Nehemiah 13 Cross References - ACV

¹ On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people, and in it was found written that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God forever, ² because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them. However our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ And it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. ⁴ Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah, ⁵ had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the heave offerings for the priests. ⁶ But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after certain days I asked leave of the king, ⁷ and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ And it grieved me greatly. Therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. ⁹ Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers. And there I brought again the vessels of the house of God, with the meal offerings and the frankincense. ¹⁰ And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each one to his field. ¹¹ Then I contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. ¹² Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the treasuries. ¹³ And I made 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 faithful, and their business was to distribute to their brothers. ¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the observances of it. ¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah some men treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys therewith, as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. And I testified against them in the day in which they sold foods. ¹⁶ There dwelt men of Tyre also in it who brought in fish, and all manner of wares, and sold on the sabbath to the sons of Judah, and in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Then I contended with the ranking men of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? ¹⁸ Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. ¹⁹ And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates that there should be no burden brought in on the sabbath day. ²⁰ So the merchants and sellers of all kind of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. ²¹ Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why do ye lodge outside the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came no more on the sabbath. ²² And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember to me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy loving kindness. ²³ In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab. ²⁴ And their sons spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. ²⁵ And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. ²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet there was no king like him among many nations, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin. ²⁷ Shall we then hearken to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women? ²⁸ And 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, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. ³⁰ Thus I cleansed them from all foreigners, and appointed charges for the priests and for the Levites, each one in his work, ³¹ and for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

³ An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of LORD, even to the tenth generation none belonging to them shall enter into the assembly of LORD forever, ⁴ because they met you not with bread and with water on the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. ⁵ Nevertheless LORD thy God would not hearken to Balaam, but LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee, because LORD thy God loved thee.

¹¹ when all Israel has come to appear before LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ¹² Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner who is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

² And the king went up to the house of LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of LORD.

¹⁰ And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there came a man to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?

³ Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox goes up he shall break down their stone wall.

³ And he read in it before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. ⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand, and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶ And Ezra blessed LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Truly, Truly, with the lifting up of their hands. And they bowed their heads, and worshiped LORD with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law. And the people stood in their place. ⁸ And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly, and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.

³ And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of LORD their God a fourth part of the day, and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped LORD their God.

²³ In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab.

⁷ Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre, ⁸ Assyria also is joined with them; they have helped the sons of Lot. Selah. ⁹ Do thou to them as to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon,

¹ The burden of Moab. For in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. For in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. ² They have gone up to Bayith, and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep. Moab wails over Nebo, and over Medeba. On all their heads is baldness. Every beard is cut off. ³ In their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth. On their housetops, and in their broad places, everyone wails, weeping abundantly. ⁴ And Heshbon cries out, and Elealeh. Their voice is heard even to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud. His soul trembles within him. ⁵ My heart cries out for Moab. Her nobles flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishi-yah. For they go up with weeping by the ascent of Luhith. For they raise up a cry of destruction in the way of Horonaim. ⁶ For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate, for the grass is withered away. The tender grass fails. There is no green thing. ⁷ Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, they shall carry away over the brook of the willows. ⁸ For the cry has gone round about the borders of Moab, the wailing of it to Eglaim, and the wailing of it to Beer-elim. ⁹ For the waters of Dimon are full of blood. For I will bring yet more upon Dimon, a lion upon those of Moab who escape, and upon the remnant of the land.

¹⁶ Seek ye out of the book of LORD, and read. No one of these shall be missing. None shall want her mate. For my mouth, it has commanded, and his Spirit, it has gathered them.

¹ Of Moab. Thus says LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe to Nebo! For it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is put to shame; it is taken. Misgab is put to shame and broken down. ² The praise of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O madmen, shall be brought to silence. The sword shall pursue thee. ³ The sound of a cry from Horonaim: Desolation and great destruction! ⁴ Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. ⁵ For they shall go up by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping, for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction. ⁶ Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.

