Nehemiah 9; Nehemiah 10; Nehemiah 11

1 And in the four and twentieth day of the month the children of Israel came together with fasting and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.

2 And the seed of the children of Israel separated themselves from every stranger: and they stood, and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

3 And they rose up to stand: and they read in the book of the law of the Lord their God, four times in the day, and four times they confessed, and adored the Lord their God.

4 And there stood up upon the step of the Levites, Josue, and Bani, and Cedmihel, Sabania, Bonni, Sarebias, Bani, and Chanani: and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

5 And the Levites Josue and Cedmihel, Bonni, Hasebnia, Serebia, Oduia, Sebnia, and Phathahia, said: Arise, bless the Lord your God from eternity to eternity: and blessed be the high name of thy glory with all blessing and praise.

6 Thou thyself, O Lord alone, thou hast made heaven, and the heaven of heavens, and all the host thereof: the earth and all things that are in it: the seas and all that are therein: and thou givest life to all these things, and the host of heaven adoreth thee.

7 Thou O Lord God, art he who chosest Abram, and broughtest him forth out of the fire of the Chaldeans, and gavest him the name of Abraham.

8 And thou didst find his heart faithful before thee: and thou madest a covenant with him, to give him the land of the Chanaanite, of the Hethite, and of the Amorrhite, and of the Pherezite, and of the Jebusite, and of the Gergezite, to give it to his seed: and thou hast fulfilled thy words, because thou art just.

9 And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt: and thou didst hear their cry by the Red Sea.

10 And thou shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharao, and upon all his servants, and upon the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them: and thou madest thyself a name, as it is at this day.

11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, and they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land: but their persecutors thou threwest into the depth, as a stone into mighty waters.

12 And in a pillar of a cloud thou wast their leader by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, that they might see the way by which they went.

13 Thou camest down also to mount Sinai, and didst speak with them from heaven, and thou gavest them right judgments, and the law of truth, ceremonies, and good precepts.

14 Thou madest known to them thy holy sabbath, and didst prescribe to them commandments, and ceremonies, and the law by the hand of Moses thy servant.

15 And thou gavest them bread from heaven in their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock in their thirst, and thou saidst to them that they should go in, and possess the land, upon which thou hadst lifted up thy hand to give it them.

16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks and hearkened not to thy commandments.

17 And they would not hear, and they remembered not thy wonders which thou hadst done for them. And they hardened their necks, and gave the head to return to their bondage, as it were by contention. But thou, a forgiving God, gracious, and merciful, longsuffering, and full of compassion, didst not forsake them.

18 Yea when they had made also to themselves a molten calf, and had said: This is thy God, that brought thee out of Egypt: and had committed great blasphemies:

19 Yet thou, in thy many mercies, didst not leave them in the desert: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way, and the pillar of fire by night to shew them the way by which they should go.

20 And thou gavest them thy good Spirit to teach them, and thy manna thou didst not withhold from their mouth, and thou gavest them water for their thirst.

21 Forty years didst thou feed them in the desert, and nothing was wanting to them: their garments did not grow old, and their feet were not worn.

22 And thou gavest them kingdoms, and nations, and didst divide lots for them: and they possessed the land of Sehon, and the land of the king of Hesebon, and the land of Og king of Basan.

23 And thou didst multiply their children as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them to the land concerning which thou hadst said to their fathers, that they should go in and possess it.

24 And the children came and possessed the land, and thou didst humble before them the inhabitants of the land, the Chanaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as it pleased them.

25 And they took strong cities and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods: cisterns made by others, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: and they ate, and were filled, and became fat, and abounded with delight in thy great goodness.

26 But they provoked thee to wrath, and departed from thee, and threw thy law behind their backs: and they killed thy prophets, who admonished them earnestly to return to thee: and they were guilty of great blasphemies.

27 And thou gavest them into the hands of their enemies, and they afflicted them. And in the time of their tribulation they cried to thee, and thou heardest from heaven, and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies thou gavest them saviours, to save them from the hands of their enemies.

28 But after they had rest, they returned to do evil in thy sight: and thou leftest them in the hand of their enemies, and they had dominion over them. Then they returned, and cried to thee: and thou heardest from heaven, and deliveredst them many times in thy mercies.

