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

1 The following people sealed the agreement: Governor Nehemiah (son of Hacaliah), Zedekiah,

2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchiah,

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 These were the Levites: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (of the sons of Henadad), Kadmiel,

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

11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 These were the leaders of the people: 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, and Baanah.

28 The rest of the people took an oath. These people included the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the inhabitants of the land for the sake of God's Teachings. Their wives, sons, daughters, and everyone who is capable of understanding also took an oath.

29 They joined their relatives, the nobles, in binding themselves with a curse and an oath to follow God's teachings given by Moses, God's servant. They also bound themselves to follow all the commandments, rules, and regulations of the LORD our Lord.

30 We will not allow our daughters to marry the inhabitants of the land or allow their daughters to marry our sons.

31 If the inhabitants of the land bring merchandise or grain to sell on the day of worship, we won't buy anything from them on the day of worship or any other holy day. During the seventh year, we won't plant the fields or collect any debts.

32 Also, we take upon ourselves the obligation to give an eighth of an ounce of silver every year for worship in our God's temple:

33 for rows of the bread of the presence, and for the daily grain offerings and daily burnt offerings, on the weekly days of worship, and on the New Moon Festivals, and at the appointed annual festivals, for the holy gifts and offerings for sin that make peace with God for Israel, and for all the other work in the temple of our God.

34 We priests, Levites, and laypeople have drawn lots to decide the order in which the heads of our families should bring wood to our God's temple to burn on the altar of the LORD our God at appointed times every year according to the directions in the Teachings.

35 We have drawn lots to decide who should bring the first produce harvested and the first fruit from every tree each year to the LORD's temple.

36 Following the directions in the Teachings, we have drawn lots to decide who should bring the firstborn of our sons, our cattle, and our flocks to the priests serving in our God's temple.

37 Also, we have drawn lots to decide who should bring the best of our coarse flour, contributions, fruit from every tree, new wine, and olive oil to the priests, to the storerooms. We will bring for the Levites one-tenth of the produce from our fields, because the Levites are the ones who collect one-tenth of the produce from all our farm communities.

38 A priest--one of Aaron's descendants--should be with the Levites when they collect the tenth. Then the Levites should bring one-tenth of these tenths to our God's temple, into the rooms of the storehouses there.

39 The Israelites and the Levites should bring into the storerooms their contributions of grain, new wine, and olive oil. They should bring these products to the place where the utensils of the holy place are and where the priests who serve and the gatekeepers and the singers are. We won't neglect our God's temple.

1 The leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people drew lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city. The remaining nine-tenths were supposed to live in the other cities.

2 The people blessed everyone who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

3 These were the officials of the province who settled in Jerusalem. Some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants settled in the cities of Judah. They lived on their own property in their own cities.

4 Some of the descendants of Judah and of Benjamin settled in Jerusalem. The descendants of Judah were Athaiah, who was the son of Uzziah, who was the son of Zechariah, who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Mahalalel, who was the son of Perez;

5 Maaseiah was the son of Baruch, who was the son of Col Hozeh, who was the son of Hazaiah, who was the son of Adaiah, who was the son of Joiarib, who was the son of Zechariah, who was the son of Shiloni.

6 All the descendants of Perez who settled in Jerusalem were 468 outstanding men.

7 These are the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu, who was the son of Meshullam, who was the son of Joed, who was the son of Pedaiah, who was the son of Kolaiah, who was the son of Maaseiah, who was the son of Ithiel, who was the son of Jeshaiah,

8 and after him, Gabbai [and] Sallai. [The number of Benjamin's descendants] totaled 928.

9 Joel, son of Zichri, was in charge, and Judah, son of Senuah, was second-in-command over the city.

10 These were the priests: Jedaiah (son of Joiarib), Jachin,

11 Seraiah, who was the son of Hilkiah, who was the son of Meshullam, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Meraioth, who was the son of Ahitub, who was the supervisor of God's temple.

