|
NEHEMIAH
CHAPTER
1
1
The words of Nehemiah the sonne of Hachaliah. In ye moneth Chisleu, in the
twentieth yeere, as I was in the palace of Shushan,
2 Came Hanam, one of my brethren, he and the men of Iudah, & I asked them
concerning the Iewes that were deliuered, which were of the residue of the
captiuitie, and concerning Ierusalem.
3 And they sayde vnto me, The residue that are left of the captiuitie there in
the prouince, are in great affliction and in reproche, & the wall of
Ierusalem is broken downe, & the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
4 And when I heard these wordes, I sate downe and wept, and mourned certeine
dayes, & I fasted and prayed before the God of heauen,
5 And sayde, O Lorde God of heauen, the great and terrible God, that keepeth
couenant and mercy for them that loue him, and obserue his commandements,
6 I pray thee, let thine eares be attet, & thine eies open, to heare the
praier of thy seruat, which I pray before thee dayly, day & night for ye
childre of Israel thy seruats, & confesse the sinnes of the children of
Israel, which we haue sinned against thee, both I and my fathers house haue
sinned:
7 We haue grieuously sinned against thee, and haue not kept the commandements,
nor the statutes, nor the iudgements, which thou commandedst thy seruant Moses.
8 I beseeche thee, remember the worde that thou commandedst thy seruant Moses,
saying, Ye wil transgresse, and I will scatter you abroade among the people.
9 But if ye turne vnto me, & keepe my commandements, and doe them, though
your scattering were to the vttermost part of the heauen, yet will I gather you
from thence, and will bring you vnto the place that I haue chosen to place my
Name there.
10 Now these are thy seruants and thy people, whome thou hast redeemed by thy
great power, and by thy mightie hand.
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let thine eare now hearken to the prayer of thy
seruant, and to the prayer of thy seruants, who desire to feare thy Name, &
I pray thee, cause thy seruant to prosper this day, and giue him fauour in the
presence of this man: for I was the Kings butler.
CHAPTER
2
1 Nowe in the moneth Nisan in the twentieth yere of king Artahshashte, the wine
stoode before him, and I tooke vp the wine, and gaue it vnto the King. nowe I
was not before time sad in his presence.
2 And the king said vnto me, Why is thy coutenance sad, seeing thou art not
sicke? this is nothing, but sorow of heart. Then was I sore afrayd,
3 And I said to the King, God saue the King for euer: why should not my
countenance be sad, when the citie & house of the sepulchres of my fathers
lieth waste, and the gates thereof are deuoured with fire?
4 And the King said vnto me, For what thing doest thou require? Then I prayed to
the God of heauen,
5 And sayde vnto the King, If it please the King, and if thy seruant haue found
fauour in thy sight, I desire that thou wouldest send me to Iudah vnto the city
of the sepulchres of my fathers, that I may buyld it.
6 And the King sayd vnto me, (the Queene also sitting by him) How long shall thy
iourney be? & when wilt thou come againe? So it pleased the King, and he
sent me, and I set him a time.
7 After I saide vnto the King, If it please the King, let them giue mee letters
to the captaines beyond the Riuer, that they may conuay me ouer, till I come
into Iudah,
8 And letters vnto Asaph the keeper of the Kings parke, that hee may giue me
timber to buylde the gates of the palace (which apperteined to the house) and
for the walles of the citie, and for the house that I shall enter into; the King
gaue me according to the good hand of my God vpon me.
9 Then came I to the captaines beyonde the Riuer, and gaue them the Kings
letters; the King had sent captaines of the armie and horsemen with me.
10 But Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah a seruant an Ammonite heard it, and it
grieued them sore, that there was come a man which sought the wealth of the
children of
Israel
.
11 So I came to Ierusalem, & was there three dayes.
12 And I rose in the night, I, and a fewe men with me: for I told no man, what
God had put in mine heart to do at Ierusalem, & there was not a beast with
me, saue the beast whereon I rode.
13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, & came before the
draggon well, and to the dung porte, and vewed the walles of Ierusalem, howe
they were broken downe, and the portes thereof deuoured with the fire.
14 Then I went foorth vnto the gate of the fountaine, and to the Kings fishpoole,
and there was no rowme for the beast that was vnder me to passe.
15 Then went I vp in ye night by the brooke, and viewed the wall, and turned
backe, and comming backe, I entred by the gate of the valley & returned.
16 And the rulers knewe not whither I was gone, nor what I did, neither did I as
yet tell it vnto the Iewes, nor to the Priestes, nor to the noble men, nor to
the rulers, nor to the rest that laboured in the worke.
17 Afterward I said vnto them, Ye see the miserie that we are in, how Ierusalem
lyeth waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come and let vs buylde
the wall of Ierusalem, that we be no more a reproche.
18 Then I tolde them of the hande of my God, (which was good ouer me) and also
of the Kings wordes that he had spoken vnto me; they sayd, Let vs rise, and
buyld. So they strengthened their hand to good.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the seruant an Ammonite, and
Geshem the Arabian heard it, they mocked vs and despised vs, and said, What a
thing is this that ye doe? Will ye rebell against the King?
20 Then answered I them, and sayd to them, The God of heauen, he will prosper vs,
and we his seruants will rise vp and buylde: but as for you, ye haue no portion
nor right, nor memoriall in Ierusalem.
CHAPTER
3
1 Then arose Eliashib the hie Priest with his brethren the Priestes, and they
buylt the sheepegate: they repayred it, and set vp the doores thereof: euen vnto
the
tower
of
Meah
repayred they it, and vnto the tower of Hananeel.
2 And next vnto him buylded the men of Iericho, and beside him Zaccur the sonne
of Imri.
3 But the fish port did the sonnes of Senaah buylde, which also layde the beames
thereof, and set on the doores thereof, the lockes thereof, and the barres
thereof.
4 And next vnto them fortified Merimoth, the sonne of Vrijah, the sonne of
Hakkoz: and next vnto them fortified Meshullam, the sonne of Berechiah, the
sonne of Meshezabeel: and next vnto them fortified Zadok, the sonne of Baana:
5 And next vnto them fortified the Tekoites: but the great men of them put not
their neckes to the worke of their lordes.
6 And the gate of the olde fishpoole fortified Iehoiada the sonne of Paseah, and
Meshullam the sonne of Besodaiah: they laid the beames thereof, and set on the
doores thereof, and the lockes thereof, and the barres thereof.
7 Next vnto them also fortified Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Iadon the
Meronothite, men of
Gibeon
, and of Mizpah, vnto the throne of the Duke, which was beyond the Riuer.
8 Next vnto him fortified Vzziel the sonne of Harhohiah of the golde smithes:
next vnto him also fortified Hananiah, the sonne of Harakkahim, and they
repayred Ierusalem vnto the broad wall.
