On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God for ever,
because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
And it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the {Hebrew: chamber.}chambers of the house of our God, being allied unto Tobiah,
had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meal-offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the heave-offerings for the priests.
But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king,
and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.
Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meal-offerings and the frankincense.
And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.
Then contended I with the {Or, deputies}rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their business was to distribute unto their brethren.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the observances thereof.
In those days saw I in Judah some men treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in {Or, heaps of grain}sheaves, and lading asses therewith; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought in fish, and all manner of wares, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I over the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
So the merchants and sellers of all kind of wares lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye {Hebrew: before.}about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy lovingkindness.
In those days also saw I the Jews that {Hebrew: had made to dwell with them.}had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:
and their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.
And I contended with them, and {Or, reviled}cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin.
Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?
And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
Remember them, O my God, {Hebrew: for the defilings of &c.}because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
Thus cleansed I them from {Or, everything foreign}all foreigners, and appointed charges for the priests and for the Levites, every one in his work;
and for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
Querverweise zu Nehemia 13,30 Neh 13,30
and that we would not give our daughters unto the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;
Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah.
Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.
Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over {Or, the choirs}the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.
Also Bakbukiah and Unno, their brethren, were over against them according to their offices.
And Jeshua begat Joiakim, and Joiakim begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,
and Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.
And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers' houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
of {Another reading is, Melicu.}Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, there were recorded the heads of fathers' houses; also the priests, {Or, to}in the reign of Darius the Persian.
The sons of Levi, heads of fathers' houses, were written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch next to watch.
Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the watch at the store-houses of the gates.
These were 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 the scribe.
Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.
And the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.
Of these, twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah; and six thousand were officers and judges;
and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Jehovah with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
And David divided them into {Hebrew: divisions.}courses according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Of the Gershonites: {In chapter 6:17, Libni.}Ladan and Shimei.
The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers' houses of Ladan.
And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, {In verse 11, Zizah.}Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they became a fathers' house in one reckoning.
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, {Or, to sanctify as most holy him &c.}that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, for ever, to burn incense before Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, for ever.
But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
The sons of Gershom: {In chapter 24:20, Shubael.}Shebuel the chief.
And the sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
The sons of Izhar: {In chapter 24:22, Shelomoth.}Shelomith the chief.
The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them to wife.
The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
These were the sons of Levi after their fathers' houses, even the heads of the fathers' houses of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward.
For David said, Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath given rest unto his people; and he dwelleth in Jerusalem for ever:
and also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service thereof.