Nehemiah 10; Nehemiah 11; Acts 4:1-22

Nehemiah 10

1 Those whose seals were [on the document] were: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,

2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

9 The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

10 and their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

28 The rest of the people-the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone who is able to understand and who has separated themselves from the surrounding peoples to [obey] the law of God-

29 join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God's servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.

30 We will not give our daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples and will not take their daughters as wives for our sons.

31 When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day. We will also leave [the land] uncultivated in the seventh year and will cancel every debt.

32 We will impose [the following] commandments on ourselves: To give an eighth of an ounce of silver yearly for the service of the house of our God:

33 the bread displayed before the Lord,the daily grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbath and New Moon offerings, the appointed festivals, the holy things, the sin offerings to atone for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

34 We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral houses at the appointed times each year. They are to bring [the wood] to our God's house to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law.

35 [We will] bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord's house year by year.

36 [We will also bring] the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in our God's house.

37 We will bring [a loaf] from our first batch of dough to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our [grain] offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and oil. A tenth of our land's [produce] from our lands belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns.

38 A priest of Aaronic descent must accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites must take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.

39 For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the priests, gatekeepers, and singers serve. We will not neglect the house of our God.

Nehemiah 11

1 Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.

2 The people praised all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3 These are the heads of the province who stayed in Jerusalem (but in the villages of Judah each lived on his own property in their towns-the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants-

4 while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem): Judah's descendants: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of Perez's descendants;

5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, a descendant of the Shilonite.

6 The total number of Perez's descendants, who settled in Jerusalem, was 468 capable men.

7 These were Benjamin's descendants: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,

8 and after him Gabbai [and] Sallai: 928.

9 Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city.

10 The priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin, and

11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God's house,

12 and their relatives who did the work at the temple: 822. Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah

13 and his relatives, the leaders of families: 242. Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,

14 and their relatives, capable men: 128. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim, was their chief.

15 The Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni;

16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the leaders of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God;

17 Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving in prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his relatives; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.

18 All the Levites in the holy city: 284.

19 The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, who guarded the gates: 172.

20 The rest of Israel, the priests, and the Levites were in all the villages of Judah, each on his own inherited property.

21 The temple servants lived on Ophel; Ziha and Gishpa supervised the temple servants.

22 The leader of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the descendants of Asaph, who were singers for the service of God's house.

23 For there was a command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers' daily tasks.

24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah, was the king's agent in every matter concerning the people.

25 As for the farming settlements with their fields: Some of Judah's descendants lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, and Jekabzeel and its villages,

26 in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet,

27 Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba and its villages;

28 in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages,

29 in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, and

30 Zanoah and Adullam with their villages; in Lachish with its fields and Azekah and its villages. So they settled from Beer-sheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

31 Benjamin's descendants: from Geba, Michmash, Aija, and Bethel-and its villages,

32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of the craftsmen.

36 Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.

Acts 4:1-22

1 Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them,

2 because they were provoked that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in the person of Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3 So they seized them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening.

4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.

5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem

6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.

7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they asked the question: "By what power or in what name have you done this?"

8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders:

9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man-by what means he was healed-

10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead-by Him this man is standing here before you healthy.

11 This [Jesus] is The stone despised by you builders, who has become the cornerstone.

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved."

13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and knew that they had been with Jesus.

14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in response.

15 After they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves,

16 saying, "What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign, evident to all who live in Jerusalem, has been done through them, and we cannot deny it!

17 But so this does not spread any further among the people, let's threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again."

18 So they called for them and ordered them not to preach or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it's right in the sight of God [for us] to listen to you rather than to God, you decide;

20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them, because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done;

22 for the man was over 40 years old on whom this sign of healing had been performed.