9 Also next vnto them fortified Rephaiah, the sonne of Hur, the ruler of the
halfe part of Ierusalem.
10 And next vnto him fortified Iedaiah the sonne of Harumaph, euen ouer against
his house: and next vnto him fortified Hattush, the sonne of Hashabniah.
11 Malchiiah the sonne of Harim, and Hashub the sonne of Pahath
Moab
fortified the seconde porcion, and the tower of the fornaces.
12 Next vnto him also fortified Shallum, the sonne of Halloesh, the ruler of the
halfe part of Ierusalem, he, and his daughters.
13 The valley gate fortified Hanum, and the inhabitants of Zanuah: they buylt
it, and set on the doores thereof, the lockes thereof, and the barres thereof,
euen a thousand cubites on the wall vnto the dung porte.
14 But the dung port fortified Malchiah, the sonne of Rechab, the ruler of the
fourth part of Beth-haccarem: he built it, and set on the doores thereof, the
lockes thereof, & the barres thereof.
15 But the gate of the fountaine fortified Shallun, the sonne of Col-hozeh, the
ruler of the fourth part of Mizpah: he builded it, and couered it, and set on
the doores thereof, the lockes thereof, and the barres thereof, and the wall
vnto the fishpoole of Shelah by the Kings garden, and vnto the steppes that goe
downe from the citie of Dauid.
16 After him fortified Nehemiah the sonne of Azbuk, the ruler of ye halfe part
of Beth-zur, vntill the otherside ouer against the sepulchres of Dauid, and to
the fishpoole that was repaired, and vnto the house of the mightie.
17 After him fortified the Leuites, Rehum the sonne of Bani, and next vnto him
fortified Hashabiah the ruler of the halfe part of Keilah in his quarter.
18 After him fortified their brethren: Bauai, the sonne of Henadad the ruler of
the halfe part of Keilah:
19 And next vnto him fortified Ezer, the sonne of Ieshua the ruler of Mizpah,
the other portion ouer against the going vp to the corner of the armour.
20 After him was earnest Baruch the sonne of Zacchai, and fortified another
portion from the corner vnto the doore of the house of Eliashib the hie Priest.
21 After him fortified Merimoth, the sonne of Vriiah, the sonne of Hakkoz,
another portion from the doore of the house of Eliashib, euen as long as the
house of Eliashib extended.
22 After him also fortified the Priests, the men of the playne.
23 After them fortified Beniamin, and Hasshub ouer against their house: after
him fortified Azariah, the sonne of Maaseiah, the sonne of Ananiah, by his
house.
24 After him fortified Binnui, the sonne of Henadad another portion, from the
house of Azariah vnto the turning and vnto the corner.
25 Palal, the sonne of Vzai, from ouer against the corner, & the high tower,
that lieth out from the Kings house, which is beside the court of the prison.
After him, Pedaiah, the sonne of Parosh.
26 And the Nethinims they dwelt in ye fortresse vnto the place ouer against the
water gate, Eastwarde, and to the tower that lyeth out.
27 After him fortified the Tekoites another portion ouer against the great
tower, that lyeth out, euen vnto the wall of the fortresse.
28 From aboue the horsegate forth fortified the Priests, euery one ouer against
his house.
29 After them fortified Zadok the sonne of Immer ouer against his house: and
after him fortified Shemaiah, the sonne of Shechadiah the keeper of the East
gate.
30 After him fortified Hananiah, the sonne of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sonne of
Zalaph, the sixt, another portion after him fortified Meshullam, the sonne of
Berechiah, ouer against his chamber.
31 After him fortified Malchiah the goldesmiths sonne, vntil the house of the
Nethinims, and of ye marchants ouer against the gate Miphkad, and to the chamber
in the corner.
32 And betwene the chamber of the corner vnto the sheepegate fortified the
goldesmithes and the marchantes.
CHAPTER
4
1 Bvt when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, then was he wroth and sore
grieued, and mocked the Iewes,
2 And sayde before his brethren and the armie of
Samaria
, thus he sayde, What doe these weake Iewes? wil they fortifie them selues? wil
they sacrifice? will they finish it in a day? will they make the stones whole
againe out of the heapes of dust, seeing they are burnt?
3 And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and said, Although they buylde, yet if
a foxe goe vp, he shall euen breake downe their stonie wall.
4 Heare, O our God (for we are despised) and turne their shame vpon their owne
head, and giue them vnto a pray in the lande of their captiuitie,
5 And couer not their iniquitie, neither let their sinne be put out in thy
presence: for they haue prouoked vs before the builders.
6 So we built the wall, and all the wall was ioyned vnto the halfe thereof, and
the heart of the people was to worke.
7 But when Sanballat, & Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the
Ashdodims heard that the walles of Ierusalem were repayred, (for the breaches
began to be stopped) then they were very wroth,
8 And conspired all together to come & to fight against Ierusalem, and to
hinder them.
9 The we prayed vnto our God, & set watchmen by them, day and night, because
of them.
10 And Iudah said, The strength of the bearers is weakened, and there is much
earth, so that we are not able to build the wall.
11 Also our aduersaries had sayde, They shall not knowe, neither see, till we
come into the middes of them and slay them, and cause the worke to cease.
12 But when the Iewes (which dwelt beside them) came, they told vs ten times,
From all places whece ye shal returne, they wil be vpon vs.
13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall vpon the toppes of the
stones, & placed the people by their families, with their swordes, their
speares and their bowes.
14 Then I behelde, and rose vp, and said vnto the Princes, and to the rulers,
and to the rest of the people, Be not afrayde of them: remember the great Lorde,
and fearefull, and fight for your brethren, your sonnes, and your daughters,
your wiues, and your houses.
15 And when our enemies heard that it was knowen vnto vs, then God brought their
counsell to nought, and we turned all againe to the wall, euery one vnto his
worke.
16 And from that day, halfe of the yong men did the labour, and the other halfe
part of them helde the speares, and shieldes, and bowes, and habergins: and the
rulers stoode behinde all the house of Iudah.
17 They that buylded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, and they that
laded, did the worke with one hand, and with the other helde the sworde.
18 For euery one of the buylders had his sworde girded on his loynes, and so
buylded: and he that blewe the trumpet, was beside me.
19 Then saide I vnto the Princes, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the
people, The worke is great and large, and we are separated vpon the wall, one
farre from another.
20 In what place therefore ye heare the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither
vnto vs: our God shall fight for vs.
21 So we laboured in the worke, and halfe of them helde the speares, from the
appearing of the morning, till the starres came foorth.
22 And at the same time said I vnto the people, Let euery one with his seruant
lodge within Ierusalem, that they may be a watch for vs in the night, and labour
in the day.
23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my seruants, nor the men of the warde,
(which followed me) none of vs did put off our clothes, saue euery one put them
off for washing.
CHAPTER
5
1 Nowe there was a great crie of the people, and of their wiues against their
brethren the Iewes.
