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Nehemiah 13

1.And on that day did they read in the boke of Mosés, in the audience of the people, and it was founde written therein, that the Ammonite, and the Moabite *shulde not enter into the Congregation of God,
2.Because they met not the children of Israél with bread and with water, *but hired Balaám against them, that he shulde curse them, and our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3.Now when they had heard the Law, they separated from Israél aall those that were mixed.
4.¶ And before bthis had the Priest Eliashíb the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, being ckinsman to Tobiáh:
5.And he had made him a great chamber and there had they aforetime laid the offerings, the incense, and the vessels, and the tithes of corne, of wine, and of oyle (appointed for the Levites, & the singers, and the porters) and the offrings of the Priests.
6.But in all this time was not I in Jerusalém: for in the two and thirtieth yere of dArtahsháshte King of Babél, came I unto the King, & ^after certeine dayes I obtained of the King.
7.And when I was come to Jerusalém, I understode ethe evil that Eliashíb had done for Tobiáh, in that he had made him a chamber in the court of the house of God,
8.And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the vessels of the house of Tobiáh out of the chamber.
9.And I commanded them to cleanse the chambers: and thether broght I again the vessels of the house of God with the meat offring and the incense.
10.And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not bene given, and that everie one was fled to his land, even the Levites and singers that executed the worke.
11.Then reproved I the rulers and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I assembled them, and set them in their place.
12.Then broght all Judáh the tithes of corne and of wine, and of oyle unto the treasures.
13.And I made treasurers over the treasures, Shelemiáh the Priest, and Zadók the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiáh, and under their hand Hanán the sonne of Zaccúr the sonne of Mattaniáh: for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.
14.Remember me, ô my God, herein, and wipe not out my fkindenes that I have shewed on the house of my God, and on the offices thereof.
15.In those daies saw I in Judáh them, that trode wine presses on the Sabbath, and that broght in sheaves, and which laded asses also with wine, grapes, and figges and all The Sabbath reformed. Nehemiah burdens, and broght them into Jerusalém upon the Sabbath day: and gI 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 unto the children of Judáh even in Jerusalém.
17.Then reproved I the rulers of Judáh, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, & breake the Sabbath day?
18.Did not your fathers hthus, and our God broght all this plague upon us, and upon this citie? yet ye increase the wrath upon Israél, in breaking the Sabbath?
19.And when the gates of Jerusalém began to be idarke 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 servants 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 Jerusalém.
21.And I protested among them, and said unto them, Why tary ye all night about the wall? If ye do it once again, I wil lay hands upon you. From that time came they nomore on the Sabbath.
22.¶ And I said unto the Levites that they shulde clense them selves, and that they shulde come and kkepe the gates, to sanctifie the Sabbath day. Remember me, ô my God, concerning this, and pardon me according to thy great Strange marriage reproved mercie.
23.In those dayes also I sawe Jewes that married wives of lAshdód, of Ammón, and of Moab.
24.And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdód, and could not speak in the Jewes language, and according to the language of the one people, and of the other people.
25.Then I reproved them, and mcursed them, and smote certeine of them, and pulled off their heere, and toke an othe of them by God, Ye shal not give your daughters unto their sonnes, nether shal ye take of their daughters unto your sonnes, nor for your selves.
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 beloved of his God, and God had made him King over Israél: yet strange women caused him to sinne.
27.*Shal we then obey unto you, to do all this great evil, & to transgresse against our God, even to marry strange wives?
28.And one of the sonnes of Joiadá the sonne of Eliashíb 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 ndefile the Priesthode, and the covenant of the Priesthode, and of the Levites.
30.Then clensed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wardes of the Priests and of the Levites, everie one in his office,
31.And for the offring of the wood at times appointed, and for the first frutes. Remember me, ô my God, oin goodness.

Notes

1-*.
Deut. 23.3.
2-*.
Num. 22.5.
3-a.
That is, all such, which had joined in unlawful marriage, and also those, with whom God had forbidden them to have society.
4-b.
That the separation was made.
4-c.
He was joined in affinity with Tobiah the Ammonite, and enemy of the Jews.
6-^.
Or, at the year’s end.
6-d.
Called also Darius, Ezra 7.1.
7-e.
Thus we see to what inconveniences the people fall into, when they are destitute of one that has the fear of God, seeing that their chief governor was but awhile absent, and yet they fell into such great absurdities as appears also, Ex. 32.1.
14-f.
He protests that he did his duty with a good conscience, yet he does not justify himself herein, but desires God to favour him, and to be merciful unto him for his own goodness sake, as verse 22. 1
15-g.
I declared unto them, that God would not suffer such transgressors of his Law to be unpunished.
18-h.
Was not this a great cause, why God plagued us in times past: meaning, that if they transgressed now in the same again, their plague should be greater.
19-i.
About the time that the sun went down for the Sabbath lasted from the sun going down of the one day to the sun setting of the other.
22-k.
Meaning, of the Temple that none, that was unclean, should enter. 1
23-l.
Which was a city of the Philistims, and they had married wives thereof, and so had corrupted their speech and religion.
25-m.
That is, I did excommunicate them, and drive them out of the Congregation.
26-*.
1 Kings 3.7.
27-*.
1 Kings 11.1.
29-n.
Punish them according to their fault, and evil example, which they have given to the rest of your people, contrary to their vocation.
31-o.
That is, to show mercy unto me. 2