18
Did not your fathers thus, and our God brought upon them and upon us and upon this city all these evils? and do ye bring additional wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath?
19
And it came to pass, when the gates were set up in Jerusalem, before the sabbath, that I spoke, and they shut the gates; and I gave orders that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and I set of my servants at the gates, that none should bring burdens on the sabbath-day.
20
So all lodged, and carried on traffic without Jerusalem once or twice.
21
Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why do ye lodge in front of the wall? if ye do so again, I will stretch out my hand upon you. From that time they came not on the sabbath.
22
and I told the Levites who were purifying themselves, and came and kept the gates, that they should sanctify the sabbath-day. Remember me, O God, for these things, and spare me according to the abundance of thy mercy.
23
And in those days I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, of Moab:
24
and their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod, and did not know how to speak in the Jewish language.
25
And I strove with them and cursed them; and I smote some of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, and ye shall not take of their daughters to your sons.
26
Did not Solomon king of Israel sin thus? though there was no king like him among many nations, and he was beloved of God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet strange women turned him aside.
27
So we will not hearken to you to do all this evil, to break covenant with our God, —to marry strange wives.
28
and Elisub the high priest, of the sons of Joada, son-in-law of Sanaballat the Uranite, I chased him away from me.