Nehemiah 5-7

1About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.

2Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”

3Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

4Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

5We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

6When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry,

7and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them

8and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.

9So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?

10I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury.

11Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them.”

12“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.

13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

14Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

15The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.

16Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.

17There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.

18Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.

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

1When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—

2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.

3So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”

4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.

5The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter

6that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,

7and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”

8Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”

9For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.

10Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you!”

11But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”

12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.

14O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.

15So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.

16When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.

17Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters kept coming to them.

18For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.

19Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

1When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.

2Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.

3And I told them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.”

4Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.

5Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it:

6These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

7accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. This is the count of the men of Israel:

8the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

9the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

10the descendants of Arah, 652;

11the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;

12the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

13the descendants of Zattu, 845;

14the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

15the descendants of Binnui, 648;

16the descendants of Bebai, 628;

17the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

18the descendants of Adonikam, 667;

19the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

20the descendants of Adin, 655;

21the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;

22the descendants of Hashum, 328;

23the descendants of Bezai, 324;

24the descendants of Hariph, 112;

25the descendants of Gibeon, 95;

26the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

27the men of Anathoth, 128;

28the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;

29the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

30the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

31the men of Michmash, 122;

32the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

33the men of the other Nebo, 52;

34the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;

35the descendants of Harim, 320;

36the men of Jericho, 345;

37the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

38and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.

39The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;

40the descendants of Immer, 1,052;

41the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

42and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

43The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah), 74.

44The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.

45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 138 in all.

46The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,

47the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,

48the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai,

49the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,

50the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda,

51the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah,

52the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephushesim,

53the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,

54the descendants of Bazlith, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,

55the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah,

56the descendants of Neziah, and the descendants of Hatipha.

57The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida,

58the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,

59the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon.

60The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.

61The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:

62the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642 in all.

63And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).

64These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

65The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.

66The whole assembly numbered 42,360,

67in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 245 male and female singers.

68They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

69435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

70Some of the heads of the families contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments.

71And some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the project 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver.

72The rest of the people gave a total of 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priestly garments.

73So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.