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1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign aBaasha king of Israel came up against Judah and 1fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,
3 “Let there be a treaty between 1you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”
4 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they 1conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and all athe 2store cities of Naphtali.
5 When Baasha heard of it, he ceased 1fortifying Ramah and stopped his work.
6 Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he 1fortified Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time aHanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “bBecause you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.
8 “Were not athe Ethiopians and the Lubim ban immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet cbecause you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.
9 “For athe eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those bwhose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”
10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in 1prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
11 aNow, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he adid not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
13 So Asa slept with his fathers, 1having died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled awith spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and bthey made a very great fire for him.
1 aJehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and made his position over Israel firm.
2 He placed troops in all athe fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim bwhich Asa his father had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he 1followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals,
4 but sought the God of his father, 1followed His commandments, aand did not act as Israel did.
5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his 1control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and ahe had great riches and honor.
6 1He took great pride in the ways of the Lord and again aremoved the high places and the Asherim from Judah.
7 Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, ato teach in the cities of Judah;
8 and with them athe Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
9 They taught in Judah, having athe book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 Now athe dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
11 Some of the Philistines abrought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.
12 So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah.
13 He had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and warriors, valiant men, in Jerusalem.
14 This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him 300,000 valiant warriors;
15 and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000;
16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, awho volunteered for the Lord, and with him 200,000 valiant warriors;
17 and of Benjamin, Eliada a valiant warrior, and with him 200,000 armed with bow and shield;
18 and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 equipped for war.
19 These are they who served the king, apart from athose whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.
1 Now aJehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab.
2 aSome years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”
4 Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire 1first for the word of the Lord.”
5 Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?”
7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
Ahab’s False Prophets Assure Victory
8 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “1Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.”
9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting aat the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’ ”
11 All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
12 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.”
13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, awhat my God says, that I will speak.”
14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.”
15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
aLike sheep which have no shepherd;
And the Lord said,
‘These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.’ ”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
18 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. aI saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left.
19 “The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that.
20 “Then a aspirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’
21 “He said, ‘I will go and be aa deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.’
22 “Now therefore, behold, athe Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and astruck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “1How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?”
24 Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.”
25 Then the king of Israel said, “aTake Micaiah and return him to Amon bthe governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;
26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “aPut this man in prison and feed him 1sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.” ’ ”
27 Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “aListen, all you people.”
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.”
31 So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat acried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him.
32 When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33 A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel 1in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn 2around and take me out of the 3fight, for I am severely wounded.”
34 The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.
1 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem.
2 aJehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “bShould you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and 1cso bring wrath on yourself from the Lord?
3 “But 1athere is some good in you, for byou have removed the 2Asheroth from the land and you chave set your heart to seek God.”
4 So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and abrought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
5 He appointed ajudges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.
6 He said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for ayou do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with you 1when you render judgment.
7 “Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; 1be very careful what you do, for 2the Lord our God will ahave no part in unrighteousness bor partiality or the taking of a bribe.”
8 In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some aof the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord and to judge 1disputes among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
9 Then he charged them saying, “Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and wholeheartedly.
10 “aWhenever any dispute comes to you from your brethren who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them so that they may not be guilty before the Lord, and bwrath may not come on you and your brethren. Thus you shall do and you will not be guilty.
11 “Behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in 1aall that pertains to the Lord, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in 1all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. 2bAct resolutely, and the Lord be with the upright.”
1 Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the 1aMeunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.
2 Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of 1Aram and behold, they are in aHazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).”
3 Jehoshaphat was afraid and 1aturned his attention to seek the Lord, and bproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 So Judah gathered together to aseek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court,
6 and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, aare You not God in the heavens? And bare You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
7 “Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and agive it to the descendants of bAbraham Your friend forever?
8 “They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying,
9 ‘aShould evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for bYour name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.’
10 “Now behold, athe sons of Ammon and Moab and 1Mount Seir, bwhom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them),
11 see how they are rewarding us by acoming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.
12 “O our God, awill You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but bour eyes are on You.”
13 All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives and their children.
14 Then in the midst of the assembly athe Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph;
15 and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, ‘aDo not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for bthe battle is not yours but God’s.
16 ‘Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 ‘You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, astand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, bfor the Lord is with you.”
18 Jehoshaphat abowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
19 The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, aput your trust in the Lord your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.”
21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who apraised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “bGive thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord aset ambushes against the sons of bAmmon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were 1routed.
23 For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, athey helped to destroy one another.
24 When Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including goods, 1garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much.
Triumphant Return to Jerusalem
26 Then on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of 1Beracah” until today.
27 Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, afor the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres and trumpets to the house of the Lord.
29 And athe dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, afor his God gave him rest on all sides.
31 aNow Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
32 He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not depart from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord.
33 aThe high places, however, were not removed; bthe people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first 1to last, behold, they are written in the annals of aJehu the son of Hanani, which is 2recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
35 aAfter this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly 1in so doing.
36 So he allied himself with him to make ships to go ato Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.
Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat in Judah
1 aThen Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.
2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, 1Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king aof Israel.
3 Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, awith fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
4 Now when Jehoram had 1taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself 2secure, he akilled all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also.
5 aJehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6 aHe walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (bfor Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
7 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, aand since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.
8 In his days aEdom revolted 1against the rule of Judah and set up a king over themselves.
9 Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck down the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots.
10 So Edom revolted 1against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time 2against his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.
11 Moreover, ahe made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem bto play the harlot and led Judah astray.
12 Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, “Thus says the Lord God of your father David, ‘Because ayou have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father band the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 but ahave walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot bas the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you chave also killed your brothers, 1your own family, who were better than you,
14 behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great 1calamity;
15 and ayou will suffer 1severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’ ”
16 Then athe Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and bthe Arabs who 1bordered the Ethiopians;
17 and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except 1aJehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18 So after all this the Lord smote him ain his bowels with an incurable sickness.
19 Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like athe fire for his fathers.
20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed 1awith no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, bbut not in the tombs of the kings.
Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah
1 aThen the inhabitants of Jerusalem made 1Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with bthe Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.
2 Ahaziah was 1twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the 2granddaughter of Omri.
3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.
4 He did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to ahis destruction.
Ahaziah Allies with Jehoram of Israel
5 He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the 1aArameans 2wounded 3Joram.
6 So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds 1which they had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And 2Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
7 Now athe destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that 1he went to Joram. For when he came, bhe went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, cwhom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
8 aIt came about when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them.
9 aHe also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death band buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, cwho sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.
10 aNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal 1offspring of the house of Judah.
11 But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death.
12 He was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Jehoiada Sets Joash on the Throne of Judah
1 aNow in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him.
2 They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of aIsrael, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And 1Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, aas the Lord has spoken concerning the sons of David.
4 “This is the thing which you shall do: one third of you, of the priests and Levites awho come in on the sabbath, shall be gatekeepers,
5 and one third shall be at the king’s house, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord.
6 “But let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and athe ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And let all the people keep the charge of the Lord.
7 “The Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house, let him be killed. Thus be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”
8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of athe divisions.
9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God.
10 He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right 1side of the house to the left 1side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.
11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him athe testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “bLong live the king!”
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came into the house of the Lord to the people.
13 She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the 1trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments 2leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Treason! Treason!”
14 Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, “Bring her out 1between the ranks; and whoever follows her, put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”
15 So they 1seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of athe Horse Gate of the king’s house, they bput her to death there.
16 Then aJehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people.
17 And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and akilled Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the 1authority of athe Levitical priests, bwhom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses—cwith rejoicing and singing according to the 2order of David.
19 He stationed athe gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean.
20 aHe took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and came through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they placed the king upon the royal throne.
21 So aall of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.
Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada
1 aJoash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba.
2 aJoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
4 Now it came about after this that Joash 1decided ato restore the house of the Lord.
5 He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all aIsrael to 1repair the house of your God 2annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly.
6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem athe levy fixed by Moses the servant of the Lord on the congregation of Israel bfor the tent of the testimony?”
7 For athe sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even 1used the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.
8 So the king commanded, and athey made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord.
9 aThey made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord bthe levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.
10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and 1dropped them into the chest until they had finished.
11 It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when athey saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money.
12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to 1repair the house of the Lord.
13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they 1restored the house of God 2according to its specifications and strengthened it.
14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Now when Jehoiada 1reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death.
16 They buried him ain the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in bIsrael and 1to God and His house.
17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them.
18 They abandoned athe house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bserved the 1Asherim and the idols; so cwrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.
19 Yet aHe sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
20 aThen the Spirit of God 1came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus God has said, ‘bWhy do you transgress the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? cBecause you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’ ”
21 So athey conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him 1to death in the court of the house of the Lord.
22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, “May athe Lord see and 1avenge!”
Aram Invades and Defeats Judah
23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that athe army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
24 Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet athe Lord delivered a very great army into their hands, bbecause they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.
25 aWhen they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the 1son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
26 Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
27 As to his sons and the many 1oracles against him and athe 2rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the 3btreatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.
Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah
1 aAmaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
2 He did right in the sight of the Lord, ayet not with a whole heart.
3 Now ait came about as soon as the kingdom was 1firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had slain his father the king.
4 However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, which the Lord commanded, saying, “aFathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
5 Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he 1took a census of those afrom twenty years old and upward and found them to be b300,000 choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield.
6 He hired also 100,000 valiant warriors out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver.
7 But aa man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim.
8 “But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will 1bring you down before the enemy, afor God has power to help and to 1bring down.”
9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “aThe Lord has much more to give you than this.”
10 Then Amaziah 1dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned 2home in fierce anger.
11 Now Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people forth, and went to athe Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir.
12 The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, so that they were all dashed to pieces.
13 But the 1troops whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them and plundered much spoil.
14 Now after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites, ahe brought the gods of the sons of Seir, set them up as his gods, bowed down before them and burned incense to them.
15 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people awho have not delivered their own people from your hand?”
16 As he was talking with him, 1the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”
Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel
17 aThen Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.”
18 Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “aThe thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon and trampled the thorn bush.
19 “You said, ‘Behold, you have 1defeated Edom.’ And ayour heart has 2become proud in boasting. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.
21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah.
22 Judah was defeated 1by Israel, and they fled each to his tent.
23 Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of aJehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 1cubits.
24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with aObed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
25 aAnd Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?
27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.
28 Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah
1 And all the people of Judah took 1Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.
2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was asixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was 1Jechiliah of Jerusalem.
