God's New Bible

The Book of Nehemiah

Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 10 -

The people who sealed the covenant

1
Now these were the ones who sealed the document: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and also 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,(a) and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9
The Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
10
and their associates: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11
Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13
Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14
And the leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
(Jeremiah 17:19-27)
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,
(Ezra 9:1-4)
23
Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24
Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25
Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26
Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
27
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The covenant that was sealed

28
The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants,(b) and all who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand,
29
hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
30
We will not give our daughters in marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their daughters for our sons.
31
When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow, and will cancel every debt.
32
We also place ourselves under the obligation to contribute a third of a shekel (c) yearly for the service of the house of our God:
33
for the showbread, for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings, for the Sabbath offerings, for the New Moons and appointed feasts, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our God.
34
We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring it to the house of our God to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law.
35
We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year.
36
And we will bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.
37
Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor.
38
A priest of Aaron’s line is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.
39
For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”

Footnotes

(a)10:8 Bilgai is a variant of Bilgah; see Nehemiah 12:5.
(b)10:28 Hebrew Nethinim
(c)10:32 A third of a shekel is approximately 0.13 ounces or 3.8 grams, probably of silver.

The people who sealed the covenant

1
Now those who sealed were: 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, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9
The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
10
and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11
Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13
Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14
The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
(Jeremiah 17:19-27)
15
Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16
Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18
Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19
Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai,
20
Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21
Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22
Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
(Ezra 9:1-4)
23
Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24
Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25
Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26
Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The covenant that was sealed

28
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—everyone who had knowledge and understanding—
29
joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;
30
and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;
31
and if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and that we would forego the seventh year crops and the exaction of every debt.
32
Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel(a) for the service of the house of our God:
33
for the show bread, for the continual meal offering, for the continual burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
34
We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at times appointed year by year, to burn on the LORD our God’s altar, as it is written in the law;
35
and to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all fruit of all kinds of trees, year by year, to the LORD’s house;
36
also the firstborn of our sons and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God;
37
and that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, our wave offerings, the fruit of all kinds of trees, and the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all our farming villages.
38
The priest, the descendent of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes. The Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms, into the treasure house.
39
For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the wave offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the rooms where the vessels of the sanctuary are, and the priests who minister, with the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not forsake the house of our God.

Footnotes

(a)10:32 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.