¹ Concerning the sons of Ammon. Thus says LORD: Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then does Malcam possess Gad, and his people dwell in the cities thereof? ² Therefore, behold, the days come, says LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and it shall become a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire. Then Israel shall possess those who possessed him, says LORD. ³ Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste. Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah. Gird you with sackcloth. Lament, and run to and fro among the fences. For Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his rulers together. ⁴ Why do thou glory in the valleys, thy flowing valley? O backsliding daughter, who trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come to me? ⁵ Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, says the Lord, LORD of hosts, from all who are round about thee. And ye shall be driven out every man straight forth, and there shall be none to gather together the fugitives. ⁶ But afterward I will bring back the captivity of the sons of Ammon, says LORD.

¹ And the word of LORD came to me, saying, ² Son of man, set thy face toward the sons of Ammon, and prophesy against them. ³ And say to the sons of Ammon, Hear the word of the lord LORD. Thus says the lord LORD: Because thou said, Aha, against my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, ⁴ therefore, behold, I will deliver thee to the sons of the east for a possession, and they shall set their encampments in thee, and make their dwellings in thee. They shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. ⁵ And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the sons of Ammon a couching-place for flocks. And ye shall know that I am LORD. ⁶ For thus says the lord LORD: Because thou have clapped thy hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced with all the spite of thy soul against the land of Israel, ⁷ therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the nations. And I will cut thee off from the peoples, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries. I will destroy thee, and thou shall know that I am LORD. ⁸ Thus says the lord LORD: Because Moab and Seir say, Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations, ⁹ therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country-Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim- ¹⁰ open to the sons of the east, against the sons of Ammon. And I will give them for a possession, that the sons of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations. ¹¹ And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am LORD.

¹³ Thus says LORD: For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment of it, because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up. And according to that which was customary to him, he entered into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the book of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. And having opened the book, he found the place where it was written, ¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to sent forth in deliverance those who have been broken, ¹⁹ to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

²⁶ And he said to him, What is written in the law? How read thou?

¹⁵ And after the reading of the law and the prophets the synagogue rulers sent to them, saying, Men, brothers, if there is among you a word of exhortation for the people, speak.

²¹ For Moses from generations past, has from city to city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues on every sabbath.

³ And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people, because they were many. And Moab was distressed because of the sons of Israel. ⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. ⁵ And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people came out from Egypt. Behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide opposite me. ⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse for me this people, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom thou bless is blessed, and he whom thou curse is cursed. ⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand, and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak. ⁸ And he said to them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as LORD shall speak to me. And the rulers of Moab abode with Balaam. ⁹ And God came to Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? ¹⁰ And Balaam said to God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, ¹¹ Behold, the people came out of Egypt, it covers the face of the earth. Now, come curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.

⁸ How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom LORD has not defied? ⁹ For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. Lo, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. ¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! ¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam, What have thou done to me? I took thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, thou have blessed them altogether.

¹⁸ And he took up his oracle, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear. Hearken to me, thou son of Zippor.

⁵ How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy tabernacles, O Israel! ⁶ As valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the river-side, as aloes which LORD has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters. ⁷ Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. ⁸ God brings him forth out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild-ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and smite them through with his arrows. ⁹ He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him up? He who blesses thee is blessed, And he who curses thee is cursed. ¹⁰ And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, thou have altogether blessed them these three times.

⁵ Nevertheless LORD thy God would not hearken to Balaam, but LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee, because LORD thy God loved thee.

⁹ Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, ¹⁰ but I would not hearken to Balaam. Therefore he blessed you greatly. So I delivered you out of his hand.

²⁸ Let them curse, but bless thou. When they arise, they shall be put to shame, but thy servant shall rejoice.

⁵ O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him. Remember from Shittim to Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous acts of LORD.

⁴⁰ And having answered, the King will say to them, Truly I say to you, inasmuch as ye did it to one of these my brothers, the least, ye did it to me.

³⁸ And a mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

⁴ And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly. And the sons of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

¹¹ Now therefore make confession to LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.

² And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

²⁸ And the rest of the people-the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding-

⁷ The law of LORD is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of LORD is sure, making a simple man wise. ⁸ The precepts of LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. ⁹ The fear of LORD is clean, enduring forever. The ordinances of LORD are true, and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them thy servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward.

⁹ With what shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to thy word.

¹¹ I have laid thy word up in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

²³ For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

²⁰ Because from works of law no flesh will be made right before him, for through law is knowledge of sin.