29 And thou didst admonish them to return to thy law. But they dealt proudly, and hearkened not to thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them: and they withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

30 And thou didst forbear with them for many years, and didst testify against them by thy spirit by the hand of thy prophets: and they heard not, and thou didst deliver them into the hand of the people of the lands.

31 Yet in thy very many mercies thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them: because thou art a merciful and gracious God.

32 Now therefore our God, great, strong, and terrible, who keepest covenant and mercy, turn not away from thy face all the labour which hath come upon us, upon our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all the people from the days of the king of Assur, until this day.

33 And thou art just in all things that have come upon us: because thou hast done truth, but we have done wickedly.

34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept thy law, and have not minded thy commandments, and thy testimonies which thou hast testified among them.

35 And they have not served thee in their kingdoms, and in thy manifold goodness, which thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land, which thou deliveredst before them, nor did they return from their most wicked devices.

36 Behold we ourselves this day are bondmen: and the land, which thou gavest our fathers, to eat the bread thereof, and the good things thereof, and we ourselves are servants in it.

37 And the fruits thereof grow up for the kings, whom thou hast set over us for our sins, and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our beasts, according to their will, and we are in great tribulation.

38 And because of all this we ourselves make a covenant, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests sign it.

1 And the subscribers were Nehemias, Athersatha the son of Hachelai, and Sedecias,

2 Saraias, Azarias, Jeremias,

3 Pheshur, Amarias, Melchias,

4 Hattus, Sebenia, Melluch,

5 Harem, Merimuth, Obdias,

6 Daniel, Genthon, Baruch,

7 Mosollam, Abia, Miamin,

8 Maazia, Belgia, Semeia: these were priests.

9 And the Levites, Josue the son of Azanias, Bennui of the sons of Henadad, Cedmihel,

10 And their brethren, Sebenia, Oduia, Celita, Phalaia, Hanan,

11 Micha, Rohob, Hasebia,

12 Zachur, Serebia, Sabania,

13 Odaia, Bani, Baninu.

14 The heads of the people, Pharos, Phahath Moab, Elam, Zethu, Bani,

15 Bonni, Azgad, Bebai,

16 Adonia, Begoai, Adin,

17 Ater, Hezecia, Azur,

18 Odaia, Hasum, Besai,

19 Hareph, Anathoth, Nebai,

20 Megphias, Mosollam, Hazir,

21 Mesizabel, Sadoc, Jeddua,

22 Pheltia, Hanan, Anaia,

23 Osee, Hanania, Hasub,

24 Alohes, Phalea, Sobec,

25 Rehum, Hasebna, Maasia,

26 Echaia, Hanan, Anan,

27 Melluch, Haran, Baana:

28 And the rest of the people, priests, Levites, porters, and singing men, Nathinites, and all that had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters.

29 All that could understand, promising for their brethren, with their chief men, and they came to promise, and swear that they would walk in the law of God, which he gave in the hand of Moses the servant of God, that they would do and keep all the commandments of the Lord our God, and his judgments and his ceremonies.

30 And that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons.

31 And if the people of the land bring in things to sell, or any things for use, to sell them on the sabbath day, that we would not buy them on the sabbath, or on the holy day. And that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every hand.

32 And we made ordinances for ourselves, to give the third part of a sicle every year for the work of the house of our God,

33 For the loaves of proposition, and for the continual sacrifice, and for a continual holocaust on the sabbaths, on the new moons, on the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offering: that atonement might be made for Israel, and for every use of the house of our God.

34 And we cast lots among the priests, and the Levites, and the people for the offering of wood, that it might be brought into the house of our God by the houses of our fathers at set times, from year to year: to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law of Moses:

35 And that we would bring the firstfruits of our land, and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, from year to year, in the house of our Lord.

36 And the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our oxen, and of our sheep, to be offered in the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.

37 And that we would bring the firstfruits of our meats, and of our libations, and the fruit of every tree, of the vintage also and of oil to the priests, to the storehouse of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites. The Levites also shall receive the tithes of our works out of all the cities.

38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites in the tithes of the Levites, and the Levites shall offer the tithe of their tithes in the house of our God, to the storeroom into the treasure house.