4 He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
5 aHe continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, bwho had understanding 1through the vision of God; and 2cas long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.
6 Now he went out and awarred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
7 aGod helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.
8 The Ammonites also gave atribute to Uzziah, and his 1fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.
9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at athe Corner Gate and at the bValley Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified them.
10 He built towers in the wilderness and ahewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the 1lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil.
11 Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which 1entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, 2prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officers.
12 The total number of the heads of the 1households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600.
13 Under their direction was an 1elite army of a307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy.
14 Moreover, Uzziah prepared 1for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows and sling stones.
15 In Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his 1fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.
16 But awhen he became strong, his heart was so 1proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for bhe entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
17 Then aAzariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men.
18 aThey opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “bIt is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, cbut for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God.”
19 But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, athe leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense.
20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because the Lord had smitten him.
21 aKing Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in ba separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house judging the people of the land.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, the prophet aIsaiah, the son of Amoz, has written.
23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ain the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son became king in his place.
Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah
1 aJotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
2 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; ahowever he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly.
3 He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he built extensively the wall of aOphel.
4 Moreover, he built acities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills.
5 He fought also with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them so that the Ammonites gave him during that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand 1kors of wheat and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites also paid him this amount in the second and in the third year.
6 aSo Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.
7 aNow the rest of the acts of Jotham, even all his wars and his acts, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
8 He was atwenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.
1 aAhaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and bhe did not do right in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done.
2 aBut he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also bmade molten images for the Baals.
3 Moreover, ahe burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and bburned his sons in fire, caccording to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel.
4 He sacrificed and aburned incense on the high places, on the hills and under every green tree.
5 Wherefore, athe Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Aram; and they 1defeated him and carried away from him a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who 2inflicted him with heavy casualties.
6 For aPekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.
7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the ruler of the house and Elkanah the second to the king.
8 aThe sons of Israel carried away captive of btheir brethren 200,000 women, sons and daughters; and they 1took also a great deal of spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and ahe went out to meet the army which came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, bwas angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage cwhich has even reached heaven.
10 “Now you are proposing to asubjugate for yourselves the people of Judah and Jerusalem for male and female slaves. Surely, do you not have transgressions of your own against the Lord your God?
11 “Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives awhom you captured from your brothers, bfor the burning anger of the Lord is against you.”
12 Then some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—arose against those who were coming from the battle,
13 and said to them, “You must not bring the captives in here, for you are proposing to bring upon us guilt against the Lord adding to our sins and our guilt; for our guilt is great so that His burning anger is against Israel.”
14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the officers and all the assembly.
15 Then athe men who were designated by name arose, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked ones from the spoil; and they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and bgave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, cthe city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.
16 aAt that time King Ahaz sent to the 1kings of Assyria for help.
17 aFor again the Edomites had come and attacked Judah and carried away captives.
18 aThe Philistines also had invaded the cities of the 1lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.
19 For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of aIsrael, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord.
20 So aTilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him.
21 aAlthough Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
22 Now in the time of his distress this same King Ahaz abecame yet more unfaithful to the Lord.
23 aFor he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had 1defeated him, and said, “bBecause the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they became the 2downfall of him and all Israel.
24 Moreover, when Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, he acut the utensils of the house of God in pieces; and he bclosed the doors of the house of the Lord and cmade altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.
25 In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger.
26 aNow the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 aSo Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of bIsrael; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz in Judah
1 aHezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 aHe did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he aopened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.
4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east.
5 Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. aConsecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place.
6 “For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him and aturned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have 1turned their backs.
7 “They have also ashut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.
8 “Therefore athe wrath of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of bhissing, as you see with your own eyes.
9 “For behold, aour fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
10 “Now it is in my heart ato make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us.
11 “My sons, do not be negligent now, for athe Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”
12 Then the Levites arose: aMahath, the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of bthe Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah;
13 and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and 1Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 and from the sons of Heman, 1Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They assembled their brothers, aconsecrated themselves, and went in bto cleanse the house of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king cby the words of the Lord.
16 So the priests went in to the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Lord they brought out to the court of the house of the Lord. Then the Levites received it to carry out to athe Kidron 1valley.
17 Now they began 1the consecration aon the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the Lord. Then they consecrated the house of the Lord in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, and the table of showbread with all of its utensils.
19 “Moreover, aall the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”
Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship
20 Then King Hezekiah arose early and assembled the princes of the city and went up to the house of the Lord.
21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats afor a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord.
22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and asprinkled the blood on the altar.
23 Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and athey laid their hands on them.
24 The priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood ato atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.
25 aHe then stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with harps and with lyres, baccording to the command of David and of cGad the king’s seer, and of dNathan the prophet; for the command was from the Lord through His prophets.
26 The Levites stood with athe musical instruments of David, and bthe priests with the trumpets.
27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, athe song to the Lord also began with the trumpets, 1accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel.
28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, athe king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped.
30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. aSo they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.
31 Then Hezekiah said, “aNow that you have 1consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and ball those who were 2willing brought burnt offerings.
32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord.
33 The consecrated things were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep.
34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; atherefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For bthe Levites were more 1conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests.
35 There were also 1amany burnt offerings with bthe fat of the peace offerings and with cthe libations for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was established again.
36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.
All Israel Invited to the Passover
1 Now Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to 1celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel.
2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided ato celebrate the Passover in the second month,
3 since they could not celebrate it aat that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem.
4 Thus the thing was right in the sight of the king and 1all the assembly.
5 So they established a decree to circulate a 1proclamation throughout all Israel afrom Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as it was 2prescribed.
6 aThe 1couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, “O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from bthe 2hand of the kings of Assyria.
7 “aDo not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their fathers, so that bHe made them a horror, as you see.
8 “Now do not astiffen your neck like your fathers, but 1yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, bthat His burning anger may turn away from you.
9 “For aif you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. bFor the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
10 So the 1couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but athey laughed them to scorn and mocked them.
11 Nevertheless asome men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12 The ahand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.
13 Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread ain the second month, a very large assembly.
14 They arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also aremoved all the incense altars and bcast them into the brook Kidron.
15 Then athey slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And bthe priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord.
16 aThey stood at their stations after their custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites.
17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, athe Levites were over the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the Lord.
18 For a multitude of the people, aeven many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, byet they ate the Passover cotherwise than 1prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon
19 aeveryone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”
20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and ahealed the people.
21 The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem acelebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments to the Lord.
22 Then Hezekiah aspoke 1encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and bgiving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.
23 Then the whole assembly adecided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy.
24 For aHezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and ba large number of priests consecrated themselves.
25 All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and aall the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem asince the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.
27 Then athe Levitical priests arose and bblessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to cHis holy dwelling place, to heaven.
1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, abroke the pillars in pieces, cut down the 1Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, 2until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.
2 And Hezekiah appointed athe divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, bfor burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord.
3 He also appointed athe king’s portion of his goods for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths and for the new moons and for the fixed festivals, bas it is written in the law of the Lord.
4 Also he 1commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give athe portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to bthe law of the Lord.
5 As soon as the 1order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly athe tithe of all.
6 The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and athe tithe of 1sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps.
7 In the third month they began to 1make the heaps, and finished them by the seventh month.
8 When Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and aHis people Israel.
9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
10 Azariah the chief priest aof the house of Zadok said to 1him, “bSince the contributions began to be brought into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.”
11 Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare arooms in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them.
12 They faithfully brought in the contributions and the tithes and the consecrated things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge aof them and his brother Shimei was second.
13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah were overseers 1under the authority of Conaniah and Shimei his brother by the appointment of King Hezekiah, and aAzariah was the chief officer of the house of God.
14 Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to apportion the contributions for the Lord and the most holy things.
15 1Under his authority were aEden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah in bthe cities of the priests, to distribute faithfully their portions to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small,
16 without regard to their genealogical enrollment, to the males from 1athirty years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the Lord bfor his daily obligations—for their work in their duties according to their divisions;
17 as well as the priests who were enrolled genealogically according to their fathers’ households, and the Levites afrom twenty years old and upwards, by their duties and their divisions.
18 The genealogical enrollment included 1all their little children, their wives, their sons and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for they consecrated themselves 2faithfully in holiness.
19 Also for the sons of Aaron the priests who were in athe pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, bthere were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically enrolled among the Levites.
20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and ahe did what was good, right and true before the Lord his God.
21 Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and aprospered.
1 After these 1acts of faithfulness aSennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and 2thought to break into them for himself.
2 Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that 1he intended to make war on Jerusalem,
3 he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him.
4 So many people assembled aand stopped up all the springs and bthe stream which flowed 1through the region, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?”
5 And he took courage and arebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and 1erected towers on it, and built banother outside wall and strengthened the cMillo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great number.
6 He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and aspoke 1encouragingly to them, saying,
7 “aBe strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; bfor the one with us is greater than the one with him.
8 “With him is only aan arm of flesh, but bwith us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Sennacherib Undermines Hezekiah
9 After this aSennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was 1besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,
10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege?
11 ‘Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the 1hand of the king of Assyria”?
12 ‘aHas not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and 1Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall 2burn incense”?
13 ‘Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? aWere the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand?
14 ‘aWho was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?
15 ‘Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for ano god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’ ”
16 His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah.
17 He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “aAs the gods of the nations of the lands 1have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”
18 aThey called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city.
19 They spoke 1of the God of Jerusalem as of athe gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of men’s hands.
20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven.
21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned 1in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword.
22 So the Lord asaved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and 1guided them on every side.
23 And amany were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that bhe was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.
24 aIn those days Hezekiah became 1mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and 2the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign.
25 But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit 1he received, abecause his heart was 2proud; btherefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
26 However, aHezekiah 1humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.
27 Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuable articles,
28 storehouses also for the produce of grain, wine and oil, pens for all kinds of cattle and 1sheepfolds for the flocks.
29 He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, for aGod had given him very great 1wealth.
30 It was Hezekiah who astopped the upper outlet of the waters of bGihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did.
31 Even in the matter of athe envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of bthe wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only cto test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
33 So Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the 1upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ahonored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.
Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah
1 aManasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 aHe did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
3 For ahe rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; bhe also erected altars for the Baals and made 1Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
4 aHe built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be bin Jerusalem forever.”
5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in athe two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 aHe made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and bdealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.
7 Then he put athe carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “bIn this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;
8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land awhich I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses.”