2 For there were that said, We, our sonnes & our daughters are many,
therefore we take vp corne, that we may eate and liue.
3 And there were that saide, We must gage our landes, and our vineyardes, and
our houses, and take vp corne for the famine.
4 There were also that said, We haue borowed money for the Kings tribute vpon
our landes and our vineyardes.
5 And nowe our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, and our sonnes as their
sonnes: and lo, we bring into subiection our sonnes and our daughters, as
seruants, and there be of our daughters nowe in subiection, and there is no
power in our handes: for other men haue our landes and our vineyardes.
6 Then was I very angrie when I heard their crie and these wordes.
7 And I thought in my minde, and I rebuked the princes, and the rulers, and
saide vnto them, You lay burthens euery one vpon his brethren: and I set a great
assemblie against them,
8 And I said vnto them, We (according to our abilitie) haue redeemed our
brethren the Iewes, which were solde vnto the heathen: and will you sell your
brethren againe, or shall they be solde vnto vs? Then helde they their peace,
and could not answere.
9 I said also, That which ye do, is not good. Ought ye not to walke in the feare
of our God, for the reproche of the heathen our enemies?
10 For euen I, my brethren, and my seruants doe lende them money and corne: I
pray you, let vs leaue off this burden.
11 Restore, I pray you, vnto them this day their landes, their vineyardes, their
oliues, & their houses, and remit the hundreth part of the siluer and of the
corne, of the wine, and of the oyle that ye exact of them.
12 Then said they, We will restore it, and will not require it of them: we will
doe as thou hast said. Then I called the Priestes, and caused them to sweare,
that they shoulde doe according to this promes.
13 So I shooke my lappe, and said, So let God shake out euery man that wil not
perfourme this promise from his house, & from his labour: euen thus let him
be shaken out, & emptied; all the Cogregation said, Amen, & praised the
Lord: and the people did according to this promes.
14 And from the time that the King gaue me charge to be gouernour in the lande
of Iudah, from the twentieth yeere, euen vnto the two and thirtieth yeere of
King Artahshashte, that is, twelue yeere, I, and my brethren haue not eaten the
bread of the gouernour.
15 For the former gouernours that were before me, had bene chargeable vnto the
people, and had taken of them bread and wine, besides fourtie shekels of siluer:
yea, and their seruants bare rule ouer the people: but so did not I, because of
the feare of God.
16 But rather I fortified a portio in the worke of this wall, and we bought no
lande, and all my seruants came thither together vnto the worke.
17 Moreouer there were at my table an hundreth & fiftie of the Iewes, &
rulers, which came vnto vs from among the heathen that are about vs.
18 And there was prepared daily an oxe, and sixe chosen sheepe, and birdes were
prepared for me, and within ten dayes wine for all in abundance. Yet for all
this I required not the bread of the gouernour: for the bondage was grieuous
vnto this people.
19 Remember me, O my God, in goodnesse, according to all that I haue done for
this people.
CHAPTER
6
1 And when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our
enemies heard that I had built the wall, & that there were no mo breaches
therein, (though at that time I had not set vp the doores vpon the gates)
2 Then sent Sanballat and Geshem vnto me, saying, Come thou that we may meete
together in the villages in the plaine of Ono: and they thought to doe me euill.
3 Therefore I sent messengers vnto them, saying, I haue a great worke to doe,
and I can not come downe: why should the worke cease, whiles I leaue it, and
come downe to you?
4 Yet they sent vnto me foure times after this sort; I answered them after the
same maner.
5 Then sent Sanballat his seruant after this sorte vnto me the fift time, with
an open letter in his hand,
6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu hath sayd
it, that thou and the Iewes thinke to rebel, for the which cause thou buildest
the wall and thou wilt bee their King according to these wordes.
7 Thou hast also ordeyned the Prophets to preach of thee at Ierusalem, saying,
There is a King in Iudah: and nowe according to these wordes it shall come to
the Kings eares: come now therefore, and let vs take counsell together.
8 Then I sent vnto him, saying, It is not done according to these wordes that
thou sayest: for thou feynest them of thine owne heart.
9 For all they afrayed vs, saying, Their handes shalbe weakened from the worke,
and it shall not be done: nowe therefore incourage thou me.
10 And I came to the house of Shemaiah the sonne of Delaiah the sonne of
Mehetabeel, and he was shut vp, and he said, Let vs come together into the house
of God in the middes of the Temple, and shut the doores of the Temple: for they
will come to slay thee: yea, in the night will they come to kill thee.
11 Then I said, Should such a man as I, flee? Who is he, being as I am, that
would go into the
Temple
to liue? I will not goe in.
12 And loe, I perceiued, that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this
prophecie against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Therefore was he hyred, that I might be afrayde, and doe thus, and sinne, and
that they might haue an euill report that they might reproche me.
14 My God, remember thou Tobiah, & Sanballat according vnto these their
workes, and Noadiah the Prophetesse also, and the rest of the Prophets that
would haue put me in feare.
15 Notwithstanding the wall was finished on the fiue and twentieth day of Elul,
in two and fiftie dayes.
16 And when all our enemies heard thereof, euen all the heathen that were about
vs, they were afraid, & their courage failed them: for they knew, that this
worke was wrought by our God.
17 And in these dayes were there many of the princes of Iudah, whose letters
went vnto Tobiah, and those of Tobiah came vnto them.
18 For there were many in Iudah, that were sworne vnto him: for he was the sonne
in lawe of Shechaniah, the sonne of Arah: and his sonne Iehonathan had the
daughter of Meshullam, the sonne of Berechiah.
19 Yea, they spake in his praise before me, & tolde him my wordes, and
Tobiah sent letters to put me in feare.
CHAPTER
7
1 Nowe when the wall was builded, and I had set vp the doores, and the porters,
and the singers and the Leuites were appointed,
2 Then I commanded my brother Hanani and Hananiah the prince of the palace in
Ierusalem (for he was doubtlesse a faithfull man, and feared God aboue many)
3 And I saide vnto them, Let not the gates of Ierusalem be opened, vntill the
heate of the sunne: and while they stande by, let them shut the doores, and make
them fast: and I appointed wardes of the inhabitants of Ierusalem, euery one in
his warde, and euery one ouer against his house.
4 Nowe the citie was large and great, but the people were few therein, and the
houses were not buylded.
5 And my God put into mine heart, and I gathered the princes, and the rulers,
and the people, to count their genealogies: and I found a booke of the
genealogie of them, which came vp at the first, and found written therein,
6 These are the sonnes of the prouince that came vp from the captiuitie that was
caried away (whome Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel had caryed away) and they
returned to Ierusalem and to Iudah, euery one vnto his citie.
7 They which came with Zerubbabel, Ieshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani,
Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Biguai, Nehum, Baanah. This is the nomber of the
men of the people of
Israel
.
