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Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
Contemporary English Version
Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
Contemporary English Version
61-62 There were 642 who returned from the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, though they could not prove they were Israelites. They had lived in the Babylonian towns of Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer.
63-64 The families of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai could not prove they were priests. The ancestor of the family of Barzillai had married the daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and had taken his wife's family name. But the records of these three families could not be found, and none of them were allowed to serve as priests. 65 (A) In fact, the governor told them, “You cannot eat the food offered to God until he lets us know if you really are priests.”[a]
66-69 There were 42,360 who returned, in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 musicians, counting both men and women. Altogether, they brought with them 736 horses, 245 mules,[b] 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70-72 Many people gave gifts to help pay for the materials to rebuild the temple. The governor himself gave 8 kilograms of gold, 50 bowls to be used in the temple, and 530 robes for the priests. Family leaders gave 153 kilograms of gold and 1,458 kilograms of silver. The rest of the people gave 153 kilograms of gold, 1,325 kilograms of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.
73 (B) And so, by the seventh month,[c] priests, Levites, temple guards, musicians, workers, and many of the ordinary people had settled in the towns of Judah.
Ezra Reads God's Law to the People
8 1-2 On the first day of the seventh month,[d] the people came together in the open area in front of the Water Gate. Then they asked Ezra, who was a teacher of the Law of Moses, to read to them from this Law that the Lord had given his people. Ezra the priest came with the Law and stood before the crowd of men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. 3 From early morning till noon, he read the Law of Moses to them, and they listened carefully. 4 Ezra stood on a high wooden platform that had been built for this occasion. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah were standing to his right, while Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash Baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam were standing to his left.
5 Ezra was up on the high platform, where he could be seen by everyone, and when he opened the book, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra praised the great Lord God, and they lifted their hands, shouting “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord.
7-8 After this, the Levites Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah went among the people, explaining the meaning of what Ezra had read.
9 The people started crying when God's Law was read to them. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who had been teaching the people all said, “This is a special day for the Lord your God. So don't be sad and don't cry!”
10 Nehemiah told the people, “Enjoy your good food and wine and share some with those who didn't have anything to bring. Don't be sad! This is a special day for the Lord, and he will make you happy and strong.”
11 The Levites encouraged the people by saying, “This is a sacred day, so don't worry or mourn!” 12 When the people returned to their homes, they celebrated by eating and drinking and by sharing their food with those in need, because they had understood what had been read to them.
Celebrating the Festival of Shelters
13 On the second day of the seventh month,[e] the leaders of all the family groups came together with the priests and the Levites, so Ezra could teach them the Law 14 (C) that the Lord had given to Moses. They learned from the Law that the people of Israel were to live in shelters when they celebrated the festival in the seventh month of the year. 15 They also learned that they were to go into the woods and gather branches of leafy trees such as olives, myrtles, and palms for making these shelters.
16 So the people gathered branches and made shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the courtyard of the temple, and in the open areas around the Water Gate and Ephraim Gate. 17 Everyone who had returned from Babylonia built shelters. They lived in them and joyfully celebrated the Festival of Shelters for the first time since the days of Joshua son of Nun. 18 On each of the first seven days of the festival, Ezra read to the people from God's Law. Then on the eighth day, everyone gathered for worship, just as the Law had said they must.
The People Confess Their Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month,[f] the people of Israel went without eating, and they dressed in sackcloth and threw dirt on their heads to show their sorrow. 2 They refused to let foreigners join them, as they met to confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 For three hours they stood and listened to the Law of the Lord their God, and then for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord.
4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the special platform for the Levites and prayed aloud to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said:
“Stand and shout praises
to your Lord,
the eternal God![g]
Praise his wonderful name,
though he is greater
than words can express.”
The People Pray
6 You alone are the Lord,
Creator of the heavens
and all the stars,
Creator of the earth
and those who live on it,
Creator of the ocean
and all its creatures.
You are the source of life,
praised by the stars
that fill the heavens.
7 (D) You are the Lord our God,
the one who chose Abram—
you brought him from Ur
in Babylonia
and named him Abraham.
8 (E) Because he was faithful,
you made an agreement
to give his descendants
the land of the Canaanites
and Hittites,
of the Amorites and Perizzites,
and of the Jebusites
and Girgashites.
Now you have kept your promise,
just as you always do.
9 (F) When our ancestors
were in Egypt,
you saw their suffering;
when they were at the Red Sea,[h]
you heard their cry for help.
10 (G) You knew that the King of Egypt
and his officials and his nation
had mistreated your people.
So you worked fearsome miracles
against the Egyptians
and earned a reputation
that still remains.
11 (H) You divided the deep sea,
and your people walked through
on dry land.
But you tossed their enemies in,
and they sank down
like a heavy stone.
12 (I) Each day you led your people
with a thick cloud,
and at night you showed the way
with a flaming fire.
13 (J) At Sinai you came down
from heaven,
and you gave your people
good laws and teachings
that are fair and honest.
