Chapter 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 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 So it was when they had heard the law That they separated all the mixed Multitude from Israel Now before this elishib the priest Having authority over the storerooms of The House of our God was Allied with Tobiah 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 But during all this I was not in Jerusalem for in the 32nd year of Artaxerxes King of Babylon I had Returned to the king Then after certain days I obtained leave From The King and I came to Jerusalem And discovered the evil that elishib had Done for tobiah in preparing a room for
Him in the courts of the house of God And it grieved me bitterly Therefore I threw all the household Goods of tobiah out of the room 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 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 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 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the Grain and the new wine and the oil to The storehouse And I appointed as treasurers over the Storehouse shalamaya the priest and Zadok the Scribe and of the Levites Pidaya And next to them was Hanan the son of Zaka the son of matanaya For they were considered faithful and Their task was to distribute to their Brethren 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 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 Men of tired 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 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 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 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 Now the merchants and sellers of all Kinds of Wares lodged outside Jerusalem Once or twice 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 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 oh my God concerning this Also And spare me according to the greatness Of your mercy In those days I also saw Jews who had Married women of ashdod Ammon and Moab 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 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 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 Should we then hear of your doing all This great evil transgressing against
Our God by marrying Pagan women And one of the sons of joyada the son of Elishib the high priest Was a son-in-law of sun balat the horror Night Therefore I drove him from me Remember them oh my God because they Have defiled the priesthood and the Covenant of the priesthood and the Levites Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan I also assigned duties to the priests And the Levites each to his service and To bringing the wood offering and the Firstfruits at appointed times Remember me oh my God For good