Parallel Bible results for "nehemiah 13"

Nehemiah 13

Common English Bible CEB

1 On that day, when the scroll from Moses was being read to the people, they found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter God's assembly.

2 This is because they hadn't met the Israelites with food and water but instead hired Balaam against them to curse them. Yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 When the people heard this law, they separated out from Israel all those of mixed descent.

4 Now before this, however, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed to be in charge of the storerooms of our God's house and who was related to Tobiah,

5 prepared a large room for Tobiah to use. This was the room where they had previously kept the grain offering, the incense, and the equipment, together with the tenth-part gifts of grain, wine, and oil. These items were for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers as well as the portions for the priests.

6 I wasn't in Jerusalem while this was happening because I had gone to Babylon's King Artaxerxes in the thirty-second year of the king. After some time, I asked the king's permission

7 and returned to Jerusalem. That was when I saw the wrong that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by preparing him a room in the courtyards of God's house.

8 I was very angry and threw all of Tobiah's household furniture out of the room.

9 Then I gave orders that the rooms be purified, and I put back the temple equipment, along with the grain offering and the incense.

10 I also found out that the Levites hadn't been given their portions, so they and the singers who did the work had gone back to their fields.

11 So I scolded the officials, asking, "Why is God's house being neglected?" I gathered them together and set them in their stations.

12 Then all Judah brought the tenth-part gifts of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses.

13 I appointed the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites to be in charge over the storehouses. I also appointed Hanan, Zaccur's son and Mattaniah's grandson, as their assistant. These men were considered trustworthy, and their task was to hand out shares to their colleagues.

14 Remember me, my God, concerning this. Don't erase my good deeds that I have done for my God's house and for its services.

15 In those days I saw people in Judah using the winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also collecting piles of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load, and then bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath. I warned them at that time against selling food.

16 In addition, people from Tyre who lived in the city were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them to the people of Judah on the Sabbath. This happened in Jerusalem itself!

17 So I scolded the officials of Judah: "What is this evil thing that you are doing?" I asked. "You are making the Sabbath impure!

18 This is just what your ancestors did, and God brought all this evil upon us and upon this city. And now you are bringing more wrath upon Israel by making the Sabbath impure!"

19 So when it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the doors should be shut. I also ordered that they shouldn't be reopened until after the Sabbath. To make sure that no load would come into the city on the Sabbath, I stationed some of my own men at the gates.

20 Once or twice the traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem.

21 But I warned them: "Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do that again, I will lay hands on you!" At that point, they stopped coming on the Sabbath.

22 I also commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy.

23 Also in those days I saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of various peoples; they couldn't speak the language of Judah.

25 So I scolded them and cursed them, and beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I also made them swear a solemn pledge in the name of God, saying, "You won't give your daughters to their sons in marriage, or take their daughters in marriage for your sons or yourselves.

26 Didn't Israel's King Solomon sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was well loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Yet foreign wives led even him into sin!

27 Should we then listen to you and do all this great evil, acting unfaithfully toward our God by marrying foreign women?"

28 Now one of the sons of Joiada son of the high priest Eliashib was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I chased him away from me.

29 Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priests and the Levites!

30 So I purified them of everything foreign and established the services of the priests and Levites with specific duties for each person.

31 I also provided for the wood offering at appointed times as well as for the early produce. Remember me, my God, for good.

The Message Bible MSG

1 Also on that same day there was a reading from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. It was found written there that no Ammonite or Moabite was permitted to enter the congregation of God,

2 because they hadn't welcomed the People of Israel with food and drink; they even hired Balaam to work against them by cursing them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 When they heard the reading of The Revelation, they excluded all foreigners from Israel.

4 Some time before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of The Temple of God. He was close to Tobiah

5 and had made available to him a large storeroom that had been used to store Grain-Offerings, incense, worship vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil for the Levites, singers, and security guards, and the offerings for the priests.

6 When this was going on I wasn't there in Jerusalem; in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had traveled back to the king. But later I asked for his permission to leave again.

7 I arrived in Jerusalem and learned of the wrong that Eliashib had done in turning over to him a room in the courts of The Temple of God.

8 I was angry, really angry, and threw everything in the room out into the street, all of Tobiah's stuff.

9 Then I ordered that they ceremonially cleanse the room. Only then did I put back the worship vessels of The Temple of God, along with the Grain-Offerings and the incense.

10 And then I learned that the Levites hadn't been given their regular food allotments. So the Levites and singers who led the services of worship had all left and gone back to their farms.

11 I called the officials on the carpet, "Why has The Temple of God been abandoned?" I got everyone back again and put them back on their jobs

12 so that all Judah was again bringing in the tithe of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms.

13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms. I made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their right-hand man. These men had a reputation for honesty and hard work. They were responsible for distributing the rations to their brothers.

14 Remember me, O my God, for this. Don't ever forget the devoted work I have done for The Temple of God and its worship.

15 During those days, while back in Judah, I also noticed that people treaded wine presses, brought in sacks of grain, and loaded up their donkeys on the Sabbath. They brought wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of stuff to sell on the Sabbath. So I spoke up and warned them about selling food on that day.

16 Tyrians living there brought in fish and whatever else, selling it to Judeans - in Jerusalem, mind you! - on the Sabbath.

17 I confronted the leaders of Judah: "What's going on here? This evil! Profaning the Sabbath!

18 Isn't this exactly what your ancestors did? And because of it didn't God bring down on us and this city all this misery? And here you are adding to it - accumulating more wrath on Jerusalem by profaning the Sabbath."

19 As the gates of Jerusalem were darkened by the shadows of the approaching Sabbath, I ordered the doors shut and not to be opened until the Sabbath was over. I placed some of my servants at the gates to make sure that nothing to be sold would get in on the Sabbath day.

20 Traders and dealers in various goods camped outside the gates once or twice.

21 But I took them to task. I said, "You have no business camping out here by the wall. If I find you here again, I'll use force to drive you off." And that did it; they didn't come back on the Sabbath.

22 Then I directed the Levites to ceremonially cleanse themselves and take over as guards at the gates to keep the sanctity of the Sabbath day. Remember me also for this, my God. Treat me with mercy according to your great and steadfast love.

23 Also in those days I saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

24 Half the children couldn't even speak the language of Judah; all they knew was the language of Ashdod or some other tongue.

25 So I took those men to task, gave them a piece of my mind, even slapped some of them and jerked them by the hair. I made them swear to God: "Don't marry your daughters to their sons; and don't let their daughters marry your sons - and don't you yourselves marry them!

26 Didn't Solomon the king of Israel sin because of women just like these? Even though there was no king quite like him, and God loved him and made him king over all Israel, foreign women were his downfall.

27 Do you call this obedience - engaging in this extensive evil, showing yourselves faithless to God by marrying foreign wives?"

28 One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I drove him out of my presence.

29 Remember them, O my God, how they defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priests and Levites.

30 All in all I cleansed them from everything foreign. I organized the orders of service for the priests and Levites so that each man knew his job.

31 I arranged for a regular supply of altar wood at the appointed times and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.