9 Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but athey paid no attention.
11 aTherefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with 1hooks, bbound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.
12 When ahe was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and bhumbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
13 When he prayed to Him, aHe was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh bknew that the Lord was God.
14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of aGihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the bFish Gate; and he encircled the cOphel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 He also aremoved the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city.
16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed apeace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.
17 Nevertheless athe people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to the Lord their God.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even ahis prayer to his God, and the words of bthe seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of cIsrael.
19 His prayer also and ahow God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and bthe sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the 1Hozai.
20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.
21 aAmon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord as Manasseh his father ahad done, and Amon sacrificed to all bthe carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them.
23 Moreover, he did not humble himself before the Lord aas his father Manasseh had 1done, but Amon multiplied guilt.
24 Finally ahis servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.
25 But the people of the land 1killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
1 aJosiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2 aHe did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to aseek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began bto purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images.
4 They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and athe incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and bground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
5 Then ahe burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6 aIn the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins,
7 he also tore down the altars and abeat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
8 aNow in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah ban official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.
9 They came to aHilkiah the high priest and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the 1doorkeepers, had collected 2from bManasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 Then they gave it into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord 1used it to restore and repair the house.
11 They in turn gave it to the carpenters and to the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings and to make beams for the houses awhich the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.
12 aThe men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and bthe Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments.
13 They were also over athe burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.
Hilkiah Discovers Lost Book of the Law
14 When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, aHilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.
15 Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and 1reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was 2entrusted to your servants they are doing.
17 “They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hands of the supervisors and the workmen.”
18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
19 When the king heard athe words of the law, bhe tore his clothes.
20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, 1Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying,
21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for agreat is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king 1had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of 2Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this.
23 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,
24 thus says the Lord, “Behold, aI am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all bthe curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah.
25 “aBecause they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place and it shall not be quenched.” ’
26 “But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard,
27 “aBecause your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord.
28 “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.” ’ ” And they brought back word to the king.
29 aThen the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 The king went up to the house of the Lord and aall the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.
31 Then the king astood in his place and bmade a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in this book.
32 Moreover, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33 Josiah aremoved all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his 1lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.
1 Then Josiah acelebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and bthey slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 He set the priests in their offices and aencouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord.
3 He also said to athe Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; bit will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel.
4 “aPrepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and baccording to the writing of his son Solomon.
5 “Moreover, astand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your brethren the 1lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household.
6 “Now aslaughter the Passover animals, bsanctify yourselves and prepare for your brethren to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”
7 Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering 30,000 plus 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions.
8 His officers also contributed a freewill offering to the people, the priests and the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, athe officials of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 from the flocks and 300 bulls.
9 aConaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 from the flocks and 500 bulls.
10 So the service was prepared, and athe priests stood at their stations and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command.
11 1aThey slaughtered the Passover animals, and while bthe priests sprinkled 2the blood received from their hand, cthe Levites skinned them.
12 Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls.
13 So athey roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled bthe holy things in pots, in kettles, in pans, and carried them speedily to all the lay people.
14 Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.
15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations aaccording to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and bthe gatekeepers at each gate did not have to depart from their service, because the Levites their brethren prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah.
17 Thus athe sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days.
18 aThere had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.
20 aAfter all this, when Josiah had set the 1temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at bCarchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him.
21 But 1Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “aWhat have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you.”
22 However, Josiah would not turn 1away from him, but adisguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco bfrom the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of cMegiddo.
23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.”
24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem 1where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. aAll Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25 Then aJeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the law of the Lord,
27 and his acts, first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, then Jehoiachin Rule
1 aThen the people of the land took 1bJoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.
2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold.
4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But aNeco took Joahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt.
5 aJehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up aagainst him and bbound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.
7 aNebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8 aNow the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and 1the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son became king in his place.
9 aJehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
10 aAt the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord, and he made his kinsman bZedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 aZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; ahe did not humble himself bbefore Jeremiah the prophet 1who spoke for the Lord.
13 aHe also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But bhe stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.
14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.
15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, asent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;
16 but they continually amocked the messengers of God, bdespised His words and scoffed at His prophets, cuntil the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy.
17 aTherefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand.
18 aAll the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon.
19 Then athey burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles.
20 Those who had escaped from the sword he acarried away to Babylon; and bthey were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,
21 ato fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until bthe land had enjoyed its sabbaths. cAll the days of its desolation it kept sabbath 1duntil seventy years were complete.
22 aNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord bby the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord cstirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!’ ”
1 aNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he bsent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and aHe has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 ‘Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; aHe is the God who is in Jerusalem.
4 ‘Every survivor, at whatever place he may 1live, let the men of 2that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ”
5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, aeven everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.
6 All those about them 1aencouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering.
7 aAlso King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, bwhich Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;
8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to aSheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
9 Now this was their number: 30 agold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 1duplicates;
10 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles.
11 All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
1 aNow these are the 1people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.
2 1These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, 2Seraiah, 3Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, 4Mispar, Bigvai, 5Rehum and Baanah.
The number of the men of the people of Israel:
4 the sons of Shephatiah, 372;
5 the sons of aArah, 775;
6 the sons of aPahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812;
10 the sons of 1Bani, 642;
13 the sons of aAdonikam, 666;
16 the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98;
18 the sons of 1Jorah, 112;
20 the sons of 1Gibbar, 95;
21 the 1men of aBethlehem, 123;
24 the sons of 1Azmaveth, 42;
25 the sons of 1Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;
26 the sons of aRamah and Geba, 621;
28 the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
31 the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;
33 the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725;
36 aThe priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;
37 the sons of aImmer, 1,052;
38 athe sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
39 the sons of aHarim, 1,017.
40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of 1Hodaviah, 74.
41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.
42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, in all 139.
43 The atemple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
44 the sons of Keros, the sons of 1Siaha, the sons of Padon,
45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,
46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,
47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,
48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,
49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,
50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of 1Nephisim,
51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
52 the sons of 1Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,
53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,
54 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
55 The sons of aSolomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of 1Hassophereth, the sons of 2Peruda,
56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,
57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of 1Ami.
58 All the atemple servants and the sons of bSolomon’s servants were 392.
59 Now these are those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, 1Addan and Immer, but they were not able to 2give evidence of their fathers’ households and their 3descendants, whether they were of Israel:
60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 652.
61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of 1Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of aBarzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name.
62 These searched among their ancestral registration, but they could not be located; atherefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood.
63 The 1governor said to them athat they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with bUrim and Thummim.
64 The whole assembly 1numbered 42,360,
65 besides their male and female servants 1who numbered 7,337; and they had 200 asinging men and women.
66 Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;
67 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.
68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to 1restore it on its foundation.
69 According to their ability they gave ato the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly 1garments.
70 aNow the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
1 Now when the seventh month came, and athe sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.
2 Then aJeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and bZerubbabel the son cof Shealtiel and his brothers arose and dbuilt the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, eas it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
3 So they set up the altar on its foundation, for 1athey were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they boffered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening.
4 They celebrated the aFeast of 1Booths, bas it is written, and offered 2the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, caccording to the ordinance, as each day required;
5 and afterward there was a acontinual burnt offering, also bfor the new moons and cfor all the fixed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to the Lord.
6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.
7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and afood, drink and oil to the Sidonians and to the Tyrians, bto bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea at cJoppa, according to the permission they had 1from dCyrus king of Persia.
8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month, aZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and bappointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord.
9 Then aJeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of 1Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the temple of God.
10 Now when the builders had alaid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, 1the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord baccording to the 2directions of King David of Israel.
11 aThey sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “bFor He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
12 Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, athe old men who had seen the first 1temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy,
13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.
1 Now when athe enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that bthe people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel,
2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; aand we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of bEsarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “aYou have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, bas King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then athe people of the land 1discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building,
5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 Now in the reign of 1aAhasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of 1Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the 2text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated afrom Aramaic.
8 1Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—
9 then wrote Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and athe rest of their colleagues, the judges and bthe lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,
10 and the rest of the nations which the great and honorable 1Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the region beyond the 2River. aNow
11 this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:
“To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men in the region beyond the River, and now
12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding athe rebellious and evil city and bare finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.
13 “Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, athey will not pay tribute, custom or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings.
14 “Now because we 1are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king,
15 so that a search may be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will discover in the record books and learn that that city is a rebellious city and damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have incited revolt within it in past days; therefore that city was laid waste.
16 “We inform the king that if that city is rebuilt and the walls finished, as a result you will have no possession in the province beyond the River.”
The King Replies and Work Stops
17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the River: “Peace. And now
18 the document which you sent to us has been 1atranslated and read before me.
19 “A decree has been 1issued by me, and a search has been made and it has been discovered that that city has risen up against the kings in past days, that rebellion and revolt have been perpetrated in it,
20 athat mighty kings have 1ruled over Jerusalem, governing all the provinces bbeyond the River, and that ctribute, custom and toll were paid to them.
21 “So, now issue a decree to make these men stop work, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me.
22 “Beware of being negligent in carrying out this matter; why should damage increase to the detriment of the kings?”
23 Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force of arms.
24 Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
1 When the prophets, aHaggai the prophet and bZechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them,
2 then aZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and bthe prophets of God were with them supporting them.
3 At that time aTattenai, the governor of the province beyond the 1River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, “bWho issued you a decree to rebuild this 2temple and to finish this structure?”
4 aThen we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were reconstructing this building.
5 But athe eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a written reply be returned concerning it.
6 This is the copy of the letter which aTattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his colleagues bthe officials, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.
7 They sent a report to him in which it was written thus: “To Darius the king, all peace.
8 “Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with huge stones, and 1beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is going on with great care and is succeeding in their hands.
9 “Then we asked those elders and said to them thus, ‘Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?’
10 “We also asked them their names so as to inform you, and that we might write down the names of the men who were at their head.
11 “Thus they 1answered us, saying, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, awhich a great king of Israel built and finished.
12 ‘But abecause our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, bHe gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
13 ‘However, ain the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus bissued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
14 ‘Also athe gold and silver utensils of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple 1in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple of Babylon, these King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon and they were given to one bwhose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor.
15 ‘He said to him, “Take these utensils, go and deposit them in the temple 1in Jerusalem and let the house of God be rebuilt in its place.”
16 ‘Then that Sheshbazzar came and alaid the foundations of the house of God 1in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction and it is bnot yet completed.’
