9All the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem in three days; it was the ninth month, the twentieth of the month. All the people sat in the square of the House of God, trembling on account of the event and because of the rains. 10Then Ezra the priest got up and said to them, “You have trespassed by bringing home foreign women, thus aggravating the guilt of Israel. 11So now, make confession to the LORD, God of your fathers, and do His will, and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.”
12The entire congregation responded in a loud voice, “We must surely do just as you say. 13However, many people are involved, and it is the rainy season; it is not possible to remain out in the open, nor is this the work of a day or two, because we have transgressed extensively in this matter. 14Let our officers remain on behalf of the entire congregation, and all our townspeople who have brought home foreign women shall appear before them at scheduled times, together with the elders and judges of each town, in order to avert the burning anger of our God from us on this account.” 15Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah remained for this purpose, assisted by Meshullam and Shabbethai, the Levites. 16The returning exiles did so. Ezra the priest and the men who were the chiefs of the ancestral clans—all listed by name—sequestered themselves on the first day of the tenth month to study the matter. 17By the first day of the first month they were done with all the men who had brought home foreign women. 18Among the priestly families who were found to have brought foreign women were Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19They gave their wordb to expel their wives and, acknowledging their guilt, offered a ram from the flock to expiate it. 20Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; 21of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah; 23of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah who is Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri. 25Of the Israelites: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah; 27of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth; 30of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, and Shimeon; 32also Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel; 35also Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu, 36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai, 38Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; 43of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44All these had married foreign women, among whom were some women c-who had borne children.-c
a Cf. Jer. 29.10.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a This chapter appears as Neh. 7.6–73 with variations in the names and numbers.
b Lit. “their.”
c A Persian title.
a-a I.e., Hodaviah of 2.40.
b-b Cf. Pss. 106.1; 136.
a Cf. below v. 18 and note d.
b A note indicating that what follows is in the Aramaic language.
c Vv. 9–11 amplify v. 8.
d I.e., from Aramaic to Persian.
a-a Lit. “with the name of the God of Israel upon them.”
b The officials of p. 3; cf. v. 10. Greek and Syriac read “they.”
a This introduces the text of the reply of Darius that doubtless contained the preceding narrative (vv. 1–5) as a preliminary.
b Meaning uncertain; or “turned into ruins.”
c Hebrew resumes here.
a Aramaic resumes here through v. 26
b-b Meaning uncertain.
c Hebrew resumes here.
a-a Lit. “are numerous above the head.”
b Lit. “fence.”
c Or “in the right.”
a-a Or “Is there…?”
b Lit. “hand.”
c-c Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
Nehemiah
1 The narrative of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev of the twentieth year,a when I was in the fortress of Shushan, 2Hanani, one of my brothers, together with some men of Judah, arrived, and I asked them about the Jews, the remnant who had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3They replied, “The survivors who have survived the captivity there in the province are in dire trouble and disgrace; Jerusalem’s wall is full of breaches, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.’’
4When I heard that, I sat and wept, and was in mourning for days, fasting and praying to the God of Heaven. 5I said, `O LORD, God of Heaven, great and awesome God, who stays faithful to His covenant with those who love Him and keep His commandments! 6Let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to receive the prayer of Your servant that I am praying to You now, day and night, on behalf of the Israelites, Your servants, confessing the sins that we Israelites have committed against You, sins that I and my father’s house have committed. 7We have offended You by not keeping the commandments, the laws, and the rules that You gave to Your servant Moses. 8Be mindful of the promise You gave to Your servant Moses:If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9but if you turn back to Me, faithfully keep My commandments, even if your dispersed are at the ends of the earth,b I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to establish My name.’ 10For they are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and Your mighty hand. 11O Lord! Let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to hold Your name in awe. Grant Your servant success today, and dispose that man to be compassionate toward him!’’
I was the king’s cupbearer at the time.
2 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, wine was set before him; I took the wine and gave it to the king—I had never been out of sorts in his presence. 2The king said to me, How is it that you look bad, though you are not ill? It must be bad thoughts.’’ I was very frightened, 3but I answered the king,May the king live forever! How should I not look bad when the city of the graveyard of my ancestors lies in ruins, and its gates have been consumed by fire?’’ 4The king said to me, What is your request?’’ With a prayer to the God of Heaven, 5I answered the king,If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, to rebuild it.’’ 6With the consort seated at his side, the king said to me, How long will you be gone and when will you return?’’ So it was agreeable to the king to send me, and I gave him a date. 7Then I said to the king,If it please the king, let me have letters to the governors of the province of Beyond the River, directing them to grant me passage until I reach Judah; 8likewise, a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the King’s Park, directing him to give me timber for roofing the gatehouses of the temple fortress and the city walls and for the house I shall occupy.’’ The king gave me these, thanks to my God’s benevolent care for me. 9When I came to the governors of the province of Beyond the River I gave them the king’s letters. The king also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard, it displeased them greatly that someone had come, intent on improving the condition of the Israelites.
11I arrived in Jerusalem. After I was there three days 12I got up at night, I and a few men with me, and telling no one what my God had put into my mind to do for Jerusalem, and taking no other beast than the one on which I was riding, 13I went out by the Valley Gate, at night, toward the Jackals’ Spring and the Dung Gate; and I surveyed the walls of Jerusalem that were breached, and its gates, consumed by fire. 14I proceeded to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, where there was no room for the beast under me to continue. 15So I went up the wadi by night, surveying the wall, and, entering again by the Valley Gate, I returned. 16The prefects knew nothing of where I had gone or what I had done, since I had not yet divulged it to the Jews—the priests, the nobles, the prefects, or the rest of the officials.
17Then I said to them, You see the bad state we are in—Jerusalem lying in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and suffer no more disgrace.’’ 18I told them of my God’s