39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall carry to the treasury the firstfruits of corn, of wine, and of oil: and the sanctified vessels shall be there, and the priests, and the singing men, and the porters, and ministers, and we will not forsake the house of our God.

1 And the princes of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: but the rest of the people cast lots, to take one part in ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the other cities.

2 And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.

3 These therefore are the chief men of the province, who dwelt in Jerusalem, and in the cities of Juda. And every one dwelt in his possession, in their cities: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Nathinites, and the children of the servants of Solomon.

4 And in Jerusalem there dwelt some of the children of Juda, and some of the children of Benjamin: of the children of Juda, Athaias the son of Aziam, the son of Zacharias, the son of Amarias, the son of Saphatias, the son of Malaleel: of the sons of Phares,

5 Maasia the son of Baruch, the son of Cholhoza, the son of Hazia, the son of Adaia, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zacharias, the son of the Silonite:

6 All these the sons of Phares, who dwelt in Jerusalem, were four hundred sixty-eight valiant men.

7 And these are the children of Benjamin: Sellum the son of Mosollam, the son of Joed, the son of Phadaia, the son of Colaia, the son of Masia, the son of Etheel, the son of Isaia.

8 And after him Gebbai, Sellai, nine hundred twenty-eight.

9 And Joel the son of Zechri their ruler, and Judas the son of Senua was second over the city.

10 And of the priests Idaia the son of Joarib, Jachin,

11 Saraia the son of Helcias, the son of Mosollam, the son of Sadoc, the son of Meraioth, the son of Achitob the prince of the house of God,

12 And their brethren that do the works of the temple: eight hundred twenty-two. And Adaia the son of Jeroham, the son of Phelelia, the son of Amsi, the son of Zacharias, the son of Pheshur, the son of Melchias,

13 And his brethren the chiefs of the fathers: two hundred forty-two. And Amassai the son of Azreel, the son of Ahazi, the son of Mosollamoth, the son of Emmer,

14 And their brethren who were very mighty, a hundred twenty-eight: and their ruler Zabdiel son of the mighty.

15 And of the Levites Semeia the son of Hasub, the son of Azaricam, the son of Hasabia, the son of Boni,

16 And Sabathai and Jozabed, who were over all the outward business of the house of God, of the princes of the Levites,

17 And Mathania the son of Micha, the son of Zebedei, the son of Asaph, was the principal man to praise, and to give glory in prayer, and Becbecia, the second, one of his brethren, and Abda the son of Samua, the son of Galal, the son of Idithun.

18 All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred eighty-four.

19 And the porters, Accub, Telmon, and their brethren, who kept the doors: a hundred seventy-two.

20 And the rest of Israel, the priests and the Levites were in all the cities of Juda, every man in his possession.

21 And the Nathinites, that dwelt in Ophel, and Siaha, and Gaspha of the Nathinites.

22 And the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem, was Azzi the son of Bani, the son of Hasabia, the son of Mathania, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, were the singing men in the ministry of the house of God.

23 For the king’s commandment was concerning them, and an order among the singing men day by day.

24 And Phathahia the son of Mesezebel of the children of Zara the son of Juda was at the hand of the king, in all matters concerning the people,

25 And in the houses through all their countries. Of the children of Juda some dwelt at Cariath-Arbe, and in the villages thereof: and at Dibon, and in the villages thereof: and at Cabseel, and in the villages thereof.

26 And at Jesue, and at Molada, and at Bethphaleth,

27 And at Hasersuel, and at Bersabee, and in the villages thereof,

28 And at Siceleg, and at Mochona, and in the villages thereof,

29 And at Remmon, and at Saraa, and at Jerimuth,

30 Zanoa, Odollam, and in their villages, at Lachis and its dependencies, and at Azeca and the villages thereof. And they dwelt from Bersabee unto the valley of Ennom.

31 And the children of Benjamin, from Geba, at Mechmas, and at Hai, and at Bethel, and in the villages thereof,

32 At Anathoth, Nob, Anania,

33 Asor, Rama, Gethaim,

34 Hadid, Seboim, and Neballat, Lod,

35 And Ono the valley of craftsmen.

36 And of the Levites were portions of Juda and Benjamin.