17 “Now if it pleases the king, alet a search be conducted in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, if it be that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send to us his decision concerning this matter.”
1 Then King Darius issued a decree, and asearch was made in the 1archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.
2 In 1Ecbatana in the fortress, which is ain the province of Media, a scroll was found and there was written in it as follows: “Memorandum—
3 “aIn the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: ‘Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the 1temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be 2retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits;
4 awith three layers of huge stones and 1one layer of timbers. And let the cost be paid from the 2royal treasury.
5 ‘Also let athe gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and 1brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.’
6 “Now therefore, aTattenai, governor of the province beyond the 1River, Shethar-bozenai and 2your colleagues, the officials of the provinces beyond the 1River, 3keep away from there.
7 “Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.
8 “Moreover, aI issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay.
9 “Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail,
10 that they may offer 1acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and apray for the life of the king and his sons.
11 “And I issued a decree that aany man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled on it and bhis house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this.
12 “May the God who ahas caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who 1attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”
The Temple Completed and Dedicated
13 Then aTattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues carried out the decree with all diligence, just as King Darius had sent.
14 And athe elders of the Jews 1were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And 2they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree bof Cyrus, cDarius, and dArtaxerxes king of Persia.
15 This 1temple was completed 2on the third day of the amonth Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 And the sons of Israel, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the 1exiles, acelebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
17 They offered for the dedication of this temple of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel a12 male goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 Then they appointed the priests to atheir divisions and the Levites in btheir orders for the service of God 1in Jerusalem, cas it is written in the book of Moses.
19 aThe exiles observed the Passover on bthe fourteenth of the first month.
20 aFor the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then bthey slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
21 The sons of Israel who returned from exile and aall those who had separated themselves from bthe impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover.
22 And athey observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and bhad turned the heart of cthe king of Assyria toward them to 1encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Ezra Journeys from Babylon to Jerusalem
1 aNow after these things, in the reign of bArtaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,
2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,
4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest.
6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ascribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all 1he requested bbecause the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.
7 aSome of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9 For on the first of the first month 1he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, abecause the good hand of his God was upon him.
10 For Ezra had set his heart to 1study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and ato teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.
King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra
11 Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, 1learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes to Israel:
12 “1Artaxerxes, aking of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now
13 aI have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
14 “Forasmuch as you are sent 1by the king and his aseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,
15 and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, awhose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
16 with aall the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along bwith the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who coffered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;
17 with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, awith their grain offerings and their drink offerings and boffer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 “Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.
19 “Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.
20 “The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, aprovide for it from the royal treasury.
21 “I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the 1River, that whatever Ezra the priest, athe scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently,
22 even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 1kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt 2as needed.
23 “Whatever is 1commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, aso that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.
24 “We also inform you that ait is not allowed to 1impose tax, tribute or toll bon any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.
25 “You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, aappoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may bteach anyone who is ignorant of them.
26 “aWhoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for 1banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”
27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, awho has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem,
28 and ahas extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to bthe hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered 1leading men from Israel to go up with me.
1 Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical enrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, aHattush;
3 of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of aParosh, Zechariah and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical list;
4 of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and 200 males with him;
5 of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and 300 males with him;
6 and of the sons of aAdin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 males with him;
7 and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him;
8 and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 males with him;
9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him;
10 and of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him;
11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 males with him;
12 and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him;
13 and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them;
14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and 1Zabbud, and 70 males with 2them.
15 Now I assembled them at athe river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I observed the people and the priests, I bdid not find any Levites there.
16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, 1leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers.
17 I sent them to Iddo the 1leading man at the place Casiphia; and I 2told them what to say to 3Iddo and his brothers, athe temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God.
18 aAccording to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a bman of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18 men;
19 and Hashabiah and 1Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men;
20 and 220 of athe temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.
21 Then I proclaimed aa fast there at bthe river of Ahava, that we might chumble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a 1safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.
22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to 1protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “aThe hand of our God is 2favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but bHis power and His anger are against all those who cforsake Him.”
23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He 1alistened to our entreaty.
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, aSherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers;
25 and I aweighed out to them bthe silver, the gold and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king and chis counselors and his princes and all Israel present there had offered.
26 aThus I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 gold talents,
27 and 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold.
28 Then I said to them, “aYou are holy to the Lord, and the butensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers.
29 “Watch and keep them auntil you weigh them before the leading priests, the Levites and the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.”
30 So the priests and the Levites aaccepted the weighed out silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31 Then we journeyed from athe river Ahava on bthe twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and cthe hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way.
32 aThus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.
33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils awere weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of bMeremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui.
34 Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at that time.
35 aThe exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: b12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to the Lord.
36 Then athey delivered the king’s edicts to bthe king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the 1River, and they supported the people and the house of God.
1 Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not aseparated themselves from the peoples of the lands, baccording to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites.
2 “For athey have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that bthe holy 1race has cintermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.”
3 When I heard about this matter, I atore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and bsat down appalled.
4 Then aeveryone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until bthe evening offering.
5 But at the evening offering I arose from my 1humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and astretched out my 2hands to the Lord my God;
6 and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have 1risen above our heads and our aguilt has grown even to the heavens.
7 “aSince the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to 1bopen shame, as it is this day.
8 “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, ato leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a bpeg in His holy place, that our God may cenlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 “aFor we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but bhas extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 “Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments,
11 which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and awith their impurity.
12 ‘So now do not agive your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and bnever seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and cleave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’
13 “After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and aour great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us ban escaped remnant as this,
14 ashall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples 1who commit these abominations? bWould You not be angry with us 2to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape?
15 “O Lord God of Israel, aYou are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in bour guilt, for cno one can stand before You because of this.”
1 Now awhile Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself bbefore the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly.
2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “aWe have been unfaithful to our God and have 1married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.
3 “So now alet us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and 1btheir children, according to the counsel of 2my lord and of cthose who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done daccording to the law.
4 “Arise! For this matter is 1your responsibility, but we will be with you; abe courageous and act.”
5 Then Ezra rose and amade the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this 1proposal; so they took the oath.
6 Then Ezra arose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, bhe did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem,
8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, atrembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.
10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel.
11 “Now therefore, amake confession to the Lord God of your fathers and bdo His will; and cseparate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “That’s right! As you have said, so it is 1our duty to do.
13 “But there are many people; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.
14 “Let our leaders 1represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the afierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.”
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah 1opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
16 But the exiles did so. And 1Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they 2convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.
17 They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
18 Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of aJeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.
19 They 1pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, athey offered a ram of the flock for their offense.
20 Of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah;
21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah;
22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.
23 Of Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.
25 Of Israel, of the sons of aParosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah;
26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah;
27 and of the sons of aZattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza;
28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai;
29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth;
30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh;
31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, aMalchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah;
33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei;
34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.
43 Of the sons of aNebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.
44 All these had married aforeign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Nehemiah’s Grief for the Exiles
1 The words of aNehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in bthe month Chislev, cin the twentieth year, while I was in dSusa the 1capitol,
2 that aHanani, one of my brothers, and 1some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the aprovince who survived the captivity are in great distress and breproach, and bthe wall of Jerusalem is broken down and cits gates are burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these words, aI sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before bthe God of heaven.
5 I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, athe great and awesome God, bwho preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
6 alet Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, bconfessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; cI and my father’s house have sinned.
7 “aWe have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances bwhich You commanded Your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘aIf you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples;
9 abut if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I bwill gather them from there and will bring them cto the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’
10 “aThey are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.
11 “O Lord, I beseech You, amay Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to 1revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.”
Now I was the bcupbearer to the king.
1 And it came about in the month Nisan, ain the twentieth year of King bArtaxerxes, that wine was before him, and cI took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? aThis is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
3 I said to the king, “aLet the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad bwhen the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”
4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” aSo I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and aI gave him a definite time.
7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me afor the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s aforest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of bthe fortress which is by the 1temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because cthe good hand of my God was on me.
9 Then I came to athe governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now bthe king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.
10 When aSanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite 1official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.
Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls
11 So I acame to Jerusalem and was there three days.
12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my 1mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.
13 So I went out at night by athe Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the 1Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem bwhich were broken down and its cgates which were consumed by fire.
14 Then I passed on to athe Fountain Gate and bthe King’s Pool, but there was no place for 1my mount to pass.
15 So I went up at night by the aravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned.
16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that aJerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.”
18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” aSo they put their hands to the good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite 1official, and aGeshem the Arab heard it, bthey mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? aAre you rebelling against the king?”
20 So I answered them and said to them, “aThe God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, bbut you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
1 Then aEliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built bthe Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and chung its doors. They consecrated 1the wall to dthe Tower of the Hundred and ethe Tower of Hananel.
2 Next to him athe men of Jericho built, and next to 1them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
3 Now the sons of Hassenaah built athe Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
4 Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to 1him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs.
5 Moreover, next to 1him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not 2support the work of their masters.
6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired athe Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.
7 Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, 1also made repairs for the official seat of the agovernor of the province beyond the River.
8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the agoldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as bthe Broad Wall.
9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, athe official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.
10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and athe Tower of Furnaces.
12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, athe official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired athe Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the 1Refuse Gate.
14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of aBeth-haccherem repaired the 1bRefuse Gate. He built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.
15 Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, arepaired the Fountain Gate. He built it, covered it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah at bthe king’s garden as far as cthe steps that descend from the city of David.
16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, aofficial of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs as far as a point opposite the tombs of David, and as far as bthe artificial pool and the house of the mighty men.
17 After him the Levites carried out repairs under Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, the official of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.
18 After him their brothers carried out repairs under Bavvai the son of Henadad, official of the other half of the district of Keilah.
19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, athe official of Mizpah, repaired 1another section in front of the ascent of the armory bat the Angle.
20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of aEliashib the high priest.
21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the doorway of Eliashib’s house even as far as the end of 1his house.
22 After him the priests, athe men of the 1valley, carried out repairs.
23 After 1them Benjamin and Hasshub carried out repairs in front of their house. After 1them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, carried out repairs beside his house.
24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah as far as athe Angle and as far as the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs in front of the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king, which is by athe court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.
26 aThe temple servants living in bOphel made repairs as far as the front of cthe Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.
27 After 1them athe Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 Above athe Horse Gate the priests carried out repairs, each in front of his house.
29 After 1them Zadok the son of Immer carried out repairs in front of his house. And after him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, carried out repairs.