8 The sonnes of Parosh, two thousande an hundreth seuentie and two.
9 The sonnes of Shephatiah, three hundreth seuentie and two.
10 The sonnes of Arah, sixe hundreth fiftie and two.
11 The sonnes of Pahath
Moab
of ye sonnes of Ieshua, & Ioab, two thousand, eight hundreth and eighteene.
12 The sonnes of
Elam
, a thousand, two hundreth fiftie and foure.
13 The sonnes of Zattu, eight hundreth and fiue and fourtie.
14 The sonnes of Zacchai, seuen hundreth & three score.
15 The sonnes of Binnui, sixe hundreth and eight and fourtie.
16 The sonnes of Bebai, sixe hundreth and eight and twentie.
17 The sonnes of Azgad, two thousand, three hundreth and two and twentie.
18 The sonnes of Adonikam, sixe hundreth three score and seuen.
19 The sonnes of Biguai, two thousand three score and seuen.
20 The sonnes of Adin, sixe hundreth, and fiue and fiftie.
21 The sonnes of Ater of Hizkiah, ninetie and eight.
22 The sonnes of Hashum, three hundreth & eight and twentie.
23 The sonnes of Bezai, three hundreth and foure and twentie.
24 The sonnes of Hariph, an hundreth and twelue.
25 The sonnes of
Gibeon
, ninetie and fiue.
26 The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, an hundreth foure score and eight.
27 The men of Anathoth, an hundreth and eight and twentie.
28 The me of Beth-azmaueth, two & fourty.
29 The men of Kiriath-iearim, Chephirah & Beeroth, seuen hundreth, and three
and fourtie.
30 The men of Ramah and Gaba, sixe hundreth and one and twentie.
31 The men of Michmas, an hundreth and two and twentie.
32 The men of Beth-el and Ai, an hundreth & three and twentie.
33 The men of the other Nebo, two & fifty.
34 The sonnes of the other
Elam
, a thousand, two hundreth and foure and fiftie.
35 The sonnes of Harim, three hundreth and twentie.
36 The sonnes of Iericho, three hundreth and fiue and fourtie.
37 The sonnes of Lod-hadid and Ono, seuen hundreth and one and twentie.
38 The sonnes of Senaah, three thousand, nine hundreth and thirtie.
39 The Priestes: the sonnes of Iedaiah of the house of Ieshua, nine hundreth
seuentie & three.
40 The sonnes of Immer, a thousand and two and fiftie.
41 The sonnes of Pashur, a thousande, two hundreth and seuen and fourtie.
42 The sonnes of Harim, a thousande and seuenteene.
43 The Leuites: the sonnes of Ieshua of Kadmiel, and of the sonnes of Hodiuah,
seuentie & foure.
44 The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundreth, and eight and fourtie.
45 The porters: the sonnes of Shallum, the sonnes of Ater, the sonnes of Talmon,
the sonnes of Akkub, the sonnes of Hatita, the sonnes of Shobai, an hundreth and
eight and thirtie.
46 The Nethinims: the sonnes of Ziha, the sonnes of Hashupha, the sonnes of
Tabaoth,
47 The sonnes of Keros, the sonnes of Sia, the sonnes of Padon,
48 The sonnes of Lebana, the sonnes of Hagaba, the sonnes of Shalmai,
49 The sonnes of Hanan, the sonnes of Giddel, the sonnes of Gahar,
50 The sonnes of Reaiah, the sonnes of Rezin, the sonnes of Nekoda,
51 The sonnes of Gazzam, ye sonnes of Vzza, the sonnes of Paseah,
52 The sonnes of Besai, the sonnes of Meunim, the sonnes of Nephishesim,
53 The sonnes of Bakbuk, the sonnes of Hakupha, the sonnes of Harhur,
54 The sonnes of Bazlith, the sonnes of Mehida, the sonnes of Harsha,
55 The sonnes of Barkos, the sonnes of Sissera, the sonnes of Tamah,
56 The sonnes of Neziah, the sonnes of Hatipha,
57 The sonnes of Salomons seruantes, the sonnes of Sotai, the sonnes of
Sophereth, ye sonnes of Perida,
58 The sonnes of Iaala, the sonnes of Darkon, the sonnes of Giddel,
59 The sonnes of Shephatiah, the sonnes of Hattil, the sonnes of Pochereth of
Zebaim, the sonnes of Amon.
60 All the Nethinims, and the sonnes of Salomons seruantes were three hundreth,
ninetie and two.
61 And these came vp from Tel-melah, Tel-haresha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but
they could not shewe their fathers house, nor their seede, or if they were of
Israel
.
62 The sonnes of Delaiah: the sonnes of Tobiah, the sonnes of Nekoda, six
hundreth and two and fourtie.
63 And of the Priestes: the sonnes of Habaiah, the sonnes of Hakkoz, the sonnes
of Barzillai, which tooke one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to
wife, and was named after their name.
64 These sought their writing of the genealogies, but it was not founde:
therefore they were put from the Priesthood.
65 And the Tirshatha sayd vnto them, that they should not eate of the most holy,
till there rose vp a Priest with Vrim & Thummim.
66 All the Congregation together was two & fourtie thousand, three hundreth
and threescore,
67 Besides their seruantes and their maydes, which were seuen thousand, three
hundreth and seuen and thirtie: and they had two hundreth and fiue and fourtie
singing men and singing women.
68 Their horses were seuen hundreth and sixe and thirtie, and their mules two
hundreth and fiue and fourtie.
69 The camels foure hundreth and fiue and thirtie, and sixe thousande, seuen
hundreth and twentie asses.
70 And certaine of the chiefe fathers gaue vnto the worke. The Tirshatha gaue to
the treasure, a thousand drammes of golde, fiftie basins, fiue hundreth and
thirtie Priests garments.
71 And some of the chiefe fathers gaue vnto the treasure of the worke, twentie
thousand drams of golde, and two thousande and two hundreth pieces of siluer.
72 And the rest of the people gaue twentie thousand drammes of golde, and two
thousande pieces of siluer, and three score & seuen Priestes garments.
73 And the Priestes, and Leuites, and the porters and the singers and the rest
of the people and the Nethinims, and all
Israel
dwelt in their cities: and when the seuenth moneth came, the children of
Israel
were in their cities.
CHAPTER
8
1 And all the people assembled themselues together, in the streete that was
before the watergate, and they spake vnto Ezra the Scribe, that hee would bring
the booke of ye Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to
Israel
.
2 And Ezra the Priest brought the Lawe before the Congregation both of men and
women, and of all that coulde heare and vnderstand it, in the first day of the
seuenth moneth,
3 And he read therein in the streete that was before the watergate (from the
morning vntill the midday) before men and women, and them that vnderstoode it,
and the eares of all the people hearkened vnto the booke of the Lawe.
