Foreigners Excluded
1 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and it was found written in it that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God, forever, 2 because they did not meet the Israelites with bread and with water but hired Balaam against them, to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 It came to pass, when the people had heard the law, that they separated everyone of foreign descent from Israel.
The Temple Cleansed
4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah, 5 had prepared a great room for Tobiah, where they had previously kept the grain offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the wave offerings for the priests.
6 But during all of this, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the 32nd year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king, and after some days I asked leave of the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 It grieved me severely. Therefore I threw all Tobiah’s household belongings out of the room. 9 I commanded that they clean the rooms. I brought the vessels of the house of God back, along with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
Tithes Restored
10 I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had each fled to his field. 11 Then I contended with the rulers and said, “Why has the house of the Lord been forsaken?” I gathered them together and set them in their place.
12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the treasuries. 13 I assigned treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah, and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were counted as faithful. Their assignment was to make distributions to their brothers.
14 Remember me, my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its observances.
The Sabbath Restored
15 In those days I saw some men treading wine presses on the Sabbath in Judah, bringing in bundles of grain, loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of goods, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; and I warned them on the day that they sold food. 16 Some men of Tyre also lived there, who brought in fish and all kinds of wares and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in Jerusalem.
17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What wicked thing is this that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did your fathers not do this, and did our God not bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you are bringing even more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 It came to pass that when darkness began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and commanded that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I set some of my servants over the gates so that no goods should be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20 So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares camped outside of Jerusalem once or twice. 21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why are you encamping around the wall? If you do this again, I will remove you by force.” From that time on, they did not come on the Sabbath.
22 I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and that they should guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me, my God, for this, and spare me according to the greatness of your loving kindness.
Intermarriage Forbidden
23 In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab, 24 and their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod or in the language of these other nations and could not speak in the language of Judah.
25 I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and plucked out their hair and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did Solomon king of Israel not sin by doing these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and the Lord made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?”
28 One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me. 29 Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
30 Thus I purified them from all foreigners and appointed duties for the priests and for the Levites, everyone in his work, 31 and for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the first fruits.
Remember me, my God, for good.