30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah carried out repairs in front of his own 1quarters.
31 After him Malchijah, 1one of athe goldsmiths, carried out repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the 2Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room of the corner.
32 Between the upper room of the corner and athe Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants carried out repairs.
1 1Now it came about that when aSanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.
2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and athe 1wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the 2bdusty rubble even the burned ones?”
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—aif a fox should 1jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
4 aHear, O our God, how we are despised! bReturn their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity.
5 Do not 1aforgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have 2demoralized the builders.
6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a 1mind to work.
7 1Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the 2repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry.
8 All of them aconspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.
9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we aset up a guard against them day and night.
10 Thus 1in Judah it was said,
“The strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet there is much 2rubbish;
And we ourselves are unable
To rebuild the wall.”
11 Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.”
12 When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “1They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,”
13 then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the 1exposed places, and I astationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows.
14 When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “aDo not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and bfight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”
15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that aGod had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.
16 From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah.
17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.
18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while 1the trumpeter stood near me.
19 I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another.
20 “At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, 1rally to us there. aOur God will fight for us.”
21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from 1dawn until the stars 2appeared.
22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day.”
23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.
1 Now athere was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their bJewish brothers.
2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us aget grain that we may eat and live.”
3 There were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine.”
4 Also there were those who said, “We have borrowed money afor the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.
5 “Now aour flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, bwe are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and 1we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 Then I was very aangry when I had heard their outcry and these words.
7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, “aYou are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
8 I said to them, “We according to our ability ahave 1redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
9 Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of athe reproach of the nations, our enemies?
10 “And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.
11 “Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.”
12 Then they said, “We awill give it back and bwill require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and ctook an oath from them that they would do according to this 1promise.
13 I aalso shook out the 1front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this 2promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And ball the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this 2promise.
14 Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from athe twentieth year to the bthirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my 1kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance.
15 But the former governors who were before me 1laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so abecause of the fear of God.
16 I also 1applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
17 Moreover, athere were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.
18 Now athat which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this bI did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.
19 aRemember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
1 Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, aalthough at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates,
2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at 1Chephirim in the plain of aOno.” But they were planning to 2harm me.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
4 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.
5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand.
6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and 1Gashmu says, that ayou and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports.
7 “You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning 1you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.”
8 Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are ainventing them 1in your own mind.”
9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, 1thinking, “2They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, aO God, strengthen my hands.
10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, awho was 1confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.”
11 But I said, “aShould a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple 1to save his life? I will not go in.”
12 Then I perceived 1that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 He was hired for this reason, athat I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.
14 aRemember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah bthe prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.
15 So athe wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 aWhen all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they 1lost their confidence; for bthey recognized that this work had been accomplished 2with the help of our God.
17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Census of First Returned Exiles
1 Now when athe wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed,
2 then I put aHanani my brother, and bHananiah the commander of cthe fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was da faithful man and feared God more than many.
3 Then I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, let them shut and bolt the doors. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.”
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.
5 aThen my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first 1in which I found the following record:
6 aThese are the 1people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city,
7 who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, 1Azariah, 2Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, 3Mispereth, Bigvai, 4Nehum, Baanah.
The number of men of the people of Israel:
9 the sons of Shephatiah, 372;
11 the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818;
15 the sons of 1Binnui, 648;
21 the sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98;
24 the sons of 1Hariph, 112;
25 the sons of 1Gibeon, 95;
26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
28 the men of 1Beth-azmaveth, 42;
29 the men of 1Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;
30 the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
32 the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;
33 the men of the other Nebo, 52;
34 the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;
36 the 1men of Jericho, 345;
37 the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 721;
39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;
41 the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of 1Hodevah, 74.
44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148.
45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.
46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
47 the sons of Keros, the sons of 1Sia, the sons of Padon,
48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,
49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,
50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,
51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,
52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of 1Nephushesim,
53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
54 the sons of 1Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,
55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,
56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of 1Sophereth, the sons of 2Perida,
58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,
59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of 1Amon.
60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.
61 These were they who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, 1Addon and Immer; but they could not show their fathers’ houses or their 2descendants, whether they were of Israel:
62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642.
63 Of the priests: the sons of 1Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was named after them.
64 These searched among their ancestral registration, but it could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood.
65 aThe 1governor said to them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest arose with bUrim and Thummim.
66 The whole assembly together was 42,360,
67 besides their male and their female servants, 1of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers.
68 1aTheir horses were 736; their mules, 245;
69 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.
70 Some from among the heads of fathers’ households gave to the work. The 1agovernor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 basins, 530 priests’ garments.
71 Some of the heads of fathers’ households gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas.
72 That which the rest of the people gave was 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,000 silver minas and 67 priests’ garments.
73 Now athe priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants and all Israel, lived in their cities.
bAnd when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.
1 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of athe Water Gate, and they 1asked bEzra the scribe to bring cthe book of the law of Moses which the Lord had 2given to Israel.
2 Then aEzra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on bthe first day of the seventh month.
3 He read from it before the square which was in front of athe Water Gate from 1early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand.
5 Ezra opened athe book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people bstood up.
6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “aAmen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then bthey bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place.
8 They read from the book, from the law of God, 1translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.
9 Then Nehemiah, who was the 1agovernor, and Ezra bthe priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “cThis day is holy to the Lord your God; ddo not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and asend portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
12 All the people went away to eat, to drink, ato send portions and to 1celebrate a great festival, bbecause they understood the words which had been made known to them.
13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law.
14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel ashould live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
15 1aSo they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and bin Jerusalem, saying, “cGo out to the hills, and bring olive branches and 2wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each aon his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at bthe Water Gate and in the square at cthe Gate of Ephraim.
17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in 1them. The sons of Israel ahad indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And bthere was great rejoicing.
18 aHe read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they bcelebrated the feast seven days, and on cthe eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of athis month the sons of Israel assembled bwith fasting, in sackcloth and with cdirt upon them.
2 The 1adescendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and bconfessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 While athey stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
4 aNow on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!
O may Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “aYou alone are the Lord.
bYou have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
cYou give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
aWho chose Abram
And brought him out from bUr of the Chaldees,
And cgave him the name Abraham.
8 “You found ahis heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—
To give it to his 1descendants.
And You bhave fulfilled Your promise,
For You are righteous.
9 “aYou saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And bheard their cry by the 1Red Sea.
10 “Then You performed asigns and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that bthey acted arrogantly toward them,
And cmade a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 “aYou divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And btheir pursuers You hurled into the depths,
Like a stone into 1raging waters.
12 “And with a pillar of cloud aYou led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 “Then aYou came down on Mount Sinai,
And bspoke with them from heaven;
You gave them cjust ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 “So You made known to them aYour holy sabbath,
And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 “You aprovided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You bbrought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You ctold them to enter in order to possess
The land which You 1swore to give them.
16 “But they, our fathers, aacted arrogantly;
They 1bbecame stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
And adid not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them;
So they became stubborn and bappointed a leader to return to their slavery 1in Egypt.
But You are a God cof forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness;
And You did not forsake them.
18 “Even when they amade for themselves
A calf of molten metal
And said, ‘This is your God
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great 1blasphemies,
19 aYou, in Your great compassion,
Did not forsake them in the wilderness;
bThe pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 “aYou gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 “Indeed, aforty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not in want;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell.
22 “You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a 1boundary.
aThey took possession of the land of Sihon 2the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 “You made their sons numerous as athe stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 “aSo their sons entered and possessed the land.
And bYou subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them 1as they desired.
25 “aThey captured fortified cities and a 1bfertile land.
They took possession of chouses full of every good thing,
Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and dgrew fat,
And ereveled in Your great goodness.
26 “aBut they became disobedient and rebelled against You,
And bcast Your law behind their backs
And ckilled Your prophets who had dadmonished them
So that they might return to You,
And ethey committed great 1blasphemies.
27 “Therefore You adelivered them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them,
But when they cried to You bin the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You cgave them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors.
28 “But aas soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried again to You, You heard from heaven,
And bmany times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And aadmonished them in order to turn them back to Your law.
Yet bthey acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
By cwhich if a man observes them he shall live.
And they 1dturned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 “aHowever, You bore with them for many years,
And badmonished them by cYour Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not give ear.
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You adid not make an end of them or forsake them,
For You are ba gracious and compassionate God.
32 “Now therefore, our God, athe great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people,
bFrom the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 “However, aYou are just in all that has come upon us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 “For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your 1admonitions with which You have 2admonished them.
35 “But athey, in their own kingdom,
bWith Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You set before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 “Behold, awe are slaves today,
And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves in it.
37 “aIts abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.
38 “1Now because of all this
aWe are making an agreement in writing;
And on the bsealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”
1 1Now on the asealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the 2governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
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,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
28 Now athe rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and ball 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 1kinsmen, their nobles, and are 2ataking 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 3God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;
30 and athat we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.
31 As afor 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 bseventh year and the cexaction of every debt.
32 We also 1placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly aone third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:
33 for the ashowbread, 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 awe cast lots bfor 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 athe first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually,
36 and abring 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 aWe will also bring the first of our 1dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil bto the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the ctithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.
38 aThe 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 bthe storehouse.
39 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the acontribution 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 bwe will not 1neglect the house of our God.
Time Passes; Heads of Provinces
1 Now athe leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people bcast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, cthe holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities.
2 And the people blessed all the men who avolunteered to live in Jerusalem.
3 aNow these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah beach lived on his own property in their cities—the 1Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the 2ctemple servants and the 3ddescendants 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 1in 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 1kinsmen who performed the work of the 2temple, 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 1Haggedolim.
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 1leaders of the Levites, who were 2in charge of athe outside work of the house of God;
17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of 1Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the 2leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and 3Abda the son of 4Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
18 All the Levites in athe holy city were 284.
19 Also the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brethren who kept watch at the gates, were 172.
20 The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each aon his own inheritance.
21 But athe temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were 1in charge of the temple servants.
22 Now athe 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 1service of the house of God.
23 aFor there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a firm regulation for the song leaders bday by day.
24 Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons aof Zerah the son of Judah, was the bking’s 1representative in all matters concerning the people.
25 Now as for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived in aKiriath-arba and its 1towns, in bDibon and its 1towns, 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,
35 Lod and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
36 From the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.
Priests and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel
1 Now these are athe priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their 1kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was 1in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.
9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them ain their service divisions.