²⁷ Pure religion and undefiled from God and the Father is this, to go help the orphaned and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

¹⁷ Moreover in those days the ranking men of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. ¹⁸ For there were many in Judah sworn to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah to wife.

¹⁰ And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada,

⁴⁴ And on that day men were appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the heave offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, according to the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites. For Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who served.

²⁸ And 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.

²¹ And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting. ²² And henceforth the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. ²³ But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. And among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering to LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, Among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

¹¹ Even to the carpenters and to the builders they gave it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

³⁸ And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure-house.

¹ And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make gods for us, which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has become of him.

¹⁷ Now after the death of Jehoiada the rulers of Judah came, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened to them. ¹⁸ And they forsook the house of LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.

²² and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy. For LORD had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

¹ And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not formerly been sad in his presence.

⁵ And I said to the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant has found favor in thy sight, that thou would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it. ⁶ And the king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be? And when will thou return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time.

¹⁴ Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.

²⁵ But while the men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares in the midst of the wheat, and went away.

¹ Now when these things were done, the rulers drew near to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

¹ On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people, and in it was found written that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God forever,

⁵ had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the heave offerings for the priests.

¹⁰ The adversary has spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things. For she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom thou commanded that they should not enter into thine assembly.

¹² And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all those who sold and bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of those who sold the doves. ¹³ And he says to them, It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but ye made it a den of robbers.

²⁸ crying out, Men, Israelites, help. This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. And besides he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place. ²⁹ For they were men who saw Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, whom they supposed that Paul brought into the temple.

¹¹ For it was declared to me about you, my brothers, by those of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

³ And when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded. ⁴ Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel were assembled to me, because of the trespass of those of the captivity, and I sat confounded until the evening oblation.

¹ Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together to him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children, for the people wept very much.

⁹ For the zeal of thy house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach thee have fallen upon me.

¹⁵ And they come to Jerusalem. And having entered into the temple, Jesus began to drive out those who sold and bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of those who sold the doves. ¹⁶ And he did not permit that any man might carry a container through the temple. ¹⁷ And he taught, saying to them, Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But ye made it a den of robbers.

¹³ And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he found sitting in the temple those who sell oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers. ¹⁵ And having made a whip from cords, he drove all out from the temple, both the sheep and the oxen. And he poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and turned over their tables. ¹⁶ And he said to those who sell the doves, Take these things from here. Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. ¹⁷ And his disciples remembered that it is written, Zeal for thy house will consume me.

⁵ and said to them, Hear me, ye Levites. Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

¹⁵ And they gathered their brothers, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of LORD, to cleanse the house of LORD. ¹⁶ And the priests went in to the inner part of the house of LORD to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of LORD into the court of the house of LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. ¹⁷ Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of LORD. And they sanctified the house of LORD in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. ¹⁸ Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of LORD, and the altar of burnt offering with all the vessels of it, and the table of showbread with all the vessels of it. ¹⁹ Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign cast away when he trespassed, we have prepared and sanctified. And, behold, they are before the altar of LORD.

⁴⁵ And they kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the purification, and also the singers and the porters, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.

² Command the sons of Israel, that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in. And ye shall give suburbs for the cities round about them to the Levites.

¹⁹ Take heed to thyself that thou not forsake the Levite as long as thou live in thy land.

³⁷ and that we should bring the first-fruits of our dough, and our heave offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

²⁸ And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹ also from Beth-gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built for them villages round about Jerusalem.

⁴⁷ And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters as every day required. And they set apart that which was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

⁶ A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. And ye say, How have we despised thy name? ⁷ Ye offer polluted bread upon my altar. And ye say, How have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of LORD is contemptible. ⁸ And when ye offer the blind for sacrifice, ye say, It is no evil! and when ye offer the lame and sick, It is no evil! Present it now to thy governor. Will he be pleased with thee, or will he accept thy person? says LORD of hosts. ⁹ Ye say, And now, I pray you, entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us; this has been by your means. Will he accept any of your persons? says LORD of hosts. ¹⁰ Oh that there was among you who would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says LORD of hosts, nor will I accept an offering at your hand. ¹¹ For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles. And in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name is great among the Gentiles, says LORD of hosts. ¹² But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of LORD is polluted. And the fruit of it, even its food, is contemptible. ¹³ Ye also say, Behold, what a weariness it is! And ye have sniffed at it, says LORD of hosts. And ye have brought that which was taken by violence, and the lame, and the sick. Thus ye bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand? says LORD. ¹⁴ But cursed be the deceiver, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing. For I am a great King, says LORD of hosts, and my name is feared among the Gentiles.