4 And Ezra the Scribe stoode vpon a pulpit of wood which he had made for the
preaching, and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, & Ananiah, and Vriiah,
and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hande, and on his left hand Pedaiah, and
Mishael, and Malchiah, & Hashum, & Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the booke before all the people: for hee was aboue all the
people: and when he opened it, all the people stoode vp.
6 And Ezra praysed the Lorde the great God, and all the people answered, Amen,
Amen, with lifting vp their handes: & they bowed themselues, and worshipped
the Lord with their faces toward the grounde.
7 Also Ieshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Iamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiiah,
Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Iozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Leuites caused the
people to vnderstand the lawe, and the people stood in their place.
8 And they read in the booke of the Lawe of God distinctly, and gaue the sense,
& caused them to vnderstand the reading.
9 Then Nehemiah (which is Tirshatha) and Ezra the Priest and scribe, and the
Leuites that instructed the people, saide vnto all the people, This day is holie
vnto ye Lord your God: mourne not, neither weepe: for all the people wept, whe
they heard the words of the Lawe.
10 He saide also vnto the, Go, and eate of the fat, & drinke the sweete,
& send part vnto them, for whome none is prepared: for this day is holie
vnto our Lorde: be ye not sorie therefore: for the ioy of the Lord is your
strength.
11 And the Leuites made silence throughout all the people, saying, Holde your
peace: for the day is holy, be not sad therefore.
12 Then all the people went to eate and to drinke, and to send away part, and to
make great ioy, because they had vnderstand the wordes that they had taught
them.
13 And on the second day the chiefe fathers of all the people, the Priests and
the Leuites were gathered vnto Ezra the scribe, that he also might instruct them
in the wordes of the Lawe.
14 And they found written in the Law, (that the Lorde had commanded by Moses)
that the children of Israel should dwel in boothes in the feast of the seuenth
moneth,
15 And that they shoulde cause it to bee declared and proclaimed in all their
cities, and in Ierusalem, saying, Go forth vnto the mount, and bring oliue
branches, and pine branches, & branches of myrtus, and palme branches, &
branches of thicke trees, to make boothes, as it is written.
16 So the people went foorth and brought them, and made them boothes, euerie one
vpon the roofe of his house, and in their courtes, and in the courtes of the
house of God, and in the streete by the watergate, and in the streete of the
gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the Congregation of them that were come againe out of the captiuitie
made boothes, and sate vnder the boothes: for since the time of Ieshua the sonne
of Nun vnto this day, had not the children of
Israel
done so, and there was very great ioy.
18 And he read in the booke of the Lawe of God euery day, from the first day
vnto the last day; they kept the feast seuen dayes, and on the eight day a
solemne assemblie, according vnto the maner.
CHAPTER
9
1 In the foure and twentieth day of this moneth the children of
Israel
were assembled with fasting, and with sackecloth, and earth vpon them.
2 (And they that were of the seede of
Israel
were separated from all the strangers) and they stoode and confessed their
sinnes and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood vp in their place and read in the booke of the Lawe of the Lord
their GOD foure times on the day, and they confessed and worshipped the Lord
their God foure times.
4 Then stoode vp vpon the staires of the Leuites Ieshua, and Bani, Kadmiel,
Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cryed with a loud voyce vnto
the Lord their God.
5 And the Leuites said, euen Ieshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah,
Hodiiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, Stande vp, and praise the Lorde your God for
euer, and euer, and let them praise thy glorious Name, O God, which excelleth
aboue all thankesgiuing and praise.
6 Thou art Lorde alone: thou hast made heauen, and the heauen of all heauens,
with all their hoste, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas,
& al that are in them, & thou preseruest them all, and the host of the
heauen worshippeth thee.
7 Thou art, O Lord, the God, that hast chosen Abram, and broughtest him out of
Vr in Caldea, and madest his name Abraham,
8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a couenant with him,
to giue vnto his seede the lande of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, and
Perizzites, and Iebusites, and Girgashites, and hast performed thy wordes,
because thou art iust.
9 Thou hast also considered the affliction of our fathers in
Egypt
, and heard their cry by the red Sea,
10 And shewed tokens & wonders vpon Pharaoh, and on all his seruants, and on
all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudely against
them: therefore thou madest thee a Name, as appeareth this day.
11 For thou didest breake vp the Sea before them, and they went through the
middes of the Sea on dry lande: and those that pursued them, hast thou cast into
the bottomes as a stone, in the mightie waters:
12 And leddest them in the day with a pillar of a cloude, and in the night with
a pillar of fire to giue them light in the way that they went.
13 Thou camest downe also vpon mount Sinai, and spakest vnto them from heauen,
and gauest them right iudgements, and true lawes, ordinances and good
commandements,
14 And declaredst vnto them thine holy Sabbath, and commandedst them precepts,
and ordinances, and lawes, by the hande of Moses thy seruant:
15 And gauest them bread from heauen for their hunger, and broughtest forth
water for them out of the rocke for their thirst: and promisedst them that they
shoulde goe in, and take possession of the land: for the which thou haddest lift
vp thine hand for to giue them.
16 But they and our fathers behaued them selues proudely, and hardened their
neck, so that they hearkened not vnto thy commandements,
17 But refused to obey, & would not remember thy marueilous works that thou
haddest done for them, but hardened their neckes, and had in their heads to
returne to their bondage by their rebellion: but thou, O God of mercies,
gratious and full of compassion, of long suffring and of great mercie, yet
forsookest them not.
18 Moreouer, when they made them a molten calfe (and said, This is thy God that
brought thee vp out of the land of Egypt) and committed great blasphemies,
19 Yet thou for thy great mercies forsookest them not in the wildernesse: the
pillar of the cloude departed not from them by day to leade them the way,
neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way whereby
they should goe.
20 Thou gauest also thy good Spirite to instruct them, & withheldest not thy
MAN from their mouth, & gauest them water for their thirst.
21 Thou didest also feede them fourtie yeres in ye wildernes: they lacked
nothing: their clothes waxed not old, and their feete swelled not.
22 And thou gauest them kingdomes & people, and scatteredst them into
corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon & the land of ye King of
Heshbon, and the land of Og King of Bashan.
23 And thou diddest multiplie their children, like the starres of the heauen,
and broughtest them into the lande, whereof thou haddest spoken vnto their
fathers, that they should goe, and possesse it.
24 So the children went in, and possessed the lande, and thou subduedst before
them the inhabitants of the lande, euen the Canaanites, and gauest them into
their handes, with their Kings and the people of the lande, that they might do
with them what they would.
25 And they tooke their strong cities and the fat lande, and possessed houses,
full of all goods, cisternes digged out, vineyardes, and oliues, and trees for
foode in abundance, and they did eate, and were filled, and became fat, and
liued in pleasure through thy great goodnesse.