10 Jeshua 1became the father of Joiakim, and Joiakim 1became the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib 1became 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 1Malluchi, 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.
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, ato praise and give thanks, 1as prescribed by David the man of God, bdivision corresponding to division.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at athe 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 aNehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
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 ato the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres.
28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from athe 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 apurified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall.
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great 1choirs, 2athe first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward bthe 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 1kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, awith the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.
37 At athe Fountain Gate they went directly up bthe steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to cthe Water Gate on the east.
38 aThe second 1choir proceeded to the 2left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, babove the Tower of Furnaces, to cthe Broad Wall,
39 and above athe Gate of Ephraim, by bthe Old Gate, by the cFish Gate, dthe Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at ethe 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 1sang, with Jezrahiah their leader,
43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because aGod 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 amen 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 1served.
45 For they performed the 1worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers ain accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon.
46 For in the days of David and aAsaph, in ancient times, there were 1bleaders 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 aas each day required, and bset apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.
1 On that day athey read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that bno 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 ahired Balaam against them to curse them. However, bour God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 So when they heard the law, athey excluded ball foreigners from Israel.
Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed
4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, awho was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being 1related to bTobiah,
5 had prepared a large 1room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil aprescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the 2contributions for the priests.
6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in athe thirty-second year of bArtaxerxes 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 1learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, aby preparing a 2room for him in the courts of the house of God.
8 It was very displeasing to me, so I athrew all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.
9 Then I gave an order and athey cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
10 I also 1discovered that athe portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had 2gone away, beach to his own field.
11 So I 1areprimanded the officials and said, “bWhy is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts.
12 All Judah then brought athe 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 athey were considered reliable, and it was 1their task to distribute to their 2kinsmen.
14 aRemember 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.
15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses aon the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, band they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So cI admonished them on the day they sold food.
16 Also men of Tyre were living 1there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.
17 Then aI 1reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, 2by profaning the sabbath day?
18 “aDid 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 aIt came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut 1and 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 aI 1warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will 2use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.
22 And I commanded the Levites that athey should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also bremember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.
23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had 1amarried women from bAshdod, cAmmon 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 1the language of his own people.
25 So aI contended with them and cursed them and bstruck some of them and pulled out their hair, and cmade 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 “aDid not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? bYet among the many nations there was no king like him, and che was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.
27 “1Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil aby acting unfaithfully against our God by 2marrying foreign women?”
28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of aSanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.
29 aRemember them, O my God, 1because they have defiled the priesthood and the bcovenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 aThus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task,
31 and I arranged afor the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. bRemember me, O my God, for good.
1 Now it took place in the days of aAhasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned bfrom India to 1Ethiopia over c127 provinces,
2 in those days as King Ahasuerus asat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in bSusa,
3 in the third year of his reign ahe gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence.
4 1And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.
5 When these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of athe garden of the king’s palace.
6 There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and acouches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.
7 Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful aaccording to the king’s 1bounty.
8 The drinking was done according to the law, there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household that he should do according to the desires of each person.
9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the 1palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was amerry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,
11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal acrown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful.
12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him.
13 Then the king said to athe wise men bwho understood the times—for it was the custom of the king so to speak before all who knew law and justice
14 and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media awho 1had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom—
15 “According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not 1obey the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”
16 In the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
17 “For the queen’s conduct will 1become known to all the women causing them 2to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’
18 “This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s conduct will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.
19 “If it pleases the king, let a royal 1edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so athat it cannot 2be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to 3another who is more worthy than she.
20 “When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, 1great as it is, then aall women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”
21 This word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did 1as Memucan proposed.
22 So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, ato each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man should bbe the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.
1 After these things awhen the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and bwhat had been decreed against her.
2 Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “aLet beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.
3 “Let the king appoint overseers in aall the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of bHegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and clet their cosmetics be given them.
4 “Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
5 Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was aMordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,
6 awho had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled.
7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is aEsther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and 1face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8 So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and amany young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of bHegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s 1palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her acosmetics and 1food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.
10 aEsther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known.
11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.
12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women—
13 the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she 1desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.
14 In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the 1custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, athe daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what bHegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, 1advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.
16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that ahe set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
18 Then athe king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts baccording to the king’s bounty.
19 aWhen the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai bwas sitting at the king’s gate.
20 aEsther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did 1what Mordecai told her as she had done bwhen under his care.
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, aBigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to 1lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
22 But the 1plot became known to Mordecai and ahe told Queen Esther, and Esther 2informed the king in Mordecai’s name.
23 Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a 1gallows; and it was written in athe Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.
1 After these events King Ahasuerus apromoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha bthe Agagite, and aadvanced him and 1established his authority over all the princes who were with him.
2 All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down 1and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But aMordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.
3 Then the king’s servants who were at athe king’s gate said to Mordecai, “bWhy are you transgressing the king’s command?”
4 Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that aMordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.
6 But he 1disdained to 2lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman asought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, 1Pur, that is the lot, was acast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, 2until the twelfth month, that is bthe month Adar.
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; atheir laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain.
9 “If it is pleasing to the king, let it be 1decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.”
10 Then athe king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha bthe Agagite, cthe enemy of the Jews.
11 The king said to Haman, “The silver is 1yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.”
12 aThen the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to bthe king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written cin the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring.
13 Letters were sent by acouriers to all the king’s provinces bto destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, cin one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to dseize their possessions as plunder.
14 aA copy of the edict to be 1issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day.
15 The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was 1issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, athe city of Susa was in confusion.
1 When Mordecai learned aall that had been done, 1he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly.
2 He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.
3 In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with afasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.
4 Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them.
5 Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom 1the king had appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.
6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate.
7 Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and athe exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.
8 He also gave him aa copy of the text of the edict which had been issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show Esther and inform her, and to order her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to plead with him for her people.
9 Hathach came back and related Mordecai’s words to Esther.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered him to reply to Mordecai:
11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who acomes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, bhe has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out cto him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.”
12 They related Esther’s words to Mordecai.
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.
14 “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and adeliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,
16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; ado not eat or drink for bthree days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.
1 Now it came about aon the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood bin the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s 1rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the 2throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace.
2 When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, ashe obtained favor in his sight; and bthe king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.
3 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? aEven to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.”
4 Esther said, “If it pleases the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
5 Then the king said, “aBring Haman quickly that we may do 1as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet which Esther had prepared.
6 1As they drank their wine at the banquet, athe king said to Esther, “bWhat is your petition, for it shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.”
7 So Esther replied, “My petition and my request is:
8 aif I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and do 1what I request, may the king and Haman come to bthe banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do 2as the king says.”
9 Then Haman went out that day glad and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai ain the king’s gate and bthat he did not stand up or 1tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai.
10 Haman controlled himself, however, went to his house and 1sent for his friends and his wife aZeresh.
11 Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, and the 1anumber of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had 2bpromoted him above the princes and servants of the king.
12 Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and atomorrow also I am 1invited by her with the king.
13 “Yet all of this 1does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at athe king’s gate.”
14 Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “aHave a 1gallows fifty cubits high made and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet.” And the 2advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
The King Plans to Honor Mordecai
1 During that night 1the king acould not sleep so he gave an order to bring bthe book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
2 It was found written what aMordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
3 The king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”
4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just aentered the outer court of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about bhanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him.
5 The king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.”
6 So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man awhom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said 1to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”
7 Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor,
8 let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and athe horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head ba royal crown has been placed;
9 and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, aand proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’ ”
10 Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.”
11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried home, mourning, awith his head covered.
13 Haman recounted ato Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is 1of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”
14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily abrought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.
1 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen.
2 And the king said to Esther on the second day also 1as they drank their wine at the banquet, “aWhat is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? bEven to half of the kingdom it shall be done.”
3 Then Queen Esther replied, “aIf I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request;
4 for awe have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, bto be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the 1trouble would not be commensurate with the 2annoyance to the king.”
5 Then King Ahasuerus 1asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, 2who would presume to do thus?”
6 Esther said, “aA foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.
7 The king arose ain his anger from 1drinking wine and went into bthe palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king.
8 Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the 1place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on athe couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, “Behold indeed, athe gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai bwho spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.”
10 aSo they hanged Haman on the 1gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, band the king’s anger subsided.
1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, athe enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had disclosed bwhat he was to her.
2 aThe king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews.
4 aThe king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.
5 Then she said, “aIf it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the bletters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.
6 “For ahow can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?”
7 So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, aI have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews.
The King’s Decree Avenges the Jews
8 “Now you write to the Jews 1as you see fit, in the king’s name, and aseal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring bmay not be revoked.”
9 aSo the king’s scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third 1day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors and the princes of the provinces which extended bfrom India to 2Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to cevery province according to its script, and to every people according to their language as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language.
10 He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on ahorses, riding on steeds sired by the royal stud.
11 1In them the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right ato assemble and to defend their lives, bto destroy, to kill and to annihilate the entire army of any people or province which might attack them, including children and women, and cto plunder their spoil,
12 on aone day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar).
13 aA copy of the edict to be 1issued as law in each and every province was published to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The couriers, hastened and impelled by the king’s command, went out, riding on the royal steeds; and the decree was given out at the citadel in Susa.
15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ain royal robes of 1blue and white, with a large crown of gold and ba garment of fine linen and purple; and cthe city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.
16 For the Jews there was alight and gladness and joy and honor.
17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a 1aholiday. And bmany among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.
The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
1 Now ain the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on bthe thirteenth 1day cwhen the king’s command and edict 2were about to be executed, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them.
2 aThe Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm; and no one could stand before them, bfor the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples.
3 Even all the princes of the provinces, athe satraps, the governors and those who were doing the king’s business 1assisted the Jews, because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them.
4 Indeed, Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai abecame greater and greater.
5 Thus athe Jews struck all their enemies with 1the sword, killing and destroying; and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.
6 At the citadel in Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,
7 and Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha,
10 athe ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ enemy; but bthey did not lay their hands on the plunder.
11 On that day the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa 1was reported to the king.
12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! aNow what is your petition? It shall even be granted you. And what is your further request? It shall also be done.”
13 Then said Esther, “If it pleases the king, alet tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”
14 So the king commanded that it should be done so; and an edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged.
15 The Jews who were in Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and killed athree hundred men in Susa, but bthey did not lay their hands on the plunder.