12 From Seraiah's relatives 822 did the work in the temple. Also, Adaiah worked in the temple. He was the son of Jeroham, who was the son of Pelaliah, who was the son of Amzi, who was the son of Zechariah, who was the son of Pashhur, who was the son of Malchiah.

13 Adaiah's relatives, the heads of the families, totaled 242. Amashsai was the son of Azarel, who was the son of Ahzai, who was the son of Meshillemoth, who was the son of Immer.

14 Their relatives, who were warriors, totaled 128. The man in charge of them was Zabdiel, son of Haggedolim.

15 These were the Levites: Shemaiah who was the son of Hasshub, who was the son of Azrikam, who was the son of Hashabiah, who was the son of Bunni.

16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, Levite leaders, who were in charge of the work outside God's temple.

17 Mattaniah was the son of Mica, who was the son of Zabdi, who was the son of Asaph, the leader who led the prayer of thanksgiving. The Levite leader Bakbukiah was the second-in-command among his relatives; and so was Abda who was the son of Shammua, who was the son of Galal, who was the son of Jeduthum.

18 All the Levites in the holy city totaled 284.

19 These were the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives who guarded the gates totaled 172.

20 The rest of the Israelites, priests, and Levites lived in all the cities of Judah. Everyone lived on his own inherited property.

21 But the temple servants lived on Mount Ophel with Ziha and Gishpa in charge of them.

22 The man in charge of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi, who was the son of Bani, who was the son of Hashabiah, who was the son of Mattaniah, who was the son of Mica from Asaph's descendants who were the singers in charge of worship in God's temple.

23 They were under orders from the king, orders that determined which duties they should perform day by day.

24 Pethahiah, son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah, Judah's son, was the king's adviser on all matters concerning the people.

25 Many people lived in villages that had fields. Some people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its villages, in Dibon and its villages, in Jekabzeel and its villages,

26 in Jeshua, Moladah, and Beth Pelet,

27 in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its villages,

28 in Ziklag, and in Meconah and its villages,

29 in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,

30 Zanoah, and Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its villages. So they settled in the land from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

31 Benjamin's descendants live in the area of Geba, in Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,

32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

35 Lod, Ono, and in the valley of the Craftsmen.

36 Some divisions of Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin.

1 Some priests, the officer in charge of the temple guards, and some Sadducees approached Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.

2 These religious authorities were greatly annoyed. Peter and John were teaching the people and spreading the message that the dead will come back to life through Jesus.

3 So the temple guards arrested them. Since it was already evening, they put Peter and John in jail until the next day.

4 But many of those who had heard the message became believers, so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000.

5 The next day the Jewish rulers, leaders, and scribes met in Jerusalem.

6 The chief priest Annas, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the chief priest's family were present.

7 They made Peter and John stand in front of them and then asked, "By what power or in whose name did you do this?"

8 Then Peter, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and leaders of the people,

9 today you are cross-examining us about the good we did for a crippled man. You want to know how he was made well.

10 You and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands in your presence with a healthy body because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified Jesus Christ, but God has brought him back to life.

11 He is the stone that the builders rejected, the stone that has become the cornerstone.

12 No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person."

13 After they found out that Peter and John had no education or special training, they were surprised to see how boldly they spoke. They realized that these men had been with Jesus.

14 When they saw the man who was healed standing with Peter and John, they couldn't say anything against the two apostles.

15 So they ordered Peter and John to leave the council room and began to discuss the matter among themselves.

16 They said, "What should we do to these men? Clearly, they've performed a miracle that everyone in Jerusalem knows about. We can't deny that.

17 So let's threaten them. Let's tell them that they must never speak to anyone about the one named Jesus. Then the news about the miracle that they have performed will not spread any further among the people."

18 They called Peter and John and ordered them never to teach about Jesus or even mention his name.

19 Peter and John answered them, "Decide for yourselves whether God wants people to listen to you rather than to him.

20 We cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard."

21 The authorities threatened them even more and then let them go. Since all the people were praising God for what had happened, the authorities couldn't find any way to punish Peter and John.

22 (The man who was healed by this miracle was over 40 years old.)