May 20 - Nehemiah 5-7
Nehemiah
1Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.2Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."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 had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.5Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."6When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.7I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them8and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because 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 Gentile enemies?10I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!11Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them-the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."12"We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.14Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year-twelve years-neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.15But the earlier governors-those preceding me-placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.16Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.17Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.18Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.19Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.
1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-though up to that time I had not set 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 scheming to harm me;3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter6in which was written: "It is reported among the nations-and Geshem says it is true-that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: 'There is a king in Judah!' Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together."8I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head."9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you-by night they are coming to kill you."11But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!"12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.16When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.17Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them.18For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.19Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
1After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.2I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.3I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses."4Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.5So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:6These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,7in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah): The list of the men of Israel:8the descendants of Parosh 2,1729of Shephatiah 37210of Arah 65211of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,81812of Elam 1,25413of Zattu 84514of Zaccai 76015of Binnui 64816of Bebai 62817of Azgad 2,32218of Adonikam 66719of Bigvai 2,06720of Adin 65521of Ater (through Hezekiah) 9822of Hashum 32823of Bezai 32424of Hariph 11225of Gibeon 9526the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 18827of Anathoth 12828of Beth Azmaveth 4229of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 74330of Ramah and Geba 62131of Micmash 12232of Bethel and Ai 12333of the other Nebo 5234of the other Elam 1,25435of Harim 32036of Jericho 34537of Lod, Hadid and Ono 72138of Senaah 3,93039The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 97340of Immer 1,05241of Pashhur 1,24742of Harim 1,01743The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 7444The singers: the descendants of Asaph 14845The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 13846The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,47Keros, Sia, Padon,48Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,49Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,50Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,51Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,52Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,53Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,54Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,55Barkos, Sisera, Temah,56Neziah and Hatipha57The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,58Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,59Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon60The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 39261The 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:62the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 64263And 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).64These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.65The 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.66The whole company numbered 42,360,67besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 245 men and women singers.68There were 736 horses, 245 mules,69435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.70Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmas of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests.71Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver.72The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.73The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,