Genesis to Revelation
Bible Reading Plan
May 10
Nehemiah 10-13
Chapter 10
Signers of the Document
1 Now on the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the governor,
the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad,
Kadmiel;
10 also their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.
14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
Obligations of the Document
28 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the
singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from
the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their
daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding,
29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves
a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses,
God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God
our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
30 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take
their daughters for our sons.
31 As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath
day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will
forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.
32 We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third
of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:
33 for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt
offering, the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things
and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the
house of our God.
34 Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites
and the people so that they might bring it to the house of our God, according
to our fathers’ households, at fixed times annually, to burn on the altar
of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law;
35 and that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits
of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually,
36 and bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle,
and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for
the priests who are ministering in the house of our God.
37 We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit
of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the
house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites
are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.
38 The priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites
receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the
house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
39 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution
of the grain, the new wine and the oil to the chambers; there are the utensils
of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers and the singers.
Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.
Chapter 11
Time Passes; Heads of Provinces
1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of
the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem,
the holy city, while
nine-tenths remained in the other cities.
2 And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
3 Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in
the cities of Judah each lived on his own property in their cities—the Israelites,
the priests, the Levites, the temple servants and the descendants of
Solomon’s servants.
4 Some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem.
From the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the
son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the sons of
Perez;
5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah,
the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the
Shilonite.
6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 able men.
7 Now these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of
Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son
of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah;
8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai, 928.
9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Hassenuah
was second in command of the city.
10 From the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the
son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the leader of the house of God,
12 and their kinsmen who performed the work of the temple, 822; and Adaiah
the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah,
the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,
13 and his kinsmen, heads of fathers’ households, 242; and Amashsai the
son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,
14 and their brothers, valiant warriors, 128. And their overseer was Zabdiel,
the son of Haggedolim.
15 Now from the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the
son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the leaders of the Levites, who were
in charge of the outside work of the house of God;
17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who
was the leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer, and Bakbukiah, the
second
among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the
son of Jeduthun.
18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284.
19 Also the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brethren who kept watch at
the gates, were 172.
Outside Jerusalem
20 The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities
of Judah, each on his own inheritance.
21 But the temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were
in charge of the temple servants.
22 Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani,
the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, from the sons
of Asaph,
who were the singers for the service of the house of God.
23 For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a firm regulation
for the song leaders day by day.
24 Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah,
was the king’s representative in all matters concerning the people.
25 Now as for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived
in Kiriath-arba and its towns, in Dibon and its towns, and in Jekabzeel
and its villages,
26 and in Jeshua, in Moladah and Beth-pelet,
27 and in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its towns,
28 and in Ziklag, in Meconah and in its towns,
29 and in En-rimmon, in Zorah and in Jarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and
its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba as far as the valley of Hinnom.
31 The sons of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash and Aija,
at Bethel and its towns,
32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
35 Lod and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
36 From the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.
Chapter 12
Priests and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel
1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel
the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and
their kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah
who was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.
9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them in their service
divisions.
10 Jeshua became the father of Joiakim, and Joiakim became the father of
Eliashib, and Eliashib became the father of Joiada,
11 and Joiada became the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father
of Jaddua.
12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households
were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
The Chief Levites
22 As for the Levites, the heads of fathers’ households were registered
in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan and Jaddua; so were the priests
in the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were registered
in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
24 The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of
Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to praise and give thanks, as
prescribed
by David the man of God, division corresponding to division.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers
keeping watch at the storehouses of the gates.
26 These served in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,
and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
Dedication of the Wall
27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites
from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate
the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to
the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres.
28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem,
and from the villages of the Netophathites,
29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers
had built themselves villages around Jerusalem.
30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the
people, the gates and the wall.
Procedures for the Temple
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed
two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall
toward the Refuse Gate.
32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them,
33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son
of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah,
the
son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,
36 and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah
and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra
the scribe went before them.
37 At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of
David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate
on the
east.
38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with
half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad
Wall,
39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by the Fish Gate,
the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate;
and
they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half
of the officials with me;
41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah
and Hananiah, with the trumpets;
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer.
And the singers sang, with Jezrahiah their leader,
43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God
had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the
joy of
Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores,
the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from
the
fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites;
for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served.
45 For they performed the worship of their God and the service of purification,
together with the singers and the gatekeepers in accordance with the command
of David and of his son Solomon.
46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders
of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.
47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due
the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the
consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated
portion for
the sons of Aaron.
Chapter 13
Foreigners Excluded
1 On that day they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing
of the people; and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or
Moabite should
ever enter the assembly of God,
2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired
Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into
a blessing.
3 So when they heard the law, they excluded all foreigners from Israel.
Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed
4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers
of the house of our God, being related to Tobiah,
5 had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings,
the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed
for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for
the priests.
6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second
year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time,
however, I asked leave from the king,
7 and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done
for Tobiah, by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God.
8 It was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household
goods out of the room.
9 Then I gave an order and they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there
the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
Tithes Restored
10 I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given
them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone
away, each to his own field.
11 So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of
God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their
posts.
12 All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses.
13 In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the
scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son
of Zaccur,
the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered reliable, and it was their
task to distribute to their kinsmen.
14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which
I have performed for the house of my God and its services.
Sabbath Restored
15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the
sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well
as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into
Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food.
16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of
merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.
17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is
this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?
18 “Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and
on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning
the sabbath.”
19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before
the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should
not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants
at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.
20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent
the night outside Jerusalem.
21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night
in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From
that time on they did not come on the sabbath.
22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come
as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also remember me, O
my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.
Mixed Marriages Forbidden
23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod,
Ammon and Moab.
24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of
them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own
people.
25 So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and
pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your
daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
26 “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things?Yet
among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his
God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused
even him to sin.
27 “Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great
evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was
a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and
the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for
the priests and the Levites, each in his task,
31 and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first
fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)