⁸ Will a man rob God? Yet ye rob me. But ye say, How have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

¹⁷ Let the elders who rule well be regarded worthy of double compensation, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. ¹⁸ For the scripture says thou shall not muzzle an ox that is threshing. And the workman is worthy of his wage.

¹⁷ And the sin of the young men was very great before LORD, for the men despised the offering of LORD.

⁶ And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. ⁷ Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the ranking men and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them. ⁸ And I said to them, According to our ability we have redeemed our brothers the Jews, who were sold to the nations, and would ye even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us? Then they were silent, and found not a word. ⁹ Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies? ¹⁰ And I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. ¹¹ Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. ¹² Then they said, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them, so will we do, even as thou say. Then I called the priests, and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. ¹³ Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, who does not perform this promise, even thus be he shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Truly, and praised LORD. And the people did according to this promise.

³⁹ For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the heave offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.

¹⁷ Then I contended with the ranking men of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?

²⁵ And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.

³⁴ because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me so that I kept silence, and did not go out of the door-

⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them.

⁸ Will a man rob God? Yet ye rob me. But ye say, How have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. ⁹ Ye are cursed with the curse, for ye rob me, even this whole nation. ¹⁰ Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, says LORD of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for it. ¹¹ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, nor shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, says LORD of hosts.

³⁰ And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is LORD's; it is holy to LORD.

²⁰ And LORD said to Aaron, Thou shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall thou have any portion among them. I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the sons of Israel. ²¹ And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting. ²² And henceforth the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. ²³ But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. And among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering to LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, Among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁵ And LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶ Moreover thou shall speak to the Levites, and say to them, When ye take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for LORD, a tithe of the tithe.

²² Thou shall surely tithe all the increase of thy seed; that which comes forth from the field year by year.

³⁷ and that we should bring the first-fruits of our dough, and our heave offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. ³⁸ And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure-house. ³⁹ For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the heave offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.

¹⁰ Bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now with this, says LORD of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for it.

¹⁵ Moreover they did not reckon with the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully.

⁷ However there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, for they dealt faithfully.

¹² And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully. And Conaniah the Levite was ruler over them, and Shimei his brother was second. ¹³ And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. ¹⁴ And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of LORD, and the most holy things. ¹⁵ And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, as well to the great as to the small,

³⁰ After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber.

² that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.

⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand, and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

¹² Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

²² The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the business of the house of God.

³⁵ and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

⁴² And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his lord will appoint over his service to give the provision on time?

¹⁰ The man faithful in the least is faithful also in much, and the man unrighteous in the least is unrighteous also in much. ¹¹ If therefore ye did not become faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you what is true? ¹² And if ye did not become faithful in the alien, who will give thine to you?

³⁵ and placed them at the apostles' feet. And it was distributed to each, according as any man had need.

¹ Now in those days, the disciples being multiplied, there developed a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily assistance.

³ Therefore, brothers, seek ye out seven men from you being well reported, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this need.

² And beyond that, it is sought in managers that any man should be found faithful.

¹² And I have gratitude to the Christ-Jesus our Lord-who empowered me, because he considered me faithful, having placed in service

¹⁰ And let these also first be proven, then being blameless, let them serve.

³ Moreover also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, seeing that I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, I give it to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

¹⁶ And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.

²⁰ And thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah. And he wrought that which was good and right and faithful before LORD his God. ²¹ And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

²⁰ And whatever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shall have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure-house.

²⁴ Also we certify to you, that concerning any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, upon them.

²⁷ Blessed be LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of LORD which is in Jerusalem,

¹⁹ Remember to me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.

²² And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember to me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy loving kindness.

³¹ and for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper who love thee. ⁷ Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. ⁸ For my brothers and companions' sakes I will now say, Peace be within thee. ⁹ For the sake of the house of LORD our God I will seek thy good.

¹⁰ For God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labor of love that ye showed toward his name, having served the sanctified, and who are serving.

