A Walk Through The Word

The People Who Lived in Jerusalem

11 The leaders settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people drew lots to choose one family out of every ten to go and live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the rest were to live in the other cities and towns. ² The people praised anyone else who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. ^3 (A)In the other towns and cities the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple workers, and the descendants of Solomon's servants lived on their own property in their own towns.

The following is the list of the leading citizens of the province of Judah who lived in Jerusalem:

Members of the tribe of Judah

⁴ Athaiah, the son of Uzziah and grandson of Zechariah. His other ancestors included Amariah, Shephatiah, and Mahalalel, descendants of Judah's son Perez.

⁵ Maaseiah, the son of Baruch and grandson of Colhozeh. His other ancestors included Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib, and Zechariah, descendants of Judah's son Shelah.

⁶ Of the descendants of Perez, 468 outstanding soldiers lived in Jerusalem.

Members of the tribe of Benjamin

⁷ Sallu, the son of Meshullam and grandson of Joed. His other ancestors included Pedaiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Ithiel, and Jeshaiah.

⁸ Gabbai and Sallai, close relatives^[a] of Sallu.

In all, 928 Benjaminites lived in Jerusalem. ⁹ Joel son of Zichri was their leader, and Judah son of Hassenuah was the second ranking official in the city.

Priests

¹⁰ Jedaiah son of Joiarib, and Jachin.

¹¹ Seraiah, the son of Hilkiah and grandson of Meshullam. His ancestors included Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub, who was the High Priest. ¹² In all, 822 members of this clan served in the Temple.

Adaiah, the son of Jeroham and grandson of Pelaliah. His ancestors included Amzi, Zechariah, Pashhur, and Malchijah. ¹³ In all, 242 members of this clan were heads of families.

Amashsai, the son of Azarel and grandson of Ahzai. His ancestors included Meshillemoth and Immer. ¹⁴ There were 128 members of this clan who were outstanding soldiers. Their leader was Zabdiel, a member of a leading family.^[b]

Levites

¹⁵ Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub and grandson of Azrikam. His ancestors included Hashabiah and Bunni.

¹⁶ Shabbethai and Jozabad, prominent Levites in charge of the work outside the Temple.

¹⁷ Mattaniah, the son of Mica and grandson of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph. He led the Temple choir in singing the prayer of thanksgiving.

Bakbukiah, who was Mattaniah's assistant.

Abda, the son of Shammua and grandson of Galal, a descendant of Jeduthun.

¹⁸ In all, 284 Levites lived in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Temple guards

¹⁹ Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, 172 in all.

²⁰ The rest of the people of Israel and the remaining priests and Levites lived on their own property in the other cities and towns of Judah. ²¹ The Temple workers lived in the part of Jerusalem called Ophel and worked under the supervision of Ziha and Gishpa.

²² The supervisor of the Levites who lived in Jerusalem was Uzzi, the son of Bani and grandson of Hashabiah. His ancestors included Mattaniah and Mica, and he belonged to the clan of Asaph, the clan that was responsible for the music in the Temple services. ²³ There were royal regulations stating how the clans should take turns in leading the Temple music each day.

²⁴ Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the clan of Zerah and the tribe of Judah, represented the people of Israel at the Persian court.

The People in Other Towns and Cities

²⁵ Many of the people lived in towns near their farms. Those who were of the tribe of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba, Dibon, and Jekabzeel, and in the villages near these cities. ²⁶ They also lived in the cities of Jeshua, Moladah, Bethpelet, ²⁷ and Hazarshual, and in Beersheba and the villages around it. ²⁸ They lived in the city of Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, ²⁹ in Enrimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, ³⁰ in Zanoah, in Adullam, and in the villages near these towns. They lived in Lachish and on the farms nearby, and in Azekah and its villages. That is to say, the people of Judah lived in the territory between Beersheba in the south and Hinnom Valley in the north.

