him, and he was ^tbeloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and ^uact treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

28 And one of the sons of ^vJehoiada, the son of ^wEliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of ^xSanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me. 29 ^yRemember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood ^zand the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 ^aaThus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided ^abfor the wood offering ^acat appointed times, and for the firstfruits.

^adRemember me, O my God, for good.