⁵ He who overcomes, this man will be clothed in white garments, and I will, no, not erase his name out of the book of life. And I will acknowledge his name before my Father, and before his agents.

⁸ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days thou shall labor, and do all thy work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to LORD thy God. Thou shall not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates, ¹¹ for in six days LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

²¹ Six days thou shall work, but on the seventh day thou shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest thou shall rest.

² Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest to LORD. Whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.

³² And while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks upon the sabbath day. ³³ And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. ³⁴ And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him. ³⁵ And LORD said to Moses, The man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp. ³⁶ And all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him to death with stones, as LORD commanded Moses.

¹² Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as LORD thy God commanded thee. ¹³ Six days thou shall labor, and do all thy work, ¹⁴ but the seventh day is a sabbath to LORD thy God: thou shall not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thy donkey, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates, that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou.

¹⁹ And it shall be, if thou shall forget LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

¹⁹ Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to LORD. And they testified against them, but they would not give ear.

²⁹ and testified against them, that thou might bring them again to thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and did not hearken to thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), and withdrew the shoulder, and stiffened their neck, and would not hear.

³¹ And if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy from them on the sabbath, or on a holy day. And that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

²¹ Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why do ye lodge outside the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came no more on the sabbath.

⁷ Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify to thee, I am God, even thy God.

¹³ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, and the holy of LORD honorable, and shall honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

²¹ Thus says LORD: Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. ²² Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, nor do ye any work. But hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

²⁴ And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken to me, says LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to hallow the sabbath day, to do no work in it,

²⁷ But if ye will not hearken to me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in the gates of it, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

¹⁹ LORD has spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Go ye not into Egypt. Know certainly that I have testified to you this day.

¹³ But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keeps, he shall live in them. And they greatly profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

³ O my people, what have I done to thee? And in what have I wearied thee? Testify against me.

⁴⁰ And with many more other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this crooked generation.

²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus.

³ And I solemnly declare again to every man who is circumcised, that he is obligated to do the whole law.

¹⁷ This I say therefore, and solemnly declare in the Lord, for you to walk no longer as also the other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

⁶ not to transgress and to cheat his brother in the affair, because the Lord is vengeful about all these things, as also we forewarned you and solemnly testified.

¹⁸ I testify to every man who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man should add to them, God will add to him the seven plagues that are written in this book. ¹⁹ And if any man takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life, and from the holy city, the things written in this book.

¹² Six days thou shall do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shall rest, that thine ox and thy donkey may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the sojourner, may be refreshed.

¹⁴ but the seventh day is a sabbath to LORD thy God: thou shall not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thy donkey, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates, that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou.

⁷ Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the ranking men and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them.

¹¹ Then I contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

¹ God stands in the congregation of God. He judges among the gods. ² How long will ye judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? Selah.

¹⁰ Hear the word of LORD, ye rulers of Sodom, give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

⁵ I will go to the great men, and will speak to them, for they know the way of LORD, and the law of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

¹⁸ Say thou to the king and to the queen-mother: Humble yourselves. Sit down, for your coronets have come down, even the crown of your glory.

² and say, Hear the word of LORD, O king of Judah, who sits upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people who enter in by these gates. ³ Thus says LORD: Execute ye justice and righteousness. And deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. And do no wrong. Do no violence to the sojourner, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if ye do this thing indeed, then there shall enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. ⁵ But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. ⁶ For thus says LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou are Gilead to me, and the head of Lebanon, yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited. ⁷ And I will prepare destroyers against thee, each one with his weapons, and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. ⁸ And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say each man to his neighbor, Why has LORD done thus to this great city? ⁹ Then they shall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of LORD their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them. ¹⁰ Weep ye not for him who is dead, nor bemoan him. But weep greatly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. ¹¹ For thus says LORD concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: He shall not return there any more. ¹² But in the place where they have led him captive, there he shall die, and he shall see this land no more. ¹³ Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor's service without wages, and gives him not his hire, ¹⁴ who says, I will build me a wide house and spacious chambers, and cuts out windows for himself, and it is overlaid with cedar, and painted with vermilion. ¹⁵ Shall thou reign, because thou strive to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. ¹⁶ He judged the cause of the poor and needy man, then it was well. Was not this to know me? says LORD. ¹⁷ But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. ¹⁸ Therefore thus says LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, saying Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! ¹⁹ He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. ²⁰ Go up to Lebanon, and cry. And lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim. For all thy lovers are destroyed. ²¹ I spoke to thee in thy prosperity, but thou said, I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyed not my voice. ²² The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy loved ones shall go into captivity. Surely then thou shall be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. ²³ O inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes thy nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied thou shall be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!