³¹ The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived in Geba, Michmash, Ai, Bethel and the nearby villages, ³² Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, ³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, ³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, ³⁵ Lod, and Ono, and in Craftsmen's Valley. ³⁶ Some groups of Levites that had lived in the territory of Judah were assigned to live with the people of Benjamin.

List of Priests and Levites

12 The following is a list of the priests and Levites who returned from exile with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with the High Priest Joshua:

Priests

^2-7 Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These men were leaders among all their fellow priests in the days of Joshua.

Levites

⁸ The following were in charge of the singing of hymns of thanksgiving: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah.

⁹ The following formed the choir that sang the responses: Bakbukiah, Unno, and their fellow Levites.

Descendants of the High Priest Joshua

¹⁰ Joshua was the father of Joiakim; Joiakim was the father of Eliashib; Eliashib was the father of Joiada; ¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan; and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

Heads of the Priestly Clans

^12-21 When Joiakim was High Priest, the following priests were the heads of the priestly clans:

Priest	Clan
Meraiah	Seraiah
Hananiah	Jeremiah
Meshullam	Ezra
Jehohanan	Amariah
Jonathan	Malluchi
Joseph	Shebaniah
Adna	Harim
Helkai	Meraioth
Zechariah	Iddo
Meshullam	Ginnethon
Zichri	Abijah
[c]	Miniamin
Piltai	Moadiah
Shammua	Bilgah
Jehonathan	Shemaiah
Mattenai	Joiarib
Uzzi	Jedaiah
Kallai	Sallai
Eber	Amok
Hashabiah	Hilkiah
Nethanel	Jedaiah

Record of the Priestly and Levite Families

²² A record was kept of the heads of the Levite families and of the priestly families during the lifetimes of the following High Priests: Eliashib, Joiada, Jonathan, and Jaddua. This record was finished when Darius was emperor of Persia.

²³ The heads of the Levite families, however, were recorded in the official records only until the time of Jonathan, the grandson of Eliashib.

Assignment of Duties in the Temple

²⁴ Under the direction of Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui,^[d] and Kadmiel, the Levites were organized into groups. Two groups at a time praised God responsively and gave thanks to him, in accordance with the instructions given by King David, the man of God.

²⁵ The following Temple guards were in charge of guarding the storerooms by the gates to the Temple: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub.

²⁶ These people lived during the time of Joiakim, the son of Joshua and grandson of Jehozadak, and the time of Nehemiah the governor, and the time of Ezra, the priest who was a scholar of the Law.

¹⁴ So then, my dear friends, keep away from the worship of idols. ¹⁵ I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ^16 (A)The cup we use in the Lord's Supper and for which we give thanks to God: when we drink from it, we are sharing in the blood of Christ. And the bread we break: when we eat it, we are sharing in the body of Christ. ¹⁷ Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf.

^18 (B)Consider the people of Israel; those who eat what is offered in sacrifice share in the altar's service to God. ¹⁹ Do I imply, then, that an idol or the food offered to it really amounts to anything? ^20 (C)No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on pagan altars is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink from the Lord's cup and also from the cup of demons; you cannot eat at the Lord's table and also at the table of demons. ^22 (D)Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than he?

^23 (E)“We are allowed to do anything,” so they say. That is true, but not everything is good. “We are allowed to do anything”—but not everything is helpful. ²⁴ None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.

²⁵ You are free to eat anything sold in the meat market, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ^26 (F)For, as the scripture says, “The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.”

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ²⁸ But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake— ²⁹ that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.

“Well, then,” someone asks, “why should my freedom to act be limited by another person's conscience? ³⁰ If I thank God for my food, why should anyone criticize me about food for which I give thanks?”

³¹ Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory. ³² Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God. ³³ Just do as I do; I try to please everyone in all that I do, not thinking of my own good, but of the good of all, so that they might be saved.

¹⁴ If someone is angry with you, a gift given secretly will calm him down.

¹⁵ When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are brought to despair.

¹⁶ Death is waiting for anyone who wanders away from good sense.

The People Sign an Agreement

³⁸ Because of all that has happened, we, the people of Israel, hereby make a solemn written agreement, and our leaders, our Levites, and our priests put their seals to it.

