Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah’s Various Reforms

13On that same day, as the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the passage was found that said no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God

.H3117H7121H5612H4872H241H5971H4672H3789H5984H4125H935H6951H430H5704H57692For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing.H6923H1121H3478H3899H4325H7936H1109H7043H430H2015H7045H12933When this passage of the Law was read, all those of foreign descent were immediately excluded from the assembly.H8085H8451H914H3478H61544Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed as supervisor of the storerooms of the Temple of our God and who was also a relative of Tobiah,H6440H475H3548H5414H3957H1004H430H7138H29005had converted a large storage room and placed it at Tobiah's disposal. The room had previously been used for storing the grain offerings, the frankincense, various articles for the Temple, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil (which were prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers), as well as the offerings for the priests.H6213H1419H3957H6440H5414H4503H3828H3627H4643H1715H8492H3323H4687H3881H7891H7778H8641H35486I was not in Jerusalem at that time, for I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign

, though I later asked his permission to return.H3389H8147H7970H8141H783H4428H894H935H4428H7093H3117H7592H44287When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib's evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God.H935H3389H995H7451H475H6213H2900H6213H5393H2691H1004H4308I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room.H3415H3966H7993H1004H3627H2900H2351H39579Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God's Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense.H559H2891H3957H7725H3627H1004H430H4503H382810I also discovered that the Levites had not been given their prescribed portions of food, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields.H3045H4521H3881H5414H3881H7891H6213H4399H1272H376H770411I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, "Why has the Temple of God been neglected?" Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.H7378H5461H559H1004H430H5800H6908H5975H597712And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple storerooms.H935H3063H4643H1715H8492H3323H21413I assigned supervisors for the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites. And I appointed Hanan son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah as their assistant. These men had an excellent reputation, and it was their job to make honest distributions to their fellow Levites.H686H214H8018H3548H6659H5608H3881H6305H3027H2605H1121H2139H1121H4983H2803H539H2505H25114Remember this good deed, O my God, and do not forget all that I have faithfully done for the Temple of my God and its services.H2142H430H4229H2617H6213H1004H430H492915In those days I saw men of Judah treading out their winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in grain, loading it on donkeys, and bringing their wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. So I rebuked them for selling their produce on that day.H3117H7200H3063H1869H1660H7676H935H6194H6006H2543H3196H6025H8384H4853H935H3389H7676H3117H5749H3117H4376H671816Some men from Tyre, who lived in Jerusalem, were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise. They were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah—and in Jerusalem at that!H3427H6876H935H1709H1709H4377H4376H7676H1121H3063H338917So I confronted the nobles of Judah. "Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?" I asked.H7378H2715H3063H559H7451H1697H6213H2490H7676H311718"Wasn't it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!"H6213H1H935H430H935H7451H5892H935H3254H2740H3478H2490H767619Then I commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be shut as darkness fell every Friday evening

, not to be opened until the Sabbath ended. I sent some of my own servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day.H8179H3389H6751H6440H7676H559H1817H5462H559H6605H310H7676H5288H5975H8179H4853H935H7676H311720The merchants and tradesmen with a variety of wares camped outside Jerusalem once or twice.H7402H4376H4465H3885H2351H3389H6471H814721But I spoke sharply to them and said, "What are you doing out here, camping around the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you!" And that was the last time they came on the Sabbath.H5749H559H3885H5048H2346H8138H7971H3027H6256H935H767622Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates in order to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath. Remember this good deed also, O my God! Have compassion on me according to your great and unfailing love.H559H3881H2891H935H8104H8179H6942H7676H3117H2142H430H2347H7230H261723About the same time I realized that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.H3117H7200H3064H3427H802H796H5984H412524Furthermore, half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of some other people and could not speak the language of Judah at all.H1121H1696H2677H797H5234H1696H3066H3956H5971H597125So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land.H7378H7043H5221H582H4803H7650H430H5414H1323H1121H5375H1323H112126"Wasn't this exactly what led King Solomon of Israel into sin?" I demanded. "There was no king from any nation who could compare to him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by his foreign wives.H8010H4428H3478H2398H7227H1471H4428H157H430H430H5414H4428H3478H1571H5237H802H239827How could you even think of committing this sinful deed and acting unfaithfully toward God by marrying foreign women?"H8085H6213H1419H7451H4603H430H3427H5237H80228One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, so I banished him from my presence.H1121H3111H1121H475H1419H3548H2860H5571H2772H127229Remember them, O my God, for they have defiled the priesthood and the solemn vows of the priests and Levites.H2142H430H1352H3550H1285H3550H388130So I purged out everything foreign and assigned tasks to the priests and Levites, making certain that each knew his work.H2891H5236H5975H4931H3548H3881H376H439931I also made sure that the supply of wood for the altar and the first portions of the harvest were brought at the proper times. Remember this in my favor, O my God.H6086H7133H6256H2163H1061H2142H430H2896