¹ And I said, Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know justice?

⁹ Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity.

¹⁸ And if for these things ye will not yet hearken to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins.

²⁸ then I will walk contrary to you in wrath, and I also will chastise you seven times for your sins.

¹⁴ And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of LORD toward Israel.

¹⁷ Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although there came a plague upon the congregation of LORD, ¹⁸ that ye must turn away this day from following LORD? And it will be, seeing ye rebel today against LORD, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

¹³ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, seeing that thou our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant, ¹⁴ shall we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the peoples who do these abominations? Would thou not be angry with us till thou had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? ¹⁵ O LORD, the God of Israel, thou are righteous, for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before thee in our guiltiness, for none can stand before thee because of this.

²¹ Thus says LORD: Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. ²² Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, nor do ye any work. But hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. ²³ But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

⁹ Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives which they committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

²² So that LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.

⁸ Neither has she left her whoredoms since Egypt. For in her youth they lie with her, and they handled the bosom of her virginity, and they poured out their whoredom upon her.

²⁶ They shall also strip thee of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.

⁴ Be ye not as your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus says LORD of hosts: Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings, but they did not hear, nor hearken to me, says LORD. ⁵ Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? And they turned and said, Like as LORD of hosts thought to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so he has dealt with us.

¹⁴ Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death, for whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to LORD. Whoever does any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the sons of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign between me and the sons of Israel forever. For in six days LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

²² And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shall not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shall thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest. Thou shall leave them for the poor man, and for the sojourner. I am LORD your God.

³² It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls. In the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, ye shall keep your sabbath.

³ And I said to them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot, and while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors, and bar ye them. And appoint watchmen of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, and everyone to be opposite his house.

¹⁹ Thus LORD said to me, Go, and stand in the gate of the sons of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem. ²⁰ And say to them, Hear ye the word of LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter in by these gates.

²⁶ And whoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah some men treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys therewith, as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. And I testified against them in the day in which they sold foods.

³ For rulers are not a source of fear to the good works, but to the evil. And do thou desire not to fear the office of authority? Do what is good, and thou will have praise from it. ⁴ For he is a helper of God to thee for what is good. But if thou do what is evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is a helper of God, vengeful for wrath to the man who commits evil.

¹⁴ or to governors as being sent by him for vengeance of evildoers and praise of well-doers.

¹² Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as LORD thy God commanded thee.

⁴ And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of the temple of LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven, and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel.

¹² And said to them, Ye are the heads of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brothers, that ye may bring up the ark of LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. ¹³ For because ye did not at the first, LORD our God made a breach upon us, because we did not seek him according to the ordinance. ¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of LORD, the God of Israel.

⁴ And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east, ⁵ and said to them, Hear me, ye Levites. Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

²⁴ and the priests killed them. And they made a sin offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

²⁷ And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of LORD began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.

³⁰ Moreover Hezekiah the king and the rulers commanded the Levites to sing praises to LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

⁶⁴ These sought their registration among those who were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found. Therefore they were deemed polluted and put from the priesthood. ⁶⁵ And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

³⁰ And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the observances of it.

⁷ But as for me, in the abundance of thy loving kindness I will come into thy house. In thy fear I will worship toward thy holy temple.

⁶ Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindness. For they have been ever of old. ⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. According to thy loving kindness remember thou me, for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

¹ Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness. According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

³ If thou, LORD, should note iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou may be feared.

⁷ O Israel, hope in LORD, for with LORD there is loving kindness, and with him is plentiful redemption.

¹ LORD, remember for David all his affliction, ² how he swore to LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: ³ Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed, ⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, ⁵ until I find out a place for LORD, a tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob.

¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD. Give ear to my supplications. In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. ² And enter not into judgment with thy servant. For in thy sight no man living is righteous.

³ and said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept greatly.