10 The first to sign was the governor, Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and then Zedekiah signed. The following also signed:

Priests:

• ^2-8 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
• Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
• Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
• Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
• Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
• Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
• Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaia.

Levites:

• ^9-13 Jeshua son of Azaniah,
• Binnui of the clan of Henadad,
• Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah,
• Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
• Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
• Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
• Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

Leaders of the people:

• ^14-27 Parosh, Pahath Moab,
• Elam, Zattu, Bani,
• Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
• Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
• Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
• Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
• Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
• Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
• Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
• Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
• Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
• Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
• Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
• Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
• Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The Agreement

²⁸ We, the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the Temple musicians, the Temple workers, and all others who in obedience to God's Law have separated themselves from the foreigners living in our land, we, together with our wives and all our children old enough to understand, ²⁹ do hereby join with our leaders in an oath, under penalty of a curse if we break it, that we will live according to God's Law, which God gave through his servant Moses; that we will obey all that the Lord, our Lord, commands us; and that we will keep all his laws and requirements.

^30 (I)We will not intermarry with the foreigners living in our land.

^31 (J)If foreigners bring grain or anything else to sell to us on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we will not buy from them.

Every seventh year we will not farm the land, and we will cancel all debts.

^32 (K)Every year we will each contribute one-eighth of an ounce of silver to help pay the expenses of the Temple.

³³ We will provide for the Temple worship the following: the sacred bread, the daily grain offering, the animals to be burned each day as sacrifices, the sacred offerings for Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other festivals, the other sacred offerings, the offerings to take away the sins of Israel, and anything else needed for the Temple.

³⁴ We, the people, priests, and Levites, will draw lots each year to determine which clans are to provide wood to burn the sacrifices offered to the Lord our God, according to the requirements of the Law.

^35 (L)We will take to the Temple each year an offering of the first grain we harvest and of the first fruit that ripens on our trees.

^36 (M)The first son born to each of us we will take to the priests in the Temple and there, as required by the Law, dedicate him to God. We will also dedicate the first calf born to each of our cows, and the first lamb or kid born to each of our sheep or goats.

^37 (N)We will take to the priests in the Temple the dough made from the first grain harvested each year and our other offerings of wine, olive oil, and all kinds of fruit.

We will take to the Levites, who collect tithes in our farming villages, the tithes from the crops that grow on our land. ^38 (O)Priests who are descended from Aaron are to be with the Levites when tithes are collected, and for use in the Temple the Levites are to take to the Temple storerooms one-tenth of all the tithes they collect. ³⁹ The people of Israel and the Levites are to take the contributions of grain, wine, and olive oil to the storerooms where the utensils for the Temple are kept and where the priests who are on duty, the Temple guards, and the members of the Temple choir have their quarters.

We will not neglect the house of our God.

¹⁹ I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many people as possible. ²⁰ While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them. ²¹ In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. ²² Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.

²³ All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings. ²⁴ Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. ^25 (A)Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. ²⁶ That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. ²⁷ I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.

Warnings against Idols

10 ^(B)I want you to remember, my friends, what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. They were all under the protection of the cloud, and all passed safely through the Red Sea. ² In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized as followers of Moses. ^3 (C)All ate the same spiritual bread ^4 (D)and drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them; and that rock was Christ himself. ^5 (E)But even then God was not pleased with most of them, and so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.

^6 (F)Now, all of this is an example for us, to warn us not to desire evil things, as they did, ^7 (G)nor to worship idols, as some of them did. As the scripture says, “The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.” ^8 (H)We must not be guilty of sexual immorality, as some of them were—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead. ^9 (I)We must not put the Lord^[a] to the test, as some of them did—and they were killed by snakes. ^10 (J)We must not complain, as some of them did—and they were destroyed by the Angel of Death.

¹¹ All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.

¹² If you think you are standing firm you had better be careful that you do not fall. ^13 (K)Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.

^(A)In Praise of God's Goodness^[a]

¹³ If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard.