26 Yet they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy Lawe
behinde their backes, and slewe thy Prophets (which protested among them to
turne them vnto thee) and committed great blasphemies.
27 Therefore thou deliueredst them into the hande of their enemies that vexed
them: yet in the time of their affliction, when they cryed vnto thee, thou
heardest them from the heauen, & through thy great mercies thou gauest them
sauiours, who saued them out of the hande of their aduersaries.
28 But when they had rest, they returned to doe euill before thee: therefore
leftest thou them in the hande of their enemies, so that they had the dominion
ouer them, yet when they conuerted and cryed vnto thee, thou heardest them from
heauen, and deliueredst them according to thy great mercies many times,
29 And protestedst among them that thou mightest bring them againe vnto thy Lawe:
but they behaued them selues proudely, and hearkened not vnto thy commaundements,
but sinned against thy iudgements ( which a man should doe and liue in them) and
pulled away the shoulder, and were stiffenecked, and woulde not heare.
30 Yet thou diddest forbeare them many yeeres, and protestedst among them by thy
Spirite, euen by the hande of thy Prophets, but they woulde not heare: therefore
gauest thou them into the hande of the people of the lands.
31 Yet for thy great mercies thou hast not consumed them, neither forsaken them:
for thou art a gracious and mercifull God.
32 Nowe therefore our God, thou great God, mightie and terrible, that keepest
couenant and mercie, let not all the affliction that hath come vnto vs, seeme a
litle before thee, that is, to our Kings, to our princes, and to our Priests,
and to our Prophets, and to our fathers, and to all thy people since the time of
the Kings of Asshur vnto this day.
33 Surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs: for thou hast dealt truly,
but we haue done wickedly.
34 And our kings and our princes, our Priests and our fathers haue not done thy
Lawe, nor regarded thy commandements nor thy protestations, wherewith thou hast
protested among them.
35 And they haue not serued thee in their kingdome, and in thy great goodnesse
that thou shewedst vnto them, & in the large and fat lande which thou
diddest set before them, and haue not conuerted from their euill workes.
36 Beholde, we are seruants this day, and the lande that thou gauest vnto our
fathers, to eate the fruite thereof, and the goodnesse thereof, beholde, we are
seruants therein.
37 And it yeeldeth much fruit vnto the kings whom thou hast set ouer vs, because
of our sinnes: and they haue dominion ouer our bodyes and ouer our cattell at
their pleasure, and we are in great affliction.
38 Nowe because of all this we make a sure couenant, and write it, and our
princes, our Leuites and our Priestes seale vnto it.
CHAPTER
10
1 Nowe they that sealed were Nehemiah the Tirshatha the sonne of Hachaliah, and
Zidkiiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Ieremiah,
3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchiah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Merimoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abiiah, Miamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these are the Priestes.
9 And the Leuites: Ieshua the sonne of Azaniah, Binnui, of the sonnes of Henadad,
Kadmiel.
10 And their brethren Shebaniah, Hodiiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanun,
11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.
14 The chiefe of the people were Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adoniah, Biguai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hizkiiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Iaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,
24 Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 And Ahiiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
28 And the rest of the people, the Priestes, the Leuites, the porters, the
singers, the Nethinims, and all that were separated from the people of the
landes vnto the Lawe of God, their wiues, their sonnes, and their daughters, all
that coulde vnderstande.
29 The chiefe of them receiued it for their brethren, and they came to the curse
and to the othe to walke in Gods Law, which was giuen by Moses the seruant of
God, to obserue and doe all the commandements of the Lorde our God, and his
iudgements and his statutes:
30 And that we would not giue our daughters to the people of the lande, neither
take their daughters for our sonnes.
31 And if the people of the lande brought ware on the Sabbath, or any vitailes
to sell, that we would not take it of them on the Sabbath and on the holy dayes:
and that we would let the seuenth yeere be free, and the debtes of euery person.
32 And we made statutes for our selues to giue by the yeere the thirde part of a
shekel for the seruice of the house of our God,
33 For the shewbread, and for the daily offring, & for the daily burnt
offring, the Sabbaths, the newe moones, for the solemne feastes, and for the
thinges that were sanctified, and for the sinne offrings to make an atonement
for Israel, and for all the worke of the house of our God.
34 We cast also lottes for the offering of the wood, euen the Priestes, the
Leuites and the people to bring it into the house of our God, by the house of
our fathers, yeerely at the times appointed, to burne it vpon the altar of the
Lorde our God, as it is written in the Lawe,
35 And to bring the first fruites of our land, and the first of all the fruites
of all trees, yeere by yeere, into the house of the Lorde,
36 And the first borne of our sonnes, and of our cattel, as it is written in the
Lawe, and the first borne of our bullockes and of our sheepe, to bring it into
the house of our God, vnto ye Priests that minister in the house of our God,
37 And that we should bring the first fruite of our dough, and our offrings, and
the fruite of euery tree, of wine and of oyle, vnto the Priests, to the chambers
of the house of our God: and the tithes of our lande vnto the Leuites, that the
Leuites might haue the tithes in all the cities of our trauaile.
38 And the Priest, the sonne of Aaron shall be with the Leuites, when ye Leuites
take tithes, and the Leuites shall bring vp the tenth parte of the tithes vnto
the house of our God, vnto the chambers of the treasure house.
39 For the children of
Israel
, and the children of Leui shall bring vp the offerings of the corne, of the
wine, and of the oyle, vnto the chabers: and there shalbe the vessels of the
Sanctuarie, and the Priestes that minister, and the porters, and the fingers,
and we will not forsake the house of our God.
CHAPTER
11
1 And the rulers of the people dwelt in Ierusalem: the other people also cast
lottes, to bring one out of ten to dwel in Ierusalem the holy citie, and nine
partes to be in the cities.
2 And the people thanked all the men that were willing to dwell in Ierusalem.
3 These now are the chiefe of the prouince, that dwelt in Ierusalem, but in the
cities of Iudah, euery one dwelt in his owne possession in their cities of
Israel
, the Priestes and the Leuites, and the Nethinims, and the sonnes of Salomons
seruants.
4 And in Ierusalem dwelt certaine of the children of Iudah, and of the children
of Beniamin. Of the sonnes of Iudah, Athaiah, the sonne of Vziiah, the sonne of
Zechariah, the sonne of Amariah, the sonne of Shephatiah, the sonne of Mahaleel,
of the sonnes of Perez,
5 And Maaseiah the sonne of Baruch, the sonne of Col Hozeh, the sonne of Hazaiah,
the sonne of Adaiah, the sonne of Ioiarib, the sonne of Zechariah, the sonne of
Shiloni.
6 All the sonnes of Perez that dwelt at Ierusalem, were foure hundreth, three
score & eight valiant men.
7 These also are the sonnes of Beniamin, Sallu, the sonne of Meshullam, the
sonne of Ioed, the sonne of Pedaiah, the sonne of Kolaiah, the sonne of Maaseiah,
the sonne of Ithiel, the sonne of Ieshaiah.
