Nehemiah declares that what they have done is “not good” (loʾ-tob; v. 9); they have taken advantage of their weaker neighbors. Like certain Israelites of the 8th century they need to hear the words of Amos: “Seek good [tob] and not evil, that you may live, and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you” (Amos 5:14). It is the doing of the “good” (which centers on dealing with others according to justice and kindness) that pleases God. Standing in the tradition of the prophets and later Jewish