Ezra Reads the Law to the People

8 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the Lord had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law. ² So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered—men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. ³ There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively.

⁴ Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

⁵ As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up. ⁶ Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the great God!”

All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, “Amen! Amen!” They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.

⁷ Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. ⁸ They gave an oral translation^[a] of God's Law and explained^[b] it so that the people could understand it.

⁹ When the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law, and the Levites who were explaining the Law told all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God, so you are not to mourn or cry. ¹⁰ Now go home and have a feast. Share your food and wine with those who don't have enough. Today is holy to our Lord, so don't be sad. The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong.”

¹¹ The Levites went around calming the people and telling them not to be sad on such a holy day. ¹² So all the people went home and ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what had been read to them.

The Festival of Shelters

¹³ The next day the heads of the clans, together with the priests and the Levites, went to Ezra to study the teachings of the Law. ^14 (A)They discovered that the Law, which the Lord gave through Moses, ordered the people of Israel to live in temporary shelters during the Festival of Shelters. ¹⁵ So they gave the following instructions and sent them^[c] all through Jerusalem and the other cities and towns: “Go out to the hills and get branches from pines, olives, myrtles, palms, and other trees to make shelters according to the instructions written in the Law.”

¹⁶ So the people got branches and built shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the Temple courtyard, and in the public squares by the Water Gate and by the Ephraim Gate. ¹⁷ All the people who had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. This was the first time it had been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun, and everybody was excited and happy. ¹⁸ From the first day of the festival to the last they read a part of God's Law every day. They celebrated for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a closing ceremony, as required in the Law.

The People Confess Their Sins

9 ^1-2 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel gathered to fast in order to show sorrow for their sins. They had already separated themselves from all foreigners. They wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads as signs of grief. Then they stood and began to confess the sins that they and their ancestors had committed. ³ For about three hours the Law of the Lord their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.

⁴ There was a platform for the Levites, and on it stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani. They prayed aloud to the Lord their God.

⁵ The following Levites gave a call to worship: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said:

The Prayer of Confession

⁶ And then the people of Israel prayed this prayer:

Rights and Duties of an Apostle

9 Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord? ² Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do! Because of your life in union with the Lord you yourselves are proof of the fact that I am an apostle.

³ When people criticize me, this is how I defend myself: ⁴ Don't I have the right to be given food and drink for my work? ⁵ Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips? ⁶ Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living? ⁷ What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?

⁸ I don't have to limit myself to these everyday examples, because the Law says the same thing. ^9 (A)We read in the Law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain.” Now, is God concerned about oxen? ¹⁰ Didn't he really mean us when he said that? Of course that was written for us. Anyone who plows and anyone who reaps should do their work in the hope of getting a share of the crop. ^11 (B)We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? ¹² If others have the right to expect this from you, don't we have an even greater right?

But we haven't made use of this right. Instead, we have endured everything in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ. ^13 (C)Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices. ^14 (D)In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from it.

¹⁵ But I haven't made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this now in order to claim such rights for myself. I would rather die first! Nobody is going to turn my rightful boast into empty words! ¹⁶ I have no right to boast just because I preach the gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I did my work as a matter of free choice, then I could expect to be paid; but I do it as a matter of duty, because God has entrusted me with this task. ¹⁸ What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without charging for it, without claiming my rights in my work for the gospel.

¹¹ When someone who is conceited gets his punishment, even an unthinking person learns a lesson. One who is wise will learn from what he is taught.

¹² God, the righteous one, knows what goes on in the homes of the wicked, and he will bring the wicked down to ruin.

Nehemiah's Unselfishness

¹⁴ During all the twelve years that I was governor of the land of Judah, from the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor until his thirty-second year, neither my relatives nor I ate the food I was entitled to have as governor. ¹⁵ Every governor who had been in office before me had been a burden to the people and had demanded forty silver coins a day^[a] for food and wine. Even their servants had oppressed the people. But I acted differently, because I honored God. ¹⁶ I put all my energy into rebuilding the wall and did not acquire any property. Everyone who worked for me joined in the rebuilding. ¹⁷ I regularly fed at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jewish people and their leaders, besides all the people who came to me from the surrounding nations. ¹⁸ Every day I served one beef, six of the best sheep, and many chickens, and every ten days I provided a fresh supply of wine. But I knew what heavy burdens the people had to bear, and so I did not claim the allowance that the governor is entitled to.