8 And after him Gabai, Sallai, nine hundreth and twentie and eight.
9 And Ioel the sonne of Zichri was gouernour ouer them: and Iudah, the sonne of
Senuah was the second ouer the citie:
10 Of the Priestes, Iedaiah, the sonne of Ioiarib, Iachin.
11 Seraiah, the sonne of Hilkiah, the sonne of Meshullam, the sonne of Zadok,
the sonne of Meraioth, the sonne of Ahitub was chiefe of the house of God.
12 And their brethren that did the worke in the Temple, were eight hundreth,
twenty and two: and Adaiah, the sonne of Ieroham, the sonne of Pelaliah, the
sonne of Amzi, the sonne of Zechariah, the sonne of Pashur, the sonne of
Malchiah:
13 And his brethren, chiefe of the fathers, two hundreth and two and fourtie:
and Amashsai the sonne of Azareel, the sonne of Ahazai, the sonne of Meshilemoth,
the sonne of Immer:
14 And their brethren valiant men, an hundreth and eight and twentie: &
their ouerseer was Zabdiel the sonne of Hagedolim.
15 And of the Leuites, Shemaiah, the sonne of Hashub, the sonne of Azrikam, the
sonne of Hashabiah, the sonne of Bunni.
16 And Shabbethai, & Iozabad of the chiefe of the Leuites were ouer the
workes of the house of God without.
17 And Mattaniah, the sonne of Micha, the sonne of Zabdi, the sonne of Asaph was
the chiefe to begin the thankesgiuing & prayer: & Bakbukiah the second
of his brethren, & Abda, the sonne of Shammua, the sonne of Galal, the sonne
of Ieduthun.
18 All the Leuites in the holy citie were two hundreth foure score and foure.
19 And the porters Akkub, Talmon & their brethren that kept the gates, were
an hundreth twentie and two.
20 And the residue of
Israel
, of the Priests, and of the Leuites dwelt in al the cities of Iudah, euery one
in his inheritance.
21 And the Nethinims dwelt in the fortres, & Ziha, and Gispa was ouer the
Nethinims.
22 And the ouerseer of the Leuites in Ierusalem was Vzzi the sonne of Bani, the
sonne of Ashabiah, the sonne of Mattaniah, the sonne of Micha: of the sonnes of
Asaph singers were ouer the worke of the house of God.
23 For it was the Kings commandement cocerning them, that faithfull prouision
shoulde bee for the singers euery day.
24 And Pethahiah the sonne of Meshezabeel, of the sonnes of Zerah, the sonne of
Iudah was at the Kings hand in all matters concerning the people.
25 And in the villages in their landes, some of the children of Iudah dwelt in
Kiriath-arba, and in the villages thereof, and in Dibon, and in the villages
thereof, and in Iekabzeel. and in the villages thereof,
26 And in Ieshua, and in Moladah, and in Beth palet,
27 And in Hazer-shual, and in Beer-sheba, and in the villages thereof,
28 And in Ziklag, and in Mechonah, and in the villages thereof,
29 And in En-rimmon, and in Zareah, and in Iarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, in Lachish, and in the fieldes
thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof: & they dwelt from Beer-sheba,
vnto the valley of HinNumbers
31 And the sonnes of Beniamin from Geba, in Michmash, and Aiia, and Beth-el, and
in the villages thereof,
32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
34 Hadid, Zeboim, Nebalat,
35 Lod and Ono, in the carpenters valley.
36 And of the Leuites were diuisions in Iudah and in Beniamin.
CHAPTER
12
1 These also are the Priestes and the Leuites that went vp with Zerubabbel, the
sonne of Shealtiel, and Ieshua: to wit, Seraiah, Ieremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Merimoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnetho, Abiiah,
5 Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah, and Ioiarib, Iedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiiah, Iedaiah: these were the chiefe of the Priests, and of
their brethren in the dayes of Ieshua.
8 And the Leuites, Ieshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Iudah, Mattaniah were
ouer the thankesgiuings, he, and his brethren.
9 And Bakbukiah & Vnni, and their brethren were about them in the watches.
10 And Ieshua begate Ioiakim: Ioiakim also begate Eliashib, and Eliashib begate
Ioiada.
11 And Ioiada begate Ionathan, & Ionathan begate Iaddua,
12 And in the daies of Ioiakim were these, the chiefe fathers of the Priests:
vnder Seraiah was Meraiah, vnder Ieremiah, Hananiah,
13 Vnder Ezra, Meshullam, vnder Amariah, Iehohanan,
14 Vnder Melicu, Ionathan, vnder Shebaniah, Ioseph,
15 Vnder Harim, Adna, vnder Maraioth, Helkai,
16 Vnder Iddo, Zechariah, vnder Ginnithon, Meshullam,
17 Vnder Abiiah, Zichri, vnder Miniamin, and vnder Moadiah, Piltai,
18 Vnder Bilgah, Shammua, vnder Shemaiah, Iehonathan,
19 Vnder Ioiarib, Mattenai, vnder Iedaiah, Vzzi,
20 Vnder Sallai, Kallai, vnder Amok, Eber,
21 Vnder Hilkiah, Hashabiah, vnder Iedaiah, Nethaneel.
22 In the dayes of Eliashib, Ioiada, and Iohanan and Iaddua were the chiefe
fathers of the Leuites written, and the Priests in the reigne of Darius the
Persian.
23 The sonnes of Leui, the chiefe fathers were written in the booke of the
Chronicles euen vnto the dayes of Iohanan the sonne of Eliashib.
24 And the chiefe of the Leuites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, & Ieshua the
sonne of Kadmiel, & their brethren about them to giue prayse and thankes,
according to the ordinance of Dauid the man of God, ward ouer against warde.
25 Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were porters
keeping the warde at the thresholds of the gates.
26 These were in the dayes of Ioiakim, the sonne of Ieshua, the sonne of Iozadak,
and in the dayes of Nehemiah the captaine, and of Ezra the Priest and scribe.
27 And in the dedication of the wall at Ierusalem they sought the Leuites out of
all their places to bring them to Ierusalem to keepe the dedication and gladnes,
both with thanksgiuings & with songs, cymbales, violes and with harpes.
28 Then the singers gathered themselues together both from the plaine countrey
about Ierusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi,
29 And from the house of Gilgal, and out of the countreis of Geba, and Azmaueth:
for the singers had built them villages round about Ierusalem.
30 And the Priests and Leuites were purified, and clensed the people, & the
gates, & the wall.
31 And I brought vp the princes of Iudah vpon the wall, and appointed two great
companies to giue thankes, and the one went on the right hand of the wall toward
the dung gate.
