Sep 29 Neh 11-13, Ps 126
The
People Dwelling in Jerusalem
11 Now the
leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to
bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and
nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. 2 And the people blessed all
the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.
3 These are the
heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah
everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests,
Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon’s servants.) 4 Also in Jerusalem
dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of
Benjamin.
The children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of
Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of
the children of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of
Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of
Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 6 All the sons of Perez who
dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant
men.
7 And these
are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son
of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son
of Jeshaiah; 8 and after
him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight. 9 Joel the son of
Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah[a] was second
over the city.
10 Of the
priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, and Jachin; 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah,
the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of
Ahitub, was the leader of the house of God. 12 Their brethren who did the
work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and
Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of
Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13 and his brethren, heads of
the fathers’ houses, were two hundred and forty-two; and
Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son
of Immer, 14 and their
brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred and
twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel the son of one
of the great men.[b]
15 Also of
the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of
Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, of
the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business
outside of the house of God; 17 Mattaniah the son of Micha,[c] the
son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the
thanksgiving with prayer; Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda
the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy
city were two hundred and eighty-four.
19 Moreover
the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one
hundred and seventy-two.
20 And the
rest of Israel, of the priests and Levites, were in
all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance. 21 But the Nethinim dwelt in
Ophel. And Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim.
22 Also the
overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani,
the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of
Asaph, the singers in charge of the service of the house of God. 23 For it was the
king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers,
a quota day by day. 24 Pethahiah the son of
Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was the
king’s deputy[d] in
all matters concerning the people.
The
People Dwelling Outside Jerusalem
25 And as
for the villages with their fields, some of the children of
Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel
and its villages; 26 in Jeshua,
Moladah, Beth Pelet, 27 Hazar Shual, and Beersheba
and its villages; 28 in Ziklag
and Meconah and its villages; 29 in En Rimmon, Zorah,
Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah,
Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; in Azekah and its
villages. They dwelt from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.
31 Also the
children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash, Aija, and
Bethel, and their villages; 32 in Anathoth, Nob,
Ananiah; 33 in Hazor,
Ramah, Gittaim; 34 in Hadid,
Zeboim, Neballat; 35 in Lod,
Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen. 36 Some of the Judean
divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.
The
Priests and Levites
12 Now
these are the priests and the Levites who came up with
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch,
Hattush, 3 Shechaniah,
Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo,
Ginnethoi,[e] Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah,
Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah,
Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu,
Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
These were the heads of the priests and their
brethren in the days of Jeshua.
8 Moreover
the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah,
Judah, and Mattaniah who led the
thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni,
their brethren, stood across from them in their duties.
10 Jeshua
begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, 11 Joiada begot Jonathan, and
Jonathan begot Jaddua.
12 Now in
the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses
were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of
Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Melichu,[f] Jonathan;
of Shebaniah,[g] Joseph; 15 of Harim,[h]Adna; of
Meraioth,[i] Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of
Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; the
son of Minjamin;[j] of
Moadiah,[k] Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of
Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of
Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai,[l] Kallai;
of Amok, Eber; 21 of
Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 During
the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the
Levites and priests who had been heads of their fathers’ houses in
the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads
of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan the son of
Eliashib, were written in the book of the chronicles.
24 And the
heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the
son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give
thanks, group alternating with group, according to the command of David the man
of God. 25 Mattaniah,
Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers
keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. 26 These lived in
the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,[m] and in the days of
Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.
Nehemiah
Dedicates the Wall
27 Now at
the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all
their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with
gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals
and stringed instruments and harps. 28 And the sons of the singers
gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of
the Netophathites, 29 from the
house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had
built themselves villages all around Jerusalem. 30 Then the priests and Levites
purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 So I
brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large
thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall
toward the Refuse Gate. 32 After them went Hoshaiah
and half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra,
Meshullam, 34 Judah,
Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests’
sons with trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son
of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his brethren, Shemaiah,
Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani,
with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe went before
them. 37 By the
Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of David,
on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as the Water
Gate eastward.
38 The other
thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind
them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as
far as the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of
Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the
Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of
the Prison.
40 So the
two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of
the rulers with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim,
Maaseiah, Minjamin,[n] Michaiah,
Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 also Maaseiah, Shemaiah,
Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly
with Jezrahiah the director.
43 Also that
day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice
with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of
Jerusalem was heard afar off.
Temple
Responsibilities
44 And at
the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the
offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields
of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites;
for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. 45 Both the singers and the
gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification,
according to the command of David and Solomon his son. 46 For in the days of David
and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs
of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 In the days of Zerubbabel
and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and
the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy
things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for
the children of Aaron.
Principles
of Separation
13 On that
day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it
was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the
assembly of God, 2 because
they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam
against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a
blessing. 3 So it
was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude
from Israel.
The
Reforms of Nehemiah
4 Now
before this, Eliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the
house of our God, was allied with Tobiah. 5 And he had prepared for him
a large room, where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the
frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which
were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and
gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests. 6 But during all this I was
not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I
had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the
king, 7 and I
came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in
preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8 And it grieved me bitterly;
therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. 9 Then I commanded them to
cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of
God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
10 I also
realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for
each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his
field. 11 So 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 storehouse. 13 And I appointed as
treasurers over the storehouse 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 considered faithful, and their
task was to distribute to their brethren.
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 its services!
15 In those
days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the
Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs,
and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on
the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they
were selling provisions. 16 Men of Tyre dwelt there
also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on
the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
17 Then I
contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this
that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers do
thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet
you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 So it
was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that
I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till
after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the
gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath
day. 20 Now the
merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or
twice.
21 Then I
warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If
you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on
they came no more on the Sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites
that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the
gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and
spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!
23 In those
days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod,
Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children
spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but
spoke according to the language of one or the other people.
25 So I
contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their
hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give
your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons
or yourselves. 26 Did not
Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no
king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all
Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. 27 Should we then hear of your
doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan
women?”
28 And one of
the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a
son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.
29 Remember
them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of
the priesthood and the Levites.
30 Thus I
cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned duties to the priests and
the Levites, each to his service, 31 and to bringing the
wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.
Remember me, O my God, for good!
A Joyful Return to Zion
A Song of
Ascents.
126 When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
4 Bring back
our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.
As the streams in the South.
5 Those who
sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
6 He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.
Shall reap in joy.
6 He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.
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