¹⁹ I pray you, O God, remember to my credit everything that I have done for this people.

Plots against Nehemiah

6 Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of our enemies heard that we had finished building the wall and that there were no gaps left in it, although we still had not set up the gates in the gateways. ² So Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message, suggesting that I meet with them in one of the villages in the Plain of Ono. This was a trick of theirs to try to harm me. ³ I sent messengers to say to them, “I am doing important work and can't go down there. I am not going to let the work stop just to go and see you.”

⁴ They sent me the same message four times, and each time I sent them the same reply.

⁵ Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me with a fifth message, this one in the form of an unsealed letter.^{[b] 6} It read:

⁸ I sent a reply to him: “Nothing of what you are saying is true. You have made it all up yourself.”

⁹ They were trying to frighten us into stopping work. I prayed, “But now, God, make me strong!”

¹⁰ About this time I went to visit Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was unable to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must go and hide together in the Holy Place of the Temple and lock the doors, because they are coming to kill you. Any night now they will come to kill you.”

¹¹ I answered, “I'm not the kind of person that runs and hides. Do you think I would try to save my life by hiding in the Temple? I won't do it.”

¹² When I thought it over, I realized that God had not spoken to Shemaiah, but that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him to give me this warning. ¹³ They hired him to frighten me into sinning, so that they could ruin my reputation and humiliate me.

¹⁴ I prayed, “God, remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done and punish them. Remember that woman Noadiah and all the other prophets who tried to frighten me.”

The Conclusion of the Work

¹⁵ After fifty-two days of work the entire wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. ¹⁶ When our enemies in the surrounding nations heard this, they realized that they had lost face, since everyone knew that the work had been done with God's help.

¹⁷ During all this time the Jewish leaders had been in correspondence with Tobiah. ¹⁸ Many people in Judah were on his side because of his Jewish father-in-law, Shecaniah son of Arah. In addition, his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. ¹⁹ People would talk in front of me about all the good deeds Tobiah had done and would tell him everything I said. And he kept sending me letters to try to frighten me.

7 And now the wall had been rebuilt, the gates had all been put in place, and the Temple guards, the members of the sacred choir, and the other Levites had been assigned their work. ² I put two men in charge of governing the city of Jerusalem: my brother Hanani and Hananiah, commanding officer of the fortress. Hananiah was a reliable and God-fearing man without equal. ³ I told them not to have the gates of Jerusalem opened in the morning until well after sunrise and to have them closed and barred before the guards went off duty at sunset. I also told them to appoint guards from among the people who lived in Jerusalem and to assign some of them to specific posts and others to patrol the area around their own houses.

The List of Those Who Returned from Exile^(A)

⁴ Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people were living in it, and not many houses had been built yet. ⁵ God inspired me to assemble the people and their leaders and officials and to check their family records. I located the records of those who had first returned from captivity, and this is the information I found:

⁶ Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own hometown. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners. ⁷ Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

^8-25 This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:

• Parosh - 2,172
• Shephatiah - 372
• Arah - 652
• Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,818
• Elam - 1,254
• Zattu - 845
• Zaccai - 760
• Binnui - 648
• Bebai - 628
• Azgad - 2,322
• Adonikam - 667
• Bigvai - 2,067
• Adin - 655
• Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
• Hashum - 328
• Bezai - 324
• Hariph - 112
• Gibeon - 95

^26-38 People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:

• Bethlehem and Netophah - 188
• Anathoth - 128
• Beth Azmaveth - 42
• Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
• Ramah and Geba - 621
• Michmash - 122
• Bethel and Ai - 123
• The other Nebo - 52
• The other Elam - 1,254
• Harim - 320
• Jericho - 345
• Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 721
• Senaah - 3,930

^39-42 This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:

• Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973
• Immer - 1,052
• Pashhur - 1,247
• Harim - 1,017

^43-45 Clans of Levites who returned from exile:

• Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
• Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 148
• Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 138

^46-56 Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:

• Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
• Keros, Sia, Padon,
• Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
• Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
• Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
• Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
• Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim,
• Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
• Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,
• Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
• Neziah, and Hatipha.