32 And after them went Hoshaiah, and halfe of the princes of Iudah,
33 And Azariah, Ezra and Meshullam,
34 Iudah, Beniamin, and Shemaiah, and Ieremiah,
35 And of the Priests sonnes with trumpets, Zechariah the sonne of Ionathan, the
sonne of Shemaiah, the sonne of Mattaniah, the sonne of Michaiah, the sonne of
Zaccur, ye sonne of Asaph.
36 And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azareel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel,
and Iudah, Hanani, with the musicall instruments of Dauid the man of God: &
Ezra the scribe went before them.
37 And to the gate of the fountaine, euen ouer against them went they vp by the
staires of the citie of Dauid, at the going vp of the wall beyond the house of
Dauid, euen vnto the water gate Eastward.
38 And the seconde companie of them that gaue thankes, went on the other side,
and I after them, and the halfe of the people was vpon the wal, and vpon the
towre of the furnaces euen vnto the broad wall.
39 And vpon the gate of Ephraim, and vpon the olde gate, and vpon the fishgate,
& the towre of Hananeel, and the towre of Meah, euen vnto the sheepegate:
and they stood in the gate of the warde.
40 So stood the two companies (of them that gaue thankes) in the house of God,
and I and the halfe of the rulers with me.
41 The Priests also, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,
Hananiah, with trumpets,
42 And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Vzzi, and Iehohanan, and
Malchiiah, and
Elam
, and Ezer: and the singers sang loude, hauing Izrahiah which was the ouerseer.
43 And the same day they offered great sacrifices and reioyced: for God had
giuen them great ioy, so that both the women, and the children were ioyfull: and
the ioy of Ierusalem was heard farre off.
44 Also at the same time were men appointed ouer the chambers of the store for
the offerings (for the first fruites, and for the tithes) to gather into them
out of the fieldes of the cities, the portions of the Law for the Priests and
the Leuites: for Iudah reioyced for the Priests and for the Leuites, that serued.
45 And both the singers and the Leuites kept the ward of their God, and the
warde of the purification according to the commaundement of Dauid, and Salomon
his sonne.
46 For in the dayes of Dauid and Asaph, of olde were chiefe singers, and songs
of praise and thankesgiuing vnto God.
47 And in the dayes of Zerubbabel, & in the dayes of Nehemiah did al Israel
giue portions vnto the singers and porters, euerie day his portion, and they
gaue the holy things vnto the Leuites, and the Leuites gaue the holy things vnto
the sonnes of Aaron.
CHAPTER
13
1 And on that day did they reade in the booke of Moses, in the audience of the
people, and it was found written therein, that the Ammonite, & the Moabite
should not enter into the Congregation of God,
2 Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but
hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: and our God turned the
curse into a blessing.
3 Now when they had heard the Lawe, they separated from
Israel
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 Tobiah:
5 And he had made him a great chamber and there had they aforetime layde the
offringes, the incense, and the vessels, and the tithes of corne, of wine, and
of oyle (appointed for the Leuites, and the singers, and the porters) and the
offringes of the Priests.
6 But in all this time was not I in Ierusalem: for in the two and thirtieth yere
of Artahshashte King of
Babel
, came I vnto the King, and after certaine dayes I obteined of the King.
7 And when I was come to Ierusalem, I vnderstood the euil that Eliashib had done
for Tobiah, in that hee had made him a chamber in the court of the house of God,
8 And it grieued me sore: therefore I cast forth all the vessels of the house of
Tobiah out of the chamber.
9 And I commanded them to clense ye chambers: and thither brought I againe the
vessels of the house of God with the meate offring and the incense.
10 And I perceiued that the portions of the Leuites had not bene giuen, and that
euery one was fled to his lande, euen the Leuites and singers that executed the
worke.
11 Then reproued I the rulers and sayd, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I
assembled them, and set them in their place.
12 Then brought all Iudah the tithes of corne and of wine, and of oyle vnto the
treasures.
13 And I made treasurers ouer the treasures, Shelemiah the Priest, and Zadok the
scribe, and of the Leuites, Pedaiah, and vnder their hande Hanan the sonne of
Zaccur the sonne of Mattaniah: for they were counted faithfull, and their office
was to distribute vnto their brethren.
14 Remember me, O my God, herein, & wipe not out my kindenes that I haue
shewed on the house of my God, and on the offices thereof.
15 In those dayes saw I in Iudah them, that trode wine presses on ye Sabbath,
& that brought in sheaues, and which laded asses also with wine, grapes, and
figges, and all burdens, and brought them into Ierusalem vpon the Sabbath day:
and I protested to them in the day that they sold vitailes.
16 There dwelt men of Tyrus also therein, which brought fish and all wares, and
solde on the Sabbath vnto the children of Iudah euen in Ierusalem.
17 Then reprooued I the rulers of Iudah, and sayd vnto them, What euil thing is
this that yee doe, and breake the Sabbath day?
18 Did not your fathers thus, and our God brought all this plague vpon vs, and
vpon this citie? yet yee increase the wrath vpon
Israel
, in breaking the Sabbath.
19 And when the gates of Ierusalem beganne to be darke before the Sabbath, I
commaded to shut the gates, and charged, that they should not be opened til
after the Sabbath, and some of my seruants set I at the gates, that there
shoulde no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20 So the chapmen and marchants of al marchandise remained once or twise all
night without Ierusalem.
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 will lay hands vpon you. from that time
came they no more on the Sabbath.
22 And I sayde vnto the Leuites, that they should clense themselues, and that
they shoulde come and keepe the gates, to sanctifie the Sabbath day. Remember
me, O my God, concerning this, & pardon me according to thy great mercy.
23 In those dayes also I saw Iewes that married wiues of
Ashdod
, of Ammon, and of
Moab
.
24 And their children spake halfe in ye speach of
Ashdod
, and could not speake in the Iewes language, and according to the language of
the one people, and of the other people.
25 Then I reprooued them, & cursed them, and smote certaine of them, and
pulled off their heare, and tooke an othe of them by God, Yee shall not giue
your daughters vnto their sonnes, neither shall ye take of their daughters vnto
your sonnes, nor for your selues.
26 Did not Salomon the king of
Israel
sinne by these thinges? yet among many nations was there no King like him: for
he was beloued of his God, and God had made him King ouer
Israel
: yet strange women caused him to sinne.
27 Shall wee then obey vnto you, to doe all this great euil, and to transgresse
against our God, euen to marry strange wiues?
28 And one of the sonnes of Ioiada the sonne of Eliashib the hie Priest was the
sonne in law of Sanballat the Horonite: but I chased him fro me.
29 Remember them, O my God, that defile the Priesthoode, and the couenant of the
Priesthoode, and of the Leuites.
30 Then cleansed I them from all strangers, and appoynted the wardes of the
Priestes and of the Leuites, euery one in his office,
31 And for the offring of the wood at times appoynted, & for the first
fruites. Remember me, O my God, in goodness.
|
