rd

Nehemiah 13

1 The Law is red 3 They ſeparate from them all ſtrāgers. 15 Nehemiáh reproueth them that breake the Sabbath. 30 An ordinance to ſerue God.
1.ANd on that day did they read in the boke of Moſés, in the audiēce of the people, & it was founde writē therein, that the Ammonite, and the Moabite ſhulde not enter into the Congregacion of God,
2.Becauſe they met not the children of Iſraél w̃ bread & with water, but hired Balaám agaīſt thẽ, that he ſhulde curſe thẽ: & our God turned the curſe into a bleſſing.
3.Now when they had heard the Law, they ſeparated from Iſraél all thoſe that were mixed.
4.And before this had the Prieſt Eliaſhib the ouerſight of the chamber of the houſe of our God, being kinſman to Tobiáh:
5.And he had made him a great chamber & there had thei aforetime laid the offrings, the incenſe, and the veſſels, and the tithes of corne, of wine, and of oyle (appointed for the Leuites, and the ſingers, & the porters) and the offrings of the Prieſts.
6.But in all this time was not I in Ieruſalém: for in the two and thirtieth yere of Artahſhaſhte King of Babél, came I vnto the King, and after certeine dayes I obteined of the King.
7.And when I was come to Ieruſalém, I vnderſtode ŷ euil that Eliaſhib had done for Tobiáh, in that he had made him a chāber in the court of the houſe of God,
8.And it grieued me ſore: therefore I caſt forthe all ŷ veſſels of the houſe of Tobiáh out of the chamber:
9.And I commanded them to cleanſe the chambers: and thether broght I againe the veſſels of the houſe of God with the meat offring and the incenſe.
10.And I perceiued that the porcions of the Leuites had not bene giuen, and that euerie one was fled to his lād, euen the Leuites & ſingers that executed the worke.
11.Thē reproued I the rulers & ſaid, Why is the houſe of God forſakē? And I aſſembled them, and ſet them in their place.
12.Then broght all Iudáh the tithes of corne & of wine, & of oyle vnto ŷ treaſures.
13.And I made treaſurers ouer ŷ treaſures, Shelemiáh the Prieſt, & Zadók the ſcribe, & of the Leuites, Pedaiah, & vnder their hand Hanán the ſonne of Zaccúr the ſonne of Mattaniáh: for they were counted faithful, and their office was to diſtribute vnto their brethren.
14.Remember me, ô my God, herein, and wipe not out my kindnes that I haue ſhewed on the houſe of my God, and on the offices thereof.
15.In thoſe daies ſaw I in Iudáh thẽ, ŷ trode wine preſſes on ye Sabbath, & that broght in ſheaues, and which laded aſſes alſo with wine, grapes, and figges and all burdens, and broght them into Ieruſalém vpon the Sabbath day: and I proteſted to them in the day that they ſolde vitailes.
16.There dwelt men of Tyrus alſo therein, which broght fiſh and all wares, and ſolde on the Sabbath vnto the children of Iudáh euen in Ieruſalém.
17.Then reproued I the rulers of Iudáh, & ſaid vnto them, What euil thing is this that ye do, and breake the Sabbath daye?
18.Did not your fathers thus, and our God broght all this plague vpon vs, and vpon this citie? yet ye increaſe the wrath vpon Iſraél, in breaking the Sabbath?
19.And when the gates of Ieruſalém began to be darke before the Sabbath, I commanded to ſhut the gates, and charged, that they ſhulde not be opened til after the Sabbath, and ſome of my ſeruants ſet I at the gates, that there ſhulde no burden be broght in on the Sabbath daye.
20.So the chapmen and marchants of all marchandise remained once or twiſe all night without Ieruſalém.
21.And I proteſted among them, and ſaid vnto them, Why tary ye all night about the wall? If ye do it once againe, I wil lay hands vpon you. Frõ that time came they nomore on the Sabbath.
22.¶ And I ſaid vnto the Leuites that they ſhulde clenſe them ſelues, and that they ſhulde come and kepe the gates, to ſanctifie the Sabbath day. Remember me, ô my God, cõcerning this, and pardone me according to thy great mercie.
23.In thoſe dayes alſo I ſawe Iewes that ma ried wiues of Aſhdód, of Ammón, and of Moab.
24.And their children ſpake halfe in the ſpeache of Aſhdód, & colde not ſpeake in the Iewes language, and according to the language of the one people, & of the other people.
25.Then I reproued them, and curſed them, and ſmote certeine of them, and pulled of their heere, & toke an othe of them by God, Ye ſhal not giue your daughters vnto their ſonnes, nether ſhal ye take of their daughters vnto your ſonnes, nor for your ſelues.
26.Did not Salomón the King of Iſraél ſinne by theſe things? yet among manie nacions was there no King like him: for he was beloued of his God, and God had made him King ouer Iſraél: yet ſtrange women cauſed him to ſinne.
27.Shal we then obey vnto you, to do all this great euil, and to tranſgreſſe againſt our God, euen to mary ſtrange wiues?
28.And one of the ſonnes of Ioiadá the ſonne of Eliaſhib the hye Prieſt was the ſonne in law of Sanballát the Horonite: but I chaſed him from me.
29.Remember them, ô my God, that defile the Prieſthode, and the couenant of the Prieſthode, and of the Leuites.
30.Then clenſed I them from all ſtrangers, and appointed the wardes of the Prieſts & of the Leuites, euerie one in his office,
31.And for the offring of the wood at times appointed, & for the firſt frutes. Remember me, ô my God, in goodnes.

Notes

1:*.
Deu. 23, 3.
2:*.
Nomb. 22, 5.
3:a.
That is, all ſuche, which had ioyned in vnlawful mariage, and alſo thoſe, with whome God had forbiddē thē to haue ſocietie
4:b.
That the ſeparacion was made.
4:c.
He was ioyned in affinitie with Tobiáh the Ammonite, and enemie of the Iewes.
6:d.
Called alſo Darius, Ezra 7, 1
6:".
Or, at the yeres end.
7:e.
Thus we ſe to what inconueniences the people fall into, when they are deſtitute of one that hathe the fear of God, ſeing that their chief gouernour was but a while abſent, and yet they fel into ſuche great abſurdities as appeareth alſo, Exo. 32, 1
14:f.
He proteſteth that he did his duetie with a good conſciēce, yet he dothe not iuſtifie him ſelfe herein, but deſireth God to fauour him, and to be merciful vnto him for his owne goodnes ſake, as verſe 22
15:g.
I declared vnto thẽ, that God wolde not ſuffer ſuche tranſgreſſours of his Law to be vnpuniſhed.
18:h.
Was not this a great cauſe, why God plagued vs in times paſt? meaning, that if they trãſgreſſed now in the ſame againe, their plague ſhulde be greater
19:i.
About the time that the ſunne went downe for the Sabbath laſted from the ſunne goingdowne of the one day to ẏ ſunne ſetting of the other.
22:k.
Meaning, of the Tẽple that none, that was vnclene, ſhulde entre.
23:l.
Which was a citie of the Philiſtims, & they had maried wiues thereof, and ſo had corrupted their ſpeache, and religion.
25:m.
That is, I did excommunicate them, & driue thẽ out of the Cõgregacion.
26:*.
1. King. 11, 1.
27:*.
1. King. 11, 1.
29:n.
Puniſh thẽ according to their faulte, & euil example, which they haue giuen to the reſt of thy people, cõtrarie to their vo cacion.
31:o.
That is, to ſhewe mercie vnto me.