^57-59 Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:

• Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
• Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
• Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.

⁶⁰ The total number of descendants of the Temple workers and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.

^61-62 There were 642 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.

^63-64 The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. ^65 (B)The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.^[c]

^66-69 Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360.

• Their male and female servants - 7,337
• Male and female musicians - 245
• Horses - 736
• Mules - 245
• Camels - 435
• Donkeys - 6,720

^70-72 Many of the people contributed to help pay the cost of restoring the Temple:

The governor	270	ounces of gold
	50	ceremonial bowls
	530	robes for priests
Heads of clans	337	pounds of gold
	3,215	pounds of silver
The rest of the people	337	pounds of gold
	2,923	pounds of silver
	67	robes for priests

^73 (C)The priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the musicians, many of the ordinary people, the Temple workers—all the people of Israel—settled in the towns and cities of Judah.

The Question about Food Offered to Idols

8 Now, concerning what you wrote about food offered to idols.

It is true, of course, that “all of us have knowledge,” as they say. Such knowledge, however, puffs a person up with pride; but love builds up. ² Those who think they know something really don't know as they ought to know. ³ But the person who loves God is known by him.

⁴ So then, about eating the food offered to idols: we know that an idol stands for something that does not really exist; we know that there is only the one God. ⁵ Even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth, and even though there are many of these “gods” and “lords,” ⁶ yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.

⁷ But not everyone knows this truth. Some people have been so used to idols that to this day when they eat such food they still think of it as food that belongs to an idol; their conscience is weak, and they feel they are defiled by the food. ⁸ Food, however, will not improve our relation with God; we shall not lose anything if we do not eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat.

⁹ Be careful, however, not to let your freedom of action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin. ¹⁰ Suppose a person whose conscience is weak in this matter sees you, who have so-called “knowledge,” eating in the temple of an idol; will not this encourage him to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹ And so this weak person, your brother for whom Christ died, will perish because of your “knowledge”! ¹² And in this way you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against other Christians and wounding their weak conscience. ¹³ So then, if food makes a believer sin, I will never eat meat again, so as not to make a believer fall into sin.

A Song of Praise

⁸ Guilty people walk a crooked path; the innocent do what is right.

^9 (A)Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.

¹⁰ Wicked people are always hungry for evil; they have no mercy on anyone.

¹⁵ Shallum son of Colhozeh, ruler of the Mizpah District, rebuilt the Fountain Gate. He covered the gateway, put the gates in place, and put in the bolts and the bars. At the Pool of Shelah he built the wall next to the royal garden, as far as the stairs leading down from David's City.

¹⁶ Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half of the Bethzur District, built the next section, as far as David's tomb, the pool, and the barracks.

Levites Who Worked on the Wall

¹⁷ The following Levites rebuilt the next several sections of the wall:

Rehum son of Bani built the next section;

Hashabiah, ruler of half of the Keilah District, built the next section on behalf of his district;

¹⁸ Bavvai son of Henadad, ruler of the other half of the Keilah District, built the next section;

¹⁹ Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, built the next section in front of the armory, as far as the place where the wall turns;

²⁰ Baruch son of Zabbai built the next section, as far as the entrance to the house of the High Priest Eliashib;

²¹ Meremoth, the son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz, built the next section, up to the far end of Eliashib's house.

