1
On that
day they
read aloud from the
book of
Moses in the
hearing of the
people; and there was
found written in it that
no Ammonite or
Moabite should
ever enter the
assembly of
God,
~'['h yen.z'a.B h,v{m r,pes.B a'r.qin a.Wh;h ~w{Y;B ? yin{M;[ aw{b'y -a{l r,v]a w{B b.Wt'K a'c.min.w ? ~'lw{[ -d;[ ~yih{l/a'h l;h.qiB yib'a{m.W
2
because they did not
meet the
sons of
Israel with
bread and
water, but
hired Balaam against them to
curse them. However, our
God turned the
curse into a
blessing.
~Iy'M;b.W ~,x,L;B lea'r.fIy yen.B -t,a .Wm.Diq a{l yiK ? .${p]h;Y;w w{l.l;q.l ~'[.liB -t,a wy'l'[ r{K.fiY;w ? h'k'r.bil h'l'l.Q;h .Wnyeh{l/a
3
So when they
heard the
law, they
excluded all foreigners from
Israel.
b,re[ -l'k .WlyiD.b;Y;w h'rw{T;h -t,a ~'[.m'v.K yih.y;w ? lea'r.fiYim
4
Now
prior to
this,
Eliashib the
priest, who was
appointed over the
chambers of the
house of our
God, being
related to
Tobiah,
t;K.vil.B !.Wt'n !eh{K;h byiv'y.l,a h,Zim yen.pil.w ? h'Yibw{j.l bw{r'q .Wnyeh{l/a -tyeB
5
had
prepared a
large room for him,
where formerly they
put the grain
offerings, the
frankincense, the
utensils and the
tithes of
grain,
wine and
oil prescribed for the
Levites, the
singers and the
gatekeepers, and the
contributions for the
priests.
~yin'p.l .Wy'h ~'v.w h'lw{d.g h'K.vil w{l f;[;Y;w ? r;f.[;m.W ~yileK;h.w h'nw{b.L;h h'x.niM;h -t,a ~yin.t{n ? ~yir.r{v.m;h.w ~iYiw.l;h t;w.cim r'h.ciY;h.w vw{ryiT;h !'g'D;h ? ~yin]h{K;h t;m.Wr.t.W ~yir][{V;h.w
6
But during
all this time I was not in
Jerusalem, for in the
thirty-second * year of
Artaxerxes king of
Babylon I had
gone to the
king.
After some
time, however, I
asked leave from the
king,
t;n.viB yiK ~i'l'v.WryiB yityIy'h a{l h,z -l'k.b.W ? l,b'B -.k,l,m ]a.T.s;v.x;T.r;a.l ~Iy;T.v.W ~yiv{l.v ? yiT.l;a.vin ~yim'y #eq.l.W .$,l,M;h -l,a yita'B ? .$,l,M;h -nim
7
and I
came to
Jerusalem and
learned about the
evil that
Eliashib had
done for
Tobiah, by
preparing a
room for him in the
courts of the
house of
God.
h'f'[ r,v]a h'['r'b h'nyib'a'w ~i'l'v.Wryil aw{b'a'w ? yer.c;x.B h'K.vin w{l tw{f][;l h'Yibw{j.l byiv'y.l,a ? ~yih{l/a'h tyeB
8
It was
very displeasing to me, so I
threw all of
Tobiah's household goods out of the
room.
yel.K -l'K -t,a h'kyil.v;a'w d{a.m yil [;reY;w ? h'K.viL;h -nim #.Wx;h h'Yibw{j -tyeb
9
Then I
gave an
order and they
cleansed the
rooms; and I
returned there the
utensils of the
house of
God with the grain
offerings and the
frankincense.
yel.K ~'V h'byiv'a'w tw{k'v.L;h .Wr]h;j.y;w h'r.m{a'w ? h'nw{b.L;h.w h'x.niM;h -t,a ~yih{l/a'h tyeB
10
I also
discovered that the
portions of the
Levites had not been
given them, so that the
Levites and the
singers who
performed the
service had
gone away,
each to his own
field.