16 Now athe rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces bassembled, to defend their lives and 1rid themselves of their enemies, and kill 75,000 of those who hated them; but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
17 This was done on athe thirteenth day of the month Adar, and bon the fourteenth 1day they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
18 But the Jews who were in Susa aassembled on the thirteenth and bthe fourteenth 1of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth 1day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
19 Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in athe rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a 1bholiday for rejoicing and feasting and csending portions of food to one another.
20 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
21 obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day 1of the same month, annually,
22 because on those days the Jews 1rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was aturned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a 2holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and bsending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 Thus the Jews undertook what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them.
24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them and ahad cast Pur, that is the lot, to disturb them and destroy them.
25 But awhen it came 1to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter bthat his wicked scheme which he had 2devised against the Jews, cshould return on his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the 3gallows.
26 Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. 1And abecause of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them,
27 the Jews established and 1made a custom for themselves and for their 2descendants and for aall those who allied themselves with them, so that 3they would not fail bto celebrate these two days according to their 4regulation and according to their appointed time annually.
28 So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province and every city; and these days of Purim were not to 1fail from among the Jews, or their memory 2fade from their 3descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther, adaughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm bthis second letter about Purim.
30 He sent letters to all the Jews, ato the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth,
31 to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their 1descendants with 2instructions afor their times of fasting and their lamentations.
32 The command of Esther established these 1customs for aPurim, and it was written in the book.
1 Now King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land and on the acoastlands of the sea.
2 And all the 1accomplishments of his authority and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai ato which the king 2advanced him, are they not written in bthe Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
3 For Mordecai the Jew was asecond only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, bone who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation.
1 There was a man in the aland of Uz whose name was bJob; and that man was cblameless, upright, dfearing God and eturning away from evil.
2 aSeven sons and three daughters were born to him.
3 aHis possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was bthe greatest of all the 1men of the east.
4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering aburnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “bPerhaps my sons have sinned and ccursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
6 aNow there was a day when the bsons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and 1Satan also came among them.
7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “aFrom roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you 1considered aMy servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, ba blameless and upright man, 2fearing God and turning away from evil.”
9 Then aSatan answered the 1Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 “aHave You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? bYou have blessed the work of his hands, and his cpossessions have increased in the land.
11 “aBut put forth Your hand now and btouch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”
12 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your 1power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
13 Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the 1donkeys feeding beside them,
15 and 1the aSabeans 2attacked and took them. They also 3slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and 4I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “aThe fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The aChaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and 1slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
19 and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose and atore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
“aNaked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The bLord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
1 aAgain there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you 1considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man 2fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still aholds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to 3ruin him without cause.”
4 Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
5 “aHowever, put forth Your hand now, and btouch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.”
6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your 1power, only spare his life.”
7 Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with asore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
8 And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while ahe was sitting among the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. aShall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” bIn all this Job did not sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the aTemanite, Bildad the bShuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to csympathize with him and comfort him.
12 When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them atore his robe and they bthrew dust over their heads toward the sky.
13 aThen they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
1 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed 1the day of his birth.
2 And Job 1said,
3 “aLet the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A 1boy is conceived.’
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 “Let adarkness and black gloom claim it;
Let a cloud settle on it;
Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 “As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
7 “Behold, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.
8 “Let those curse it who curse the day,
Who are 1prepared to arouse Leviathan.
9 “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the 1breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “aWhy did I not die 1at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12 “Why did the knees receive me,
And why the breasts, that I should suck?
13 “For now I awould have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With akings and with bcounselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt cruins for themselves;
15 Or with aprinces bwho had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 “Or like a miscarriage which is 1discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.
17 “There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the 1weary are at arest.
18 “The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 “The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is alight given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who 1along for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for bhidden treasures,
And exult when they find the grave?
23 “Why is light given to a man awhose way is hidden,
And whom bGod has hedged in?
24 “For amy groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And bmy cries pour out like water.
25 “For 1awhat I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread befalls me.
26 “I aam not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite 1answered,
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But awho can refrain 1from speaking?
3 “Behold ayou have admonished many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4 “Your words have 1helped the tottering to stand,
And you have strengthened 2feeble knees.
5 “But now it has come to you, and you aare impatient;
It btouches you, and you are dismayed.
6 “Is not your 1afear of God byour confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember now, awho ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
8 “According to what I have seen, athose who plow iniquity
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9 “By athe breath of God they perish,
And bby the 1blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 “The aroaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 “The alion perishes for lack of prey,
And the bwhelps of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word awas brought to me stealthily,
And my ear received a bwhisper of it.
13 “Amid disquieting athoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made 1all my bones shake.
15 “Then a 1spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh bristled up.
16 “It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can amankind be just 1before God?
Can a man be pure 1before his bMaker?
18 ‘aHe puts no trust even in His servants;
And against His angels He charges error.
19 ‘How much more those who dwell in ahouses of clay,
Whose bfoundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
20 ‘aBetween morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unobserved, they bperish forever.
21 ‘Is not their atent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, yet bwithout wisdom.’
1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the aholy ones will you turn?
2 “For aanger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple.
3 “I have seen the afoolish taking root,
And I bcursed his abode immediately.
4 “His asons are far from safety,
They are even 1oppressed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
5 “1His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the 2aschemer is eager for their wealth.
6 “For aaffliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 For aman is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.
8 “But as for me, I would aseek God,
And I would place my cause before God;
9 Who adoes great and unsearchable things,
1Wonders without number.
10 “He agives rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields,
11 So that aHe sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 “He afrustrates the plotting of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
13 “He acaptures the wise by their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
14 “By day they ameet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
15 “But He saves from athe sword of their mouth,
And bthe poor from the hand of the mighty.
And aunrighteousness must shut its mouth.
17 “Behold, how ahappy is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise the bdiscipline of 1the Almighty.
18 “For aHe inflicts pain, and 1gives relief;
He wounds, and His hands also heal.
19 “1From six troubles aHe will deliver you,
Even in seven bevil will not touch you.
20 “In afamine He will redeem you from death,
And bin war from the power of the sword.
21 “You will be ahidden from the scourge of the tongue,
bAnd you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
22 “You will alaugh at violence and famine,
bAnd you will not be afraid of 1wild beasts.
23 “For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And athe beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 “You will know that your atent is secure,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
25 “You will know also that your 1adescendants will be many,
And byour offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 “You will acome to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
1 Then Job 1answered,
2 “aOh that my grief were actually weighed
And laid in the balances together with my calamity!
3 “For then it would be aheavier than the sand of the seas;
Therefore my words have been rash.
4 “For the aarrows of the Almighty are within me,
1Their bpoison my spirit drinks;
The cterrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 “Does the awild donkey bray over his grass,
Or does the ox low over his fodder?
6 “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the 1white of an egg?
7 “My soul arefuses to touch them;
They are like loathsome food to me.
8 “Oh that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my longing!
9 “Would that God were awilling to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
10 “But it is still my consolation,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I ahave not 1denied the words of the Holy One.
11 “What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should 1aendure?
12 “Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 “Is it that my ahelp is not within me,
And that 1bdeliverance is driven from me?
14 “For the adespairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not bforsake the 1fear of the Almighty.
15 “My brothers have acted adeceitfully like a 1wadi,
Like the torrents of 1wadis which vanish,
16 Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow 1melts.
17 “When athey become waterless, they 1are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 “The 1paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
19 “The caravans of aTema looked,
The travelers of bSheba hoped for them.
20 “They awere 1disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
21 “Indeed, you have now become such,
aYou see a terror and are afraid.
22 “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
24 “Teach me, and aI will be silent;
And show me how I have erred.
25 “How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
26 “Do you intend to reprove my words,
When the awords of one in despair belong to the wind?
27 “You would even acast lots for bthe orphans
And cbarter over your friend.
And see if I alie to your face.
29 “Desist now, let there be no injustice;
Even desist, amy righteousness is yet in it.
1 “1Is not man aforced to labor on earth,
And are not his days like the days of ba hired man?
2 “As a slave who pants for the shade,
And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So am I allotted months of vanity,
And anights of trouble are appointed me.
4 “When I alie down I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am 1continually tossing until dawn.
5 “My aflesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and runs.
6 “My days are aswifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And come to an end bwithout hope.
7 “Remember that my life ais but breath;
My eye will bnot again see good.
8 “The aeye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;
Your eyes will be on me, but bI will not be.
9 “When a acloud vanishes, it is gone,
So bhe who goes down to cSheol does not come up.
10 “He will not return again to his house,
Nor will ahis place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore aI will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 “Am I the sea, or athe sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 “If I say, ‘aMy bed will comfort me,
My couch will 1ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams
And terrify me by visions;
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my 1pains.
16 “I 1awaste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, bfor my days are but a breath.
17 “aWhat is man that You magnify him,
And that You 1are concerned about him,
18 That aYou examine him every morning
And try him every moment?
19 “1aWill You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 “aHave I sinned? What have I done to You,
O bwatcher of men?
Why have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 “Why then ado You not pardon my transgression
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will blie down in the dust;
And You will seek me, cbut I will not be.”
Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite 1answered,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the awords of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 “Does aGod pervert justice?
Or does 1the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 “aIf your sons sinned against Him,
Then He delivered them into the 1power of their transgression.
5 “If you would aseek God
And implore the compassion of 1the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now aHe would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous 1bestate.
7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your aend will increase greatly.
8 “Please ainquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
9 “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because aour days on earth are as a shadow.
10 “Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 “While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other 1plant.
13 “So are the paths of aall who forget God;
And the bhope of the godless will perish,
14 Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a aspider’s 1web.
15 “He 1trusts in his ahouse, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.
16 “He 1athrives before the sun,
And his bshoots spread out over his garden.
17 “His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He 1grasps a house of stones.
18 “If he is 1removed from ahis place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘bI never saw you.’
19 “Behold, athis is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 “Lo, aGod will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor bwill He 1support the evildoers.
21 “He will yet fill ayour mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
22 “Those who hate you will be aclothed with shame,
And the btent of the wicked will be no longer.”
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man
1 Then Job 1answered,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a aman be in the right 1before God?
3 “If one wished to adispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 “aWise in heart and bmighty in strength,
Who has 1cdefied Him 2without harm?
5 “aIt is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
6 Who ashakes the earth out of its place,
And its bpillars tremble;
7 Who commands the asun 1not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
8 Who alone astretches out the heavens
And 1btramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the aBear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the bchambers of the south;
10 Who adoes great things, 1unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 “Were He to pass by me, aI would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 “Were He to snatch away, who could arestrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘bWhat are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of aRahab.
