Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

5 And there was a great ^(A)outcry of the people and their wives against their ^(B)Jewish brethren. ² For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”

³ There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”

⁴ There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. ⁵ Yet now ^(C)our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we ^(D)are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

⁶ And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. ⁷ After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, ^(E)“Each of you is ^[a]exacting usury from his brother.” So I ^[b]called a great assembly against them. ⁸ And I said to them, “According to our ability we have ^(F)redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”

Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. ⁹ Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk ^(G)in the fear of our God ^(H)because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? ¹⁰ I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this ^[c]usury! ¹¹ Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”

¹² So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”

Then I called the priests, ^(I)and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. ¹³ Then ^(J)I shook out ^[d]the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”

And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. ^(K)Then the people did according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah

¹⁴ Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year ^(L)until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ^(M)ate the governor’s provisions. ¹⁵ But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but ^(N)I did not do so, because of the ^(O)fear of God. ¹⁶ Indeed, I also continued the ^(P)work on this wall, and ^[e]we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

¹⁷ And ^(Q)at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. ¹⁸ Now that ^(R)which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this ^(S)I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

^19 (T)Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

6 Now it happened ^(U)when Sanballat, Tobiah, ^[f]Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it ^(V)(though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), ² that Sanballat and ^[g]Geshem ^(W)sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together ^[h]among the villages in the plain of ^(X)Ono.” But they ^(Y)thought to do me harm.

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

⁴ But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written:

⁸ Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

⁹ For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

¹⁰ Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the ^[j]temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”

¹¹ And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” ¹² Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that ^(AA)he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

^14 (AB)My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the ^(AC)prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

The Wall Completed

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶ And it happened, ^(AD)when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for ^(AE)they perceived that this work was done by our God.

¹⁷ Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. ¹⁸ For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the ^(AF)son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of ^(AG)Meshullam the son of Berechiah. ¹⁹ Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my ^[k]words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

He Is Risen^(A)

24 Now ^(B)on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, ^[a]and certain other women with them, came to the tomb ^(C)bringing the spices which they had prepared. ^2 (D)But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ^3 (E)Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ And it happened, as they were ^[b]greatly perplexed about this, that ^(F)behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. ⁵ Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but is risen! ^(G)Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying, ‘The Son of Man must be ^(H)delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

⁸ And ^(I)they remembered His words. ^9 (J)Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, ^(K)Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. ^11 (L)And their words seemed to them like ^[c]idle tales, and they did not believe them. ^12 (M)But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths ^[d]lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus^(N)

^13 (O)Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was ^[e]seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And they talked together of all these things which had happened. ¹⁵ So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that ^(P)Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But ^(Q)their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

¹⁷ And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you ^[f]walk and are sad?”

¹⁸ Then the one ^(R)whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, ^(S)who was a Prophet ^(T)mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ^20 (U)and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. ²¹ But we were hoping ^(V)that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. ²² Yes, and ^(W)certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. ²³ When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. ²⁴ And ^(X)certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵ Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ^26 (Y)Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His ^(Z)glory?” ²⁷ And beginning at ^(AA)Moses and ^(AB)all the Prophets, He ^[g]expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

The Disciples’ Eyes Opened

²⁸ Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and ^(AC)He ^[h]indicated that He would have gone farther. ²⁹ But ^(AD)they constrained Him, saying, ^(AE)“Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ Now it came to pass, as ^(AF)He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³² And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and ^(AG)has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was ^[i]known to them in the breaking of bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples^(AH)

^36 (AI)Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen ^(AJ)a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. ^(AK)Handle Me and see, for a ^(AL)spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

^40 [j]When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ But while they still did not believe ^(AM)for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ^(AN)“Have you any food here?” ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish ^[k]and some honeycomb. ^43 (AO)And He took it and ate in their presence.

The Scriptures Opened

⁴⁴ Then He said to them, ^(AP)“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” ⁴⁵ And ^(AQ)He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

⁴⁶ Then He said to them, ^(AR)“Thus it is written, ^[l]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and ^(AS)remission of sins should be preached in His name ^(AT)to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ And ^(AU)you are witnesses of these things. ^49 (AV)Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city ^[m]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

The Ascension^(AW)

⁵⁰ And He led them out ^(AX)as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ^51 (AY)Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. ^52 (AZ)And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually ^(BA)in the temple ^[n]praising and blessing God. ^[o]Amen.