.Wx.r.biY;w h'n'Tin a{l ~iYiw.l;h ]tw{y'n.m -yiK h'[.dea'w ? h'ka'l.M;h yef{[ ~yir.r{v.m;h.w ~iYiw.l;h .Whed'f.l -vyia
11
So I
reprimanded the
officials and
said,
"Why is the
house of
God forsaken?" Then I
gathered them together and
restored them to their
posts.
b;z/[,n ;[.WD;m h'r.m{a'w ~yin'g.S;h -t,a h'byir'a'w ? ~'d.m'[ -l;[ ~edim][;a'w ]mec.B.q,a'w ~yih{l/a'h -tyeB
12
All Judah then
brought the
tithe of the
grain,
wine and
oil into the
storehouses.
vw{ryiT;h.w !'g'D;h r;f.[;m .Wayibeh h'd.Wh.y -l'k.w ? tw{r'cw{a'l r'h.ciY;h.w
13
In
charge of the
storehouses I
appointed Shelemiah the
priest,
Zadok the
scribe, and
Pedaiah of the
Levites, and in
addition * to them was
Hanan the
son of
Zaccur, the
son of
Mattaniah; for they were
considered reliable, and it was their
task to
distribute to their
kinsmen.
qw{d'c.w !eh{K;h h'y.m,l,v tw{r'cw{a -l;[ h'r.cw{a'w ? ~'d'y -l;[.w ~iYiw.l;h -nim h'y'd.p.W repw{S;h ? ~yin'm/a,n yiK h'y.n;T;m -n,B r.WK;z -n,B !'n'x ? ~,hyex]a;l q{l]x;l ~,hyel][;w .Wb'v.x,n
14
Remember me for
this, O my
God, and do not
blot out my
loyal deeds which I have
performed for the
house of my
God and its
services.
x;m,T -l;a.w ta{z -l;[ y;h{l/a yiL -h'r.k'z ? wy'r'm.vim.b.W y;h{l/a tyeb.B yityif'[ r,v]a y;d's]x
15
In
those days I
saw in
Judah some who were
treading wine presses on the
sabbath, and
bringing in
sacks of
grain and
loading them on
donkeys, as
well as
wine,
grapes,
figs and
all kinds of
loads, and they
brought them into
Jerusalem on the
sabbath day. So I
admonished them on the
day they
sold food.
]tw{TiG -myik.r{D h'd.Whyib yityia'r h'Meh'h ~yim'Y;B ? ~yir{m]x;h -l;[ ~yis.m{[.w tw{mer]['h ~yiayib.m.W t'B;V;B ? a'F;m -l'k.w ~yinea.t.W ~yib'n][ !Iy;y -p;a.w ? dyi['a'w t'B;V;h ~w{y.B ~i;l'v.Wr.y ~yiayib.m.W ? dIy'c ~'r.kim ~w{y.B
16
Also
men of
Tyre were
living there who
imported fish and
all kinds of
merchandise, and
sold them to the
sons of
Judah on the
sabbath, even in
Jerusalem.
r,k,m -l'k.w ga'D ~yiayib.m H'b .Wb.v'y ~yir{C;h.w ? ~i'l'v.Wryib.W h'd.Wh.y yen.bil t'B;V;B ~yir.k{m.W
17
Then I
reprimanded the
nobles of
Judah and
said to them,
"What is
this evil thing you are
doing, by
profaning the
sabbath day?
r'b'D;h -h'm ~,h'l h'r.m{a'w h'd.Wh.y yer{x tea h'byir'a'w ? ~w{y -t,a ~yil.L;x.m.W ~yif{[ ~,T;a r,v]a h,Z;h ['r'h ? t'B;V;h
18
"Did not your
fathers do the
same, so that our
God brought on us and on
this city all this trouble? Yet you are
adding to the
wrath on
Israel by
profaning the
sabbath."
.Wnyeh{l/a aeb'Y;w ~,kyet{b]a .Wf'[ h{k aw{l]h ? ryi['h l;[.w ta{Z;h h'['r'h -l'K tea .Wnyel'[ ? lea'r.fIy -l;[ !w{r'x ~yipyisw{m ~,T;a.w ta{Z;h ? t'B;V;h -t,a leL;x.l
19
It
came about that
just as it
grew dark at the
gates of
Jerusalem before the
sabbath, I
commanded that the
doors should be
shut and that they should not
open them
until after the
sabbath. Then I
stationed some of my
servants at the
gates so that
no load would
enter on the
sabbath day.
yen.pil ~i;l'v.Wr.y yer][;v .Wl]l'c r,v]a;K yih.y;w ? h'r.m{a'w tw{t'l.D;h .Wr.g'SiY;w h'r.m{a'w t'B;V;h ? y;r'[.Nim.W t'B;V;h r;x;a d;[ ~.Wx'T.pIy a{l r,v]a ? a'F;m aw{b'y -a{l ~yir'[.V;h -l;[ yiT.d;m/[,h ? t'B;V;h ~w{y.B
20
Once or
twice the
traders and
merchants of
every kind of
merchandise spent the
night outside * Jerusalem.
#.Wxim r'K.mim -l'k yer.k{m.W ~yil.k{r'h .Wnyil'Y;w ? ~Iy'T.v.W ~;[;P ~i'l'v.Wryil
21
Then I
warned them and
said to them,
"Why do you
spend the
night in
front of the
wall?