²³ And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. They shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet. And thou shall know that I am LORD, and those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

⁷ Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return to LORD, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

¹² For our pride is this (the testimony from our conscience), that we behave in the world in the simplicity and purity of God, not by fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, and especially toward you.

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me in that day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.

¹ Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

¹ Now when these things were done, the rulers drew near to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ² For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yea, the hand of the heads and rulers has been chief in this trespass.

¹¹ which thou have commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, to which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land through the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their filthiness. ¹² Now therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters to your sons, nor seek their peace or their prosperity forever, that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your sons forever.

¹⁰ And Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them, Ye have trespassed, and have married foreign women to increase the guilt of Israel.

⁴⁴ All these had taken foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had sons.

⁷ But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry,

³⁰ And that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons.

¹⁴ Do not become unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness?

⁹ For then I will turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of LORD, to serve him with one consent.

¹⁶ and thou take of their daughters to thy sons, and their daughters play the harlot after their gods, and make thy sons play the harlot after their gods.

¹³ Thou shall fear LORD thy God, and him thou shall serve, and shall swear by his name.

³ Neither shall thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shall not give to his son, nor his daughter shall thou take to thy son.

² And it shall be, if the iniquitous man is deserving to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his iniquity, by number. ³ He may give him forty stripes. He shall not exceed, lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem debased to thee.

¹⁴ And the Levites shall answer, and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice, ¹⁵ Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Truly. ¹⁶ Cursed be he who dishonors his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Truly. ¹⁷ Cursed be he who removes his neighbor's landmark. And all the people shall say, Truly. ¹⁸ Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Truly. ¹⁹ Cursed be he who distorts the justice to the sojourner, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²⁰ Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife, because he has uncovered his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²¹ Cursed be he who lies with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²² Cursed be he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²³ Cursed be he who lies with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²⁴ Cursed be he who smites his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²⁵ Cursed be he who takes a bribe to kill an innocent man. And all the people shall say, Truly. ²⁶ Cursed is every man who does not continue in all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Truly.

¹² And they entered into the covenant to seek LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul. ¹³ And that whoever would not seek LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ¹⁴ And they swore to LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced at the oath. For they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them. And LORD gave them rest round about.

⁵ Then Ezra arose, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore.

¹³ Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, who does not perform this promise, even thus be he shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Truly, and praised LORD. And the people did according to this promise.

²⁹ they clung to their brothers, their ranking men, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes. ³⁰ And that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons.

⁴ in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear LORD, he that swears to his own hurt, and changes not,

⁶ I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.

⁴⁵ And having answered, a certain man of the lawyers says to him, Teacher, in saying these things thou rebuke us also. ⁴⁶ And he said, Woe also to you lawyers! Because ye load men with burdens difficult to bear, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

²⁴ And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her. And she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And LORD loved him, ²⁵ and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet. And he called his name Jedidiah, for LORD's sake.

¹³ And I have also given thee that which thou have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like thee all thy days.

¹ Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, ² of the nations concerning which LORD said to the sons of Israel, Ye shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clave to these in love. ³ And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. ⁴ For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods. And his heart was not perfect with LORD his God as was the heart of David his father. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ And Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of LORD, and went not fully after LORD as did David his father. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab on the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the sons of Ammon. ⁸ And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.

¹² wisdom and knowledge are granted to thee. And I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had who have been before thee, neither shall any after thee have the like.

²² So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

²⁶ And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. He who pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.

²⁴ And who will hearken to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle so shall his share be who remains by the baggage; they shall share alike.

² And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

¹ Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the sheep gate. They sanctified it, and set up the doors of it, even to the tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, to the tower of Hananel.

¹⁷ Moreover in those days the ranking men of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. ¹⁸ For there were many in Judah sworn to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah to wife. ¹⁹ Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

²² As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, there were recorded the heads of fathers, also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian.

⁴ Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah, ⁵ had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the heave offerings for the priests.

⁸ Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, to cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of LORD.

⁸ A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.

²⁶ A wise king winnows the wicked, and brings the wheel over them.