Priests Who Worked on the Wall

²² The following priests rebuilt the next several sections of the wall:

Priests from the area around Jerusalem built the next section;

²³ Benjamin and Hasshub built the next section, which was in front of their houses;

Azariah, the son of Maaseiah and grandson of Ananiah, built the next section, which was in front of his house;

²⁴ Binnui son of Henadad built the next section, from Azariah's house to the corner of the wall;

^25-26 Palal son of Uzai built the next section, beginning at the corner of the wall and the tower of the upper palace near the court of the guard;

Pedaiah son of Parosh built the next section, to a point on the east near the Water Gate and the tower guarding the Temple. (This was near that part of the city called Ophel, where the Temple workers lived.)

Other Builders

²⁷ The men of Tekoa built the next section, their second one, from a point opposite the large tower guarding the Temple as far as the wall near Ophel.

²⁸ A group of priests built the next section, going north from the Horse Gate, each one building in front of his own house.

²⁹ Zadok son of Immer built the next section, which was in front of his house.

Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate, built the next section.

³⁰ Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, built the next section, their second one.

Meshullam son of Berechiah built the next section, which was in front of his house.

³¹ Malchijah, a goldsmith, built the next section, as far as the building used by the Temple workers and the merchants, which was by the Miphkad^[a] Gate to the Temple, near the room on top of the northeast corner of the wall.

³² The goldsmiths and the merchants built the last section, from the room at the corner as far as the Sheep Gate.

Nehemiah Overcomes Opposition to His Work

4 When Sanballat heard that we Jews had begun rebuilding the wall, he became furious and began to ridicule us. ² In front of his companions and the Samaritan troops he said, “What do these miserable Jews think they're doing? Do they intend to rebuild the city? Do they think that by offering sacrifices they can finish the work in one day? Can they make building stones out of heaps of burnt rubble?”

³ Tobiah was standing there beside him, and he added, “What kind of wall could they ever build? Even a fox could knock it down!”

⁴ I prayed, “Hear how they make fun of us, O God! Let their ridicule fall on their own heads. Let them be robbed of everything they have, and let them be taken as prisoners to a foreign land. ⁵ Don't forgive the evil they do and don't forget their sins, for they have insulted us who are building.”

⁶ So we went on rebuilding the wall, and soon it was half its full height, because the people were eager to work.

⁷ Sanballat, Tobiah, and the people of Arabia, Ammon, and Ashdod heard that we were making progress in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and that the gaps in the wall were being closed, and they became very angry. ⁸ So they all plotted together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion, ⁹ but we prayed to our God and kept men on guard against them day and night.

¹⁰ The people of Judah had a song they sang:

¹¹ Our enemies thought we would not see them or know what was happening until they were already upon us, killing us and putting an end to our work. ¹² But time after time Jews who were living among our enemies came to warn us of the plans our enemies were making against us.^{[b] 13} So I armed the people with swords, spears, and bows, and stationed them by clans behind the wall, wherever it was still unfinished.

¹⁴ I saw that the people were worried, so I said to them and to their leaders and officials, “Don't be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and terrifying the Lord is, and fight for your relatives, your children, your wives, and your homes.” ¹⁵ Our enemies heard that we had found out what they were plotting, and they realized that God had defeated their plans. Then all of us went back to rebuilding the wall.

¹⁶ From then on half of my men worked and half stood guard, wearing coats of armor and armed with spears, shields, and bows. And our leaders gave their full support to the people ¹⁷ who were rebuilding the wall. Even those who carried building materials worked with one hand and kept a weapon in the other, ¹⁸ and everyone who was building kept a sword strapped to their waist. The man who was to sound the alarm on the bugle stayed with me. ¹⁹ I told the people and their officials and leaders, “The work is spread out over such a distance that we are widely separated from one another on the wall. ²⁰ If you hear the bugle, gather around me. Our God will fight for us.” ²¹ So every day, from dawn until the stars came out at night, half of us worked on the wall, while the other half stood guard with spears.

²² During this time I told the men in charge that they and all their helpers had to stay in Jerusalem at night, so that we could guard the city at night as well as work in the daytime. ²³ I didn't take off my clothes even at night, neither did any of my companions nor my servants nor my bodyguards. And we all kept our weapons at hand.^[c]

Oppression of the Poor

5 Some time later many of the people, both men and women, began to complain against the other Jews. ² Some said, “We have large families, we need grain to keep us alive.”