If you
do so
again, I will
use force against you." From that
time on they did not
come on the
sabbath.
~,T;a ;[.WD;m ~,hyel]a h'r.m{a'w ~,h'b h'dyi['a'w ? x;l.v,a d'y .Wn.viT -mia h'mw{x;h d,g,n ~yinel ? t'B;V;B .Wa'b -a{l ayih;h te['h -nim ~,k'B
22
And I
commanded the
Levites that they should
purify themselves and
come as
gatekeepers * to
sanctify the
sabbath day. For
this also remember me, O my
God, and
have compassion on me according to the
greatness of Your
lovingkindness.
~yia'b.W ~yir]h;Jim .Wy.hIy r,v]a ~iYiw.l;l h'r.m{a'w ? t'B;V;h ~w{y -t,a veD;q.l ~yir'[.V;h ~yir.m{v ? y;l'[ h's.Wx.w y;h{l/a yiL -h'r.k'z ta{z -m;G ? '$,D.s;x b{r.K
23
In
those days I
also saw that the
Jews had
married women from
Ashdod,
Ammon and
Moab.
~yid.Wh.Y;h -t,a yityia'r ~eh'h ~yim'Y;B ~;G ? tw{Yib]aw{m tw{Yinw{M;[ tw{Yidw{D.v;a ~yiv'n .Wbyiv{h
24
As for their
children,
half spoke in the
language of
Ashdod, and
none of them was
able to
speak the
language of
Judah, but the
language of his
own people.
~yiryiK;m ~'nyea.w tyidw{D.v;a reB;d.m yic]x ~,hyen.b.W ? ~'['w ~;[ !w{v.lik.w tyid.Wh.y reB;d.l
25
So I
contended with them and
cursed them and
struck some of them and
pulled out their
hair, and made them
swear by
God, "You shall not
give your
daughters to their
sons,
nor take of their
daughters for your
sons or for yourselves.
~yiv'n]a ~,hem h,K;a'w ~el.l;q]a'w ~'Mi[ byir'a'w ? .Wn.TiT -mia ~yih{laeB ~e[yiB.v;a'w ~ej.r.m,a'w ? ~,hyet{n.Bim .Wa.fiT -mia.w ~,hyen.bil ~,kyet{n.b ? ~,k'l.w ~,kyen.bil
26
"Did not
Solomon king of
Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the
many nations there was
no king like him, and he was
loved by his
God, and
God made him
king over all Israel;
nevertheless the
foreign women caused
even him to
sin.
lea'r.fIy .$,l,m h{m{l.v -a'j'x h,Lea -l;[ aw{l]h ? b.Wh'a.w .Wh{m'K .$,l,m h'y'h -a{l ~yiB;r'h ~Iyw{G;b.W ? -l'K -l;[ .$,l,m ~yih{l/a .When.TiY;w h'y'h wy'h{lael ? tw{Yir.k'N;h ~yiv'N;h .Wayij/x,h w{tw{a -m;G lea'r.fIy
27
"Do we then
hear about you that you have
committed all this great evil by
acting unfaithfully against our
God by
marrying foreign women?"
h'lw{d.G;h h'['r'h -l'K tea t{f][;l [;m.vin]h ~,k'l.w ? tw{Yir.k'n ~yiv'n byiv{h.l .Wnyeh{laeB l{[.mil ta{Z;h
28
Even one of the
sons of
Joiada, the
son of
Eliashib the
high priest, was a
son-in-law of
Sanballat the
Horonite, so I
drove him
away from me.
lw{d'G;h !eh{K;h byiv'y.l,a -n,B ['d'yw{y yen.Bim.W ? y'l'[em .Whexyir.b;a'w yin{r{x;h j;L;b.n;s.l !'t'x
29
Remember them, O my
God,
because they have
defiled the
priesthood and the
covenant of the
priesthood and the
Levites.
tyir.b.W h'NUh.K;h yel\a'G l;[ y'h{l/a ~,h'l h'r.k'z ? ~iYiw.l;h.w h'NUh.K;h
30
Thus I
purified them from
everything foreign and
appointed duties for the
priests and the
Levites,
each in his
task,
tw{r'm.vim h'dyim][;a'w r'ken -l'Kim ~yiT.r;hij.w ? w{T.ka;l.miB vyia ~iYiw.l;l.w ~yin]h{K;l
31
and I arranged for the
supply of
wood at
appointed times and for the
first fruits.
Remember me, O my
God, for
good.
]myir.WKiB;l.w tw{n'MUz.m ~yiTi[.B ~yice['h !;B.rUq.l.W ? h'bw{j.l y;h{l/a yiL -h'r.k'z