Chapter 10

The Agreement of the People. ¹ In view of all this, we intend to make a firm agreement in writing. On the sealed document will appear the signatures of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

² Those whose names were on the sealed document were, first of all, Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah. ³ Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ⁴ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, ⁵ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, ⁶ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, ⁷ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, ⁸ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, ⁹ Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah: these are the priests.

¹⁰ The Levites were Jeshua, son of Azaniah, Binnui, of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, ¹¹ and their kinsmen Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, ¹² Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹³ Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, ¹⁴ Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

¹⁵ The leaders of the people were Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, ¹⁶ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, ¹⁷ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, ¹⁸ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, ¹⁹ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, ²⁰ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, ²¹ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, ²² Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, ²³ Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, ²⁴ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, ²⁵ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, ²⁶ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, ²⁷ Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, ²⁸ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁹ The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all the others who had separated themselves from the neighboring peoples of the lands to adhere to the law of God—their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who are capable of understanding— ³⁰ have now joined their brothers, the nobles, and with a solemn oath have sworn to follow the law of God which was given through Moses, the servant of God, and to observe and obey all the commandments, the rules, and the statutes of the Lord, our Lord.

³¹ We have agreed that we will not give our daughters in marriage to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.^{[a] 32} Moreover, if the people of the country bring any merchandise or grain to sell on the sabbath day, we will not purchase it from them on the sabbath or on a holy day. Also, we will forego the crops of the seventh year and cancel the debts of every person.

³³ We willingly assume these following obligations for ourselves: we will give one-third of a shekel yearly for the service of the house of our God: ³⁴ for the loaves, for the showbread, for the daily cereal offering, for the daily holocaust, for the sacrifices on Sabbaths, new moons, and festivals, for the holy offerings, for sin offerings to make expiation on behalf of Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our God.

³⁵ We have also cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people for the wood offering, so that it will be brought into the house of our God by each family in turn, at appointed times each year, to be burned on the altar of the Lord, our God, as prescribed in the law. ³⁶ Furthermore, we pledge to bring the firstfruits of our crops and of our fruit trees.

³⁷ Also, as it is prescribed in the law, we will bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our children and of our animals, including the firstborn of our flocks and herds. ³⁸ We will also bring the first batch of our dough and our offerings of the fruit of every tree, the wine, and the oil to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, as well as the tithes from our soil to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all of our rural farming villages.

³⁹ An Aaronite priest must accompany the Levites when they collect the tithes, and the Levites are to bring one-tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.^{[b] 40} For the Israelites and the Levites must bring the offerings of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms of the treasury where the vessels of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers are lodged. Under no circumstances shall we neglect the house of our God.