³ Others said, “We have had to mortgage our fields and vineyards and houses to get enough grain to keep us from starving.”

⁴ Still others said, “We had to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. ⁵ We are of the same race as the other Jews. Aren't our children just as good as theirs? But we have to make slaves of our children. Some of our daughters have already been sold as slaves. We are helpless because our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us.”

⁶ When I heard their complaints, I grew angry ^7 (A)and decided to act. I denounced the leaders and officials of the people and told them, “You are oppressing your own relatives!”

I called a public assembly to deal with the problem ⁸ and said, “As far as we have been able, we have been buying back our Jewish relatives who had to sell themselves to foreigners. Now you are forcing your own relatives to sell themselves to you, their own people!” The leaders were silent and could find nothing to say.

⁹ Then I said, “What you are doing is wrong! You ought to obey God and do what's right. Then you would not give our enemies, the Gentiles, any reason to ridicule us. ¹⁰ I have let the people borrow money and grain from me, and so have my companions and those who work for me. Now let's give up all our claims to repayment. ¹¹ Cancel all the debts^[d] they owe you—money or grain or wine or olive oil. And give them back their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses right now!”

¹² The leaders replied, “We'll do as you say. We'll give the property back and not try to collect the debts.”

I called in the priests and made the leaders swear in front of them to keep the promise they had just made. ¹³ Then I took off the sash^[e] I was wearing around my waist and shook it out. “This is how God will shake any of you who don't keep your promise,” I said. “God will take away your houses and everything you own, and will leave you with nothing.”

Everyone who was present said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. And the leaders kept their promise.

Questions about the Unmarried and the Widows

²⁵ Now, concerning what you wrote about unmarried people: I do not have a command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is worthy of trust.

²⁶ Considering the present distress, I think it is better for a man to stay as he is. ²⁷ Do you have a wife? Then don't try to get rid of her. Are you unmarried? Then don't look for a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry, you haven't committed a sin; and if an unmarried woman marries, she hasn't committed a sin. But I would rather spare you the everyday troubles that married people will have.

²⁹ What I mean, my friends, is this: there is not much time left, and from now on married people should live as though they were not married; ³⁰ those who weep, as though they were not sad; those who laugh, as though they were not happy; those who buy, as though they did not own what they bought; ³¹ those who deal in material goods, as though they were not fully occupied with them. For this world, as it is now, will not last much longer.

³² I would like you to be free from worry. An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord's work, because he is trying to please the Lord. ³³ But a married man concerns himself with worldly matters, because he wants to please his wife; ³⁴ and so he is pulled in two directions. An unmarried woman or a virgin concerns herself with the Lord's work, because she wants to be dedicated both in body and spirit; but a married woman concerns herself with worldly matters, because she wants to please her husband.

³⁵ I am saying this because I want to help you. I am not trying to put restrictions on you. Instead, I want you to do what is right and proper, and to give yourselves completely to the Lord's service without any reservation.

³⁶ In the case of an engaged couple who have decided not to marry: if the man feels that he is not acting properly toward the young woman and if his passions are too strong and he feels that they ought to marry, then they should get married, as he wants to.^[a] There is no sin in this. ³⁷ But if a man, without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his mind not to marry,^[b] and if he has his will under complete control and has already decided in his own mind what to do—then he does well not to marry the young woman.^{[c] 38} So the man who marries^[d] does well, but the one who doesn't marry^[e] does even better.

³⁹ A married woman is not free as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, then she is free to be married to any man she wishes, but only if he is a Christian. ⁴⁰ She will be happier, however, if she stays as she is. That is my opinion, and I think that I too have God's Spirit.

Confession and Forgiveness^[a]

⁵ Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough.

⁶ The riches you get by dishonesty soon disappear, but not before they lead you into the jaws of death.

⁷ The wicked are doomed by their own violence; they refuse to do what is right.