12
In the days of Joiakim, the leaders of the priestly families were:
Meraiah
of Seraiah,
Hananiah
of Jeremiah,
13
Meshullam
of Ezra,
Jehohanan
of Amariah,
14
Jonathan
of Malluchi,
Joseph
of Shebaniah,
15
Adna
of Harim,
Helkai
of Meraioth,
16
Zechariah
of Iddo,
Meshullam
of Ginnethon,
17
Zichri
of Abijah,
Piltai
of Moadiah, of Miniamin,
18
Shammua
of Bilgah,
Jehonathan
of Shemaiah,
19
Mattenai
of Joiarib,
Uzzi
of Jedaiah,
20
Kallai
of Sallai,
Eber
of Amok,
21
Hashabiah
of Hilkiah,
and Nethanel
of Jedaiah.
22
In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the leaders of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded while Darius the Persian ruled.
23
Levi's descendants, the leaders of families, were recorded in the Book of the Historical Records during the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24
The leaders of the Levites — Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their relatives opposite them — gave praise and thanks, division by division, as David the man of God had prescribed.
25
This included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.
26
These served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
Dedication of the Wall
27
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28
The singers gathered from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,
29
from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
30
After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31
Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large processions that gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate.
32
Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed,
33
along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34
Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
35
and some of the priests' sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of
•Asaph
followed
36
as well as his relatives — Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe went in front of them.
37
At the Fountain Gate they climbed the steps of the city of David on the ascent of the wall and went above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38
The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
39
above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
40
The two thanksgiving processions stood in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials accompanying me,
41
as well as the priests:
Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin,
Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,
and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42
and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar,
Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer.
Then the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as the leader.
43
On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy. The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem's rejoicing was heard far away.
Support of the Levites' Ministry
44
On that same day men were placed in charge of the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions,
•firstfruits
, and tenths. The legally required portions for the priests and Levites were gathered from the village fields, because Judah was grateful to the priests and Levites who were serving.
45
They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.
46
For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were leaders of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47
So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.
Nehemiah
Nehemiah's Further Reforms
13
At that time the book of Moses was read publicly to the people. The command was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,
2
because they did not meet the Israelites with food and water. Instead, they hired Balaam against them to curse them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3
When they heard the law, they separated all those of mixed descent from Israel.
4
Now before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was a relative of Tobiah
5
and had prepared a large room for him where they had previously stored the
•grain
offerings, the frankincense, the articles, and the tenths of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.
6
While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only later that I asked the king for a leave of absence
7
so I could return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of God's house.
8
I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah's household possessions out of the room.
9
I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored there, along with the grain offering and frankincense.
10
I also found out that because the portions for the Levites had not been given, each of the Levites and the singers performing the service had gone back to his own field.
11
Therefore, I rebuked the officials, saying, “Why has the house of God been neglected? ” I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts.
12
Then all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storehouses.
13
I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, with Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah to assist them, because they were considered trustworthy. They were responsible for the distribution to their colleagues.
14
Remember me for this, my God, and don't erase the deeds of faithful love I have done for the house of my God and for its services.
15
At that time I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
16
The Tyrians living there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
17
I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them: “What is this evil you are doing — profaning the Sabbath day?
18
Didn't your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath! ”
19
When shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the gates be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day.
20
Once or twice the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem,
21
but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I'll use force against you.” After that they did not come again on the Sabbath.
22
Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion in keeping with Your abundant, faithful love.
23
In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24
Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples but could not speak Hebrew.
25
I rebuked them, cursed them, beat some of their men, and pulled out their hair. I forced them to take an oath before God and said: “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or yourselves!
26
Didn't King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations. He was loved by his God and God made him king over all Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin.
27
Why then should we hear about you doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women? ”
28
Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. So I drove him away from me.
29
Remember them, my God, for defiling the priesthood as well as the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30
So I purified them from everything foreign and assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites.
31
I also arranged for the donation of wood at the appointed times and for the
•firstfruits
.
Remember me, my God, with favor.
Esther
Esther
Vashti Angers the King
1
These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus, who ruled 127 provinces from India to
•Cush
.
2
In those days King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne in the fortress at Susa.
3
He held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff, the army of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the officials from the provinces.
4
He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days.
5
At the end of this time, the king held a week-long banquet in the garden courtyard of the royal palace for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were present in the fortress of Susa.
6
White and violet linen hangings were fastened with fine white and purple linen cords to silver rods on marble columns. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of red feldspar, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones.
7
Beverages were served in an array of gold goblets, each with a different design. Royal wine flowed freely, according to the king's bounty
8
and no restraint was placed on the drinking. The king had ordered every wine steward in his household to serve as much as each person wanted.
9
Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women of King Ahasuerus's palace.
10
On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who personally served him,
11
to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful.
12
But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command that was delivered by his eunuchs. The king became furious and his anger burned within him.
The King's Decree
13
The king consulted the wise men who understood the times, for it was his normal procedure to confer with experts in law and justice.
14
The most trusted ones were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were the seven officials of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and occupied the highest positions in the kingdom.
15
The king asked, “According to the law, what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey King Ahasuerus's command that was delivered by the eunuchs? ”