¹ And LORD said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people, ² except for his kin, who is near to him: for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother. ³ And for his sister a virgin, who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. ⁴ He shall not defile himself, who is a chief man among his people, to profane himself. ⁵ They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. ⁶ They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the offerings of LORD made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy. ⁷ They shall not take a woman who is a harlot, or profane, neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband, for he is holy to his God.

⁹ Is it a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, ¹⁰ and that he has brought thee near, and all thy brothers the sons of Levi with thee? And ye seek the priesthood also?

¹² Therefore say, Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. ¹³ And it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the sons of Israel.

³⁰ Therefore LORD, the God of Israel, says, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever, but now LORD says, Be it far from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

¹⁴ Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, who would have put me in fear.

⁵ Even thou, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, arise to visit all the nations. Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. ⁶ They return at evening. They howl like a dog, and go round about the city. ⁷ Behold, they belch out with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, for they say, Who hears? ⁸ But thou, O LORD, will laugh at them. Thou will have all the nations in derision. ⁹ O my strength, I will give heed to thee, for God is my high tower. ¹⁰ My God with his loving kindness will meet me. God will let me look upon my enemies. ¹¹ Kill them not, lest my people forget. Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield, ¹² for the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips. Let them even be taken in their pride, and for cursing and lying which they speak. ¹³ Consume them in wrath, consume them, so that they shall be no more. And let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.

⁴ And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi, says LORD of hosts. ⁵ My covenant of life and peace was with him. And I gave them to him that he might fear, and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. ⁷ For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth. For he is the messenger of LORD of hosts. ⁸ But ye are turned aside out of the way. Ye have caused many to stumble in the law. Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says LORD of hosts.

¹⁰ Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? ¹¹ Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holiness of LORD which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. ¹² LORD will cut off out of the tents of Jacob, the man who does this: him who wakes, and him who answers, and him who offers an offering to LORD of hosts.

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith did many evil things to me. May the Lord repay him according to his works,

¹ Now David was old and full of days, and he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ² And he gathered together all the rulers of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. ³ And the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward. And their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of LORD. And six thousand were officers and judges, ⁵ and four thousand were porters, and four thousand praised LORD with the instruments which I made, David said, to praise therewith. ⁶ And David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ⁷ Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. ⁹ The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers of Ladan. ¹⁰ And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. ¹¹ And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah had not many sons. Therefore they became a fathers' house in one reckoning. ¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. ¹³ The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was separated that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before LORD, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, forever. ¹⁴ But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. ¹⁷ And the sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸ The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second. ²¹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. ²² And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only. And their brothers the sons of Kish took them to wife. ²³ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three. ²⁴ These were the sons of Levi after their fathers' houses, even the heads of the fathers of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of LORD, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁵ For David said, LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ And also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service of it.

¹ Now these are the priests and the Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ³ Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ⁴ Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, ⁵ Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, ⁶ Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah. ⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua. ⁸ Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brothers. ⁹ Also Bakbukiah and Unno, their brothers, were opposite them according to their offices. ¹⁰ And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, ¹¹ and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua. ¹² And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah, of Jeremiah, Hananiah, ¹³ of Ezra, Meshullam, of Amariah, Jehohanan, ¹⁴ of Malluchi, Jonathan, of Shebaniah, Joseph, ¹⁵ of Harim, Adna, of Meraioth, Helkai, ¹⁶ of Iddo, Zechariah, of Ginnethon, Meshullam, ¹⁷ of Abijah, Zichri, of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai, ¹⁸ of Bilgah, Shammua, of Shemaiah, Jehonathan, ¹⁹ and of Joiarib, Mattenai, of Jedaiah, Uzzi, ²⁰ of Sallai, Kallai, of Amok, Eber, ²¹ of Hilkiah, Hashabiah, of Jedaiah, Nethanel. ²² As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, there were recorded the heads of fathers, also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian. ²³ The sons of Levi, heads of fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. ²⁴ And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to praise and give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch next to watch. ²⁵ Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the watch at the store-houses of the gates. ²⁶ These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest the scribe.

³⁴ And we cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn upon the altar of LORD our God, as it is written in the law,

⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. According to thy loving kindness remember thou me, for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

⁸ LORD, I love the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwells. ⁹ Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with men of blood,

⁴ Remember me, O LORD, with the favor that thou bear to thy people. O visit me with thy salvation,

⁴² And he said to Jesus, Remember me, Lord, when thou come into thy kingdom.