14 You commanded them to respect
your holy Sabbath,
and you instructed
your servant Moses
to teach them your laws.
15 (K) When they were hungry,
you sent bread from heaven,
and when they were thirsty,
you let water flow
from a rock.
Then you commanded them
to capture the land
that you had solemnly promised.
* 16 (L) Our stubborn ancestors
refused to obey—
they forgot about the miracles
you had worked for them,
and they were determined
to return to Egypt
and become slaves again.
17 (M) But, our God, you are merciful
and quick to forgive;
you are loving, kind,
and very patient.
So you never turned away
from them—
18 (N) not even when they made
an idol shaped like a calf
and insulted you by claiming,
“This is the god who rescued us
from Egypt.”
19 (O) Because of your great mercy,
you never abandoned them
in the desert.
And you always guided them
with a cloud by day
and a fire at night.
20 Your gentle Spirit
instructed them,[i]
and you gave them manna[j] to eat
and water to drink.
21 You took good care of them,
and for forty years
they never lacked a thing.
Their clothes didn't wear out,
and their feet were never swollen.
Footnotes
- 7.65 until … priests: The Hebrew text has “until a priest comes with the urim and thummim,” sacred objects which were used in some way to receive answers from God.
- 7.66-69 736 horses, 245 mules: A few Hebrew manuscripts; this is not found in most Hebrew manuscripts of verse 68.
- 7.73 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
- 8.1,2 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
- 8.13 seventh month: Hebrew “same month.”
- 9.1 seventh month: Hebrew “same month.”
- 9.5 shout … God: Or “shout eternal praises to the Lord your God.”
- 9.9 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, “Sea of Reeds,” one of the marshes of fresh water lakes near the eastern part of the Nile Delta. This identification is based on Exodus 13.17—14.9, which lists the towns on the route of the Israelites before crossing the sea. In the Greek translation of the Scriptures made about 200 b.c., the “Sea of Reeds” was named “Red Sea.”
- 9.20 Your gentle Spirit instructed them: Or “You gently instructed them.”
- 9.20 manna: This was something like a thin wafer (see Exodus 16.1-36).
Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
New International Version
Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
New International Version
61 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:
| 62 the descendants of | |
| Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda | 642 |
63 And from among the priests:
| the descendants of |
| Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). |
64 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.(A)
66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. 68 There were 736 horses, 245 mules,[a] 69 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics[b] of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families(B) gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics[c] of gold and 2,200 minas[d] of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas[e] of silver and 67 garments for priests.(C)
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants,(D) along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.(E)
Ezra Reads the Law
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,(F) 8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.(G) They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,(H) which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month(I) Ezra the priest brought the Law(J) before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate(K) in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform(L) built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing(M) above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands(N) and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites(O)—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed(P) the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[f] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites(Q) who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(R) For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing(S) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy(T) of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,(U) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters(V) during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.[g]
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate(W) and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.(X) 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.(Y) From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated(Z) it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read(AA) from the Book of the Law(AB) of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,(AC) there was an assembly.(AD)
The Israelites Confess Their Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(AE) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(AF) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(AG) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites(AH) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(AI) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[h]”
“Blessed be your glorious name,(AJ) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.(AK) You made the heavens,(AL) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(AM) the earth(AN) and all that is on it, the seas(AO) and all that is in them.(AP) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(AQ) worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(AR) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(AS) and named him Abraham.(AT) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(AU) You have kept your promise(AV) because you are righteous.(AW)
9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(AX) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[i](AY) 10 You sent signs(AZ) and wonders(BA) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(BB) for yourself,(BC) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(BD) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(BE) like a stone into mighty waters.(BF) 12 By day(BG) you led(BH) them with a pillar of cloud,(BI) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(BJ) you spoke(BK) to them from heaven.(BL) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(BM) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(BN) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(BO) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(BP) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(BQ) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(BR) to give them.(BS)
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(BT) and they did not obey your commands.(BU) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(BV) the miracles(BW) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(BX) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(BY) But you are a forgiving God,(BZ) gracious and compassionate,(CA) slow to anger(CB) and abounding in love.(CC) Therefore you did not desert them,(CD) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(CE) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(CF)
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(CG) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(CH) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(CI) to instruct(CJ) them. You did not withhold your manna(CK) from their mouths, and you gave them water(CL) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(CM) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(CN) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(CO)
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 7:68 Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Ezra 2:66); most Hebrew manuscripts do not have this verse.
- Nehemiah 7:70 That is, about 19 pounds or about 8.4 kilograms
- Nehemiah 7:71 That is, about 375 pounds or about 170 kilograms; also in verse 72
- Nehemiah 7:71 That is, about 1 1/3 tons or about 1.2 metric tons
- Nehemiah 7:72 That is, about 1 1/4 tons or about 1.1 metric tons
- Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
- Nehemiah 8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
- Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
- Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
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