14 “How then can aI 1answer Him,
And choose my words 2before Him?
15 “For athough I were right, I could not 1answer;
I would have to bimplore the mercy of my judge.
16 “If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 “For He abruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 “He will anot allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with bbitterness.
19 “If it is a matter of power, abehold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon 1Him?
20 “aThough I am righteous, my mouth will bcondemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21 “I am aguiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I bdespise my life.
22 “It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He adestroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23 “If the scourge kills suddenly,
He amocks the despair of the innocent.
24 “The earth ais given into the hand of the wicked;
He bcovers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now amy days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, bthey see no good.
26 “They slip by like areed boats,
Like an beagle that swoops on 1its prey.
27 “Though I say, ‘I will forget amy complaint,
I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’
28 I am aafraid of all my pains,
I know that bYou will not acquit me.
29 “I am accounted awicked,
Why then should I toil in vain?
30 “If I should awash myself with snow
And cleanse bmy hands with lye,
31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.
32 “For aHe is not a man as I am that bI may answer Him,
That we may go to 1court together.
33 “There is no aumpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
34 “Let Him aremove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
35 “Then I awould speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Job Despairs of God’s Dealings
I will give full vent to bmy complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 “I will say to God, ‘aDo not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
3 ‘Is it 1right for You indeed to aoppress,
To reject bthe labor of Your hands,
And 2to look favorably on cthe schemes of the wicked?
Or do You asee as a man sees?
5 ‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,
Or aYour years as man’s years,
6 That aYou should seek for my guilt
And search after my sin?
7 ‘According to Your knowledge aI am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is bno deliverance from Your hand.
8 ‘aYour hands fashioned and made me 1altogether,
bAnd would You destroy me?
9 ‘Remember now, that You have made me as aclay;
And would You bturn me into dust again?
10 ‘Did You not pour me out like milk
And curdle me like cheese;
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
12 ‘You have agranted me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
13 ‘Yet athese things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
14 If I sin, then You would atake note of me,
And bwould not acquit me of my guilt.
15 ‘If aI am wicked, woe to me!
And bif I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am sated with disgrace and 1conscious of my misery.
16 ‘Should my head be lifted up, aYou would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your bpower against me.
17 ‘You renew aYour witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
1bHardship after hardship is with me.
18 ‘aWhy then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
19 ‘I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’
20 “Would He not let amy few days alone?
1bWithdraw from me that I may have a little cheer
21 Before I go—aand I shall not return—
bTo the land of darkness and cdeep shadow,
22 The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And which shines as the darkness.”
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite 1answered,
2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a atalkative man be acquitted?
3 “Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you ascoff and none rebuke?
4 “For ayou have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And bI am innocent in your eyes.’
5 “But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom 1ahas two sides.
Know then that God 2forgets a part of byour iniquity.
7 “aCan you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 “They are ahigh as 1the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than 2bSheol, what can you know?
9 “Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 “If He passes by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, awho can restrain Him?
11 “For aHe knows false men,
And He bsees iniquity 1without investigating.
12 “1aAn idiot will become intelligent
When the 2foal of a bwild donkey is born a man.
13 “aIf you would bdirect your heart right
And cspread out your hand to Him,
14 If iniquity is in your hand, aput it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 “Then, indeed, you could alift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and bnot fear.
16 “For you would aforget your trouble,
As bwaters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17 “Your 1life would be 2abrighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 “Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
19 “You would alie down and none would disturb you,
And many would bentreat your 1favor.
20 “But the aeyes of the wicked will fail,
1 Then Job 1responded,
2 “Truly then ayou are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!
3 “But aI have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And 1who does not know such things as these?
4 “I am a ajoke to 1my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and bblameless man is a joke.
5 “1He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.
6 “The atents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God bare secure,
1Whom God brings cinto their power.
7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;
And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
8 “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
9 “Who among all these does not know
That athe hand of the Lord has done this,
10 aIn whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And bthe breath of all mankind?
11 “Does not athe ear test words,
As the palate 1tastes its food?
12 “Wisdom is with aaged men,
With 1long life is understanding.
Job Speaks of the Power of God
13 “With Him are awisdom and amight;
To Him belong counsel and bunderstanding.
14 “Behold, He atears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He 1bimprisons a man, and 2there can be no release.
15 “Behold, He arestrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He bsends them out, and they 1inundate the earth.
16 “With Him are strength and sound wisdom,
The amisled and the misleader belong to Him.
17 “He makes acounselors walk 1barefoot
And makes fools of bjudges.
18 “He aloosens the 1bond of kings
And binds their loins with a girdle.
19 “He makes priests walk 1barefoot
And overthrows athe secure ones.
20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech
And atakes away the discernment of the elders.
21 “He apours contempt on nobles
And bloosens the belt of the strong.
22 “He areveals mysteries from the darkness
And brings the deep darkness into light.
23 “He amakes the nations great, then destroys them;
He 1enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
24 “He adeprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
25 “They agrope in darkness with no light,
And He makes them bstagger like a drunken man.
Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes
1 “aBehold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 “aWhat you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 “But aI would speak to 1the Almighty,
And I desire to bargue with God.
4 “But you asmear with lies;
You are all bworthless physicians.
5 “O that you would abe completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
And listen to the contentions of my lips.
7 “Will you aspeak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
8 “Will you ashow partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
9 “Will it be well when He examines you?
Or awill you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
10 “He will surely reprove you
If you secretly ashow partiality.
11 “Will not aHis 1majesty terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall on you?
12 “Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.
Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated
13 “aBe silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come on me what may.
14 “Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
And aput my life in my 1hands?
15 “aThough He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I bwill argue my ways 1before Him.
16 “This also will be my asalvation,
For ba godless man may not come before His presence.
17 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
18 “Behold now, I have aprepared my case;
I know that bI will be vindicated.
19 “aWho will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and bdie.
20 “Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
21 aRemove Your 1hand from me,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.
22 “Then call, and aI will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
23 “aHow many are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my 1rebellion and my sin.
24 “Why do You ahide Your face
And consider me bYour enemy?
25 “Will You cause a adriven leaf to tremble?
Or will You pursue the dry bchaff?
26 “For You write abitter things against me
And bmake me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27 “You aput my feet in the stocks
And watch all my paths;
You 1set a limit for the soles of my feet,
28 While 1I am decaying like a arotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Job Speaks of the Finality of Death
1 “aMan, who is born of woman,
Is 1short-lived and bfull of turmoil.
2 “aLike a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like ba shadow and does not remain.
3 “You also aopen Your eyes on him
And bbring 1him into judgment with Yourself.
4 “aWho can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!
5 “Since his days are determined,
The anumber of his months is with You;
And his limits You have 1set so that he cannot pass.
6 “aTurn Your gaze from him that he may 1rest,
Until he 2fulfills his day like a hired man.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not 1fail.
8 “Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
9 At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant.
10 “But aman dies and lies prostrate.
Man bexpires, and where is he?
11 “As awater 1evaporates from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dried up,
12 So aman lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
1He will not awake nor be aroused out of 2his sleep.
13 “Oh that You would hide me in 1Sheol,
That You would conceal me auntil Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
14 “If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my struggle I will wait
Until my change comes.
15 “You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for athe work of Your hands.
16 “For now You anumber my steps,
You do not bobserve my sin.
17 “My transgression is asealed up in a bag,
And You 1wrap up my iniquity.
18 “But the falling mountain 1crumbles away,
And the rock moves from its place;
Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
So You adestroy man’s hope.
20 “You forever overpower him and he adeparts;
You change his appearance and send him away.
21 “His sons achieve honor, but ahe does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.
22 “But his 1body pains him,
And he mourns only for himself.”
Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite 1responded,
2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
aAnd fill 1himself with the east wind?
3 “Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which are not profitable?
4 “Indeed, you do away with 1reverence
And hinder meditation before God.
5 “For ayour guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of bthe crafty.
6 “Your aown mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.
7 “Were you the first man to be born,
Or awere you brought forth before the hills?
8 “Do you hear the asecret counsel of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?
9 “aWhat do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that 1we do not?
10 “Both the agray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
11 “Are athe consolations of God too small for you,
Even the bword spoken gently with you?
12 “Why does your aheart carry you away?
And why do your eyes flash,
13 That you should turn your spirit against God
And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
14 “What is man, that ahe should be pure,
Or bhe who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 “Behold, He puts no trust in His aholy ones,
And the bheavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is adetestable and corrupt,
Man, who bdrinks iniquity like water!
17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
And have not concealed from atheir fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no alien passed among them.
20 “The wicked man writhes ain pain all his days,
And 1numbered are the years bstored up for the ruthless.
21 “1Sounds of aterror are in his ears;
bWhile at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22 “He does not believe that he will areturn from darkness,
And he is destined for bthe sword.
23 “He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of adarkness is 1at hand.
24 “Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God
And conducts himself aarrogantly against 1the Almighty.
26 “He rushes 1headlong at Him
With 2his massive shield.
27 “For he has acovered his face with his fat
And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
28 “He has alived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become 1ruins.
29 “He awill not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
30 “He will anot 1escape from darkness;
The bflame will wither his shoots,
And by cthe breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 “Let him not atrust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his 1reward.
32 “It will be accomplished abefore his time,
And his palm bbranch will not be green.
33 “He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will acast off his flower like the olive tree.
34 “For the company of athe godless is barren,
And fire consumes bthe tents of 1the corrupt.
35 “They aconceive 1mischief and bring forth iniquity,
And their 2mind prepares deception.”
Job Says Friends Are Sorry Comforters
1 Then Job 1answered,
2 “I have heard many such things;
1aSorry comforters are you all.
3 “Is there no limit to awindy words?
Or what plagues you that you answer?
4 “I too could speak like you,
If 1I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And ashake my head at you.
5 “I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.
6 “If I speak, amy pain is not lessened,
And if I hold back, what has left me?
7 “But now He has aexhausted me;
You have laid bwaste all my company.
aIt has become a witness;
And my bleanness rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
9 “His anger has atorn me and 1hunted me down,
He has bgnashed at me with His teeth;
10 “They have agaped at me with their mouth,
They have 1bslapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have cmassed themselves against me.
11 “God hands me over to ruffians
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 “I was at ease, but aHe shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His btarget.
13 “His aarