Neemias 13

¹ And on that day did they reade in the booke of Moses, in the audience of the people, and it was found written therein, that the Ammonite, & the Moabite should not enter into the Congregation of God,

² Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: and our God turned the curse into a blessing.

³ Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from IsraelThat is, all who had joined in unlawful marriage and also those with whom God had forbidden them to mingle with.all the mixed multitude.

⁴ And beforeThat the separation was made.this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, [was]He was united with Tobiah the Ammonite the enemy of the Jews.allied unto Tobiah:

⁵ And he had made him a great chamber and there had they aforetime layde the offringes, the incense, and the vessels, and the tithes of corne, of wine, and of oyle (appointed for the Leuites, and the singers, and the porters) and the offringes of the Priests.

⁶ But in all this [time] was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year ofCalled also Darius, (Ezr_6:1).Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:

⁷ And I came to Jerusalem, and understood ofThus we see to what inconveniences the people fall into when they are destitute of one who fears God, seeing that their chief governor was absent only for a little while and yet they fell into such great absurdities: as appears in, (Exo_32:1).the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

⁸ And it grieued me sore: therefore I cast forth all the vessels of the house of Tobiah out of the chamber.

⁹ And I commanded them to clense ye chambers: and thither brought I againe the vessels of the house of God with the meate offring and the incense.

¹⁰ And I perceiued that the portions of the Leuites had not bene giuen, and that euery one was fled to his lande, euen the Leuites and singers that executed the worke.

¹¹ Then reproued I the rulers and sayd, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I assembled them, and set them in their place.

¹² Then brought all Iudah the tithes of corne and of wine, and of oyle vnto the treasures.

¹³ And I made treasurers ouer the treasures, Shelemiah the Priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Leuites, Pedaiah, and vnder their hande Hanan the sonne of Zaccur the sonne of Mattaniah: for they were counted faithfull, and their office was to distribute vnto their brethren.

¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out myHe protests that he did his duty with a good conscience yet he does not justify himself in it, but desires God to favour him and to be merciful to him for his own goodness' sake, as in (Neh_13:22, Neh_13:31).good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.

¹⁵ In those days saw I in Judah [some] treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all [manner of] burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: andI declared to them that God would not allow such transgressors of his law to go unpunished.I testified [against them] in the day wherein they sold victuals.

¹⁶ There dwelt men of Tyrus also therein, which brought fish and all wares, and solde on the Sabbath vnto the children of Iudah euen in Ierusalem.

¹⁷ Then reprooued I the rulers of Iudah, and sayd vnto them, What euil thing is this that yee doe, and breake the Sabbath day?

¹⁸ Did not your fathersWas this not the reason God plagued us in times past: meaning, that if they transgressed now in the same way, their plague would be greater.thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

¹⁹ And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to beAbout the time that the sun went down, for the sabbath lasted from the sun setting one day, to the sun setting the next day.dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and [some] of my servants set I at the gates, [that] there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.

²⁰ So the chapmen and marchants of al marchandise remained once or twise all night without Ierusalem.

²¹ And I protested among them, and said vnto them, Why tary ye all night about the wall? If ye do it once againe, I will lay hands vpon you. from that time came they no more on the Sabbath.

²² And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and [that] they should come [and]Meaning, of the temple that none that was unclean should enter.keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, [concerning] this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

²³ In those days also saw I Jews [that] had married wives ofWhich was a city of the Philistines and they had married wives from it and so had corrupted their speech and religion.Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:

²⁴ And their children spake halfe in ye speach of Ashdod, and could not speake in the Iewes language, and according to the language of the one people, and of the other people.

²⁵ And I contended with them, andThat is, I excommunicated them and drove them out of the congregation.cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying], Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

²⁶ Did not Salomon the king of Israel sinne by these thinges? yet among many nations was there no King like him: for he was beloued of his God, and God had made him King ouer Israel: yet strange women caused him to sinne.

²⁷ Shall wee then obey vnto you, to doe all this great euil, and to transgresse against our God, euen to marry strange wiues?

²⁸ And one of the sonnes of Ioiada the sonne of Eliashib the hie Priest was the sonne in law of Sanballat the Horonite: but I chased him fro me.

²⁹ Remember them, O my God, because they havePunish them according to their sin and the evil example they have given to the rest of the people contrary to their calling.defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.

³⁰ Then cleansed I them from all strangers, and appoynted the wardes of the Priestes and of the Leuites, euery one in his office,

³¹ And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God,That is, to show mercy to me.for good.