Nehemiah 13:13-23

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 ¹they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen.

14 ²Remember 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.

Sabbath Restored

15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses ³on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, ⁴and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So ⁵I admonished them on the day they sold food.

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.

17 Then ⁶I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?

18 "⁷Did 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."

19 ⁸It 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.

20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside * Jerusalem.

21 Then ⁹I 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.

22 And I commanded the Levites that ¹⁰they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers * to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also ¹¹remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.

Mixed Marriages Forbidden

23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had ¹²married women from ¹³Ashdod, ¹⁴Ammon and Moab.

Nehemiah 13:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 13

This chapter relates the reformation of various abuses crept in among the Jews by Nehemiah, who removed the Moabites and Ammonites, mixed with them, Ne 13:1-3, threw the household goods of Tobiah out of a chamber of the temple, and restored it to its former use, Ne 13:4-9, took care that the Levites had their portion given them which had been kept from them, Ne 13:10-14 prevented the profanation of the sabbath by selling goods on that day, Ne 13:15-22, and put a stop to the marrying of strange wives, which had prevailed again among them, Ne 13:23-31.

Cross References

• 1. Nehemiah 7:2
• 2. Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 13:22, 31
• 3. Exodus 20:8; Exodus 34:21; Deuteronomy 5:12-14; Jeremiah 17:22
• 4. Nehemiah 10:31; Jeremiah 17:21
• 5. Nehemiah 9:29; Nehemiah 13:21
• 6. Nehemiah 13:11, 25
• 7. Ezra 9:13; Jeremiah 17:21
• 8. Leviticus 23:32
• 9. Nehemiah 13:15
• 10. 1 Chronicles 15:12; Nehemiah 12:30
• 11. Nehemiah 13:14, 31
• 12. Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5; Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 10:30
• 13. Nehemiah 4:7
• 14. Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 13:1

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "on them to"
• [b] Lit "brothers"
• [c] Lit "in it"
• [d] Or "contended with"
• [e] Lit "and"
• [f] Lit "and commanded"
• [g] Lit "witnessed against"
• [h] Lit "send a hand against"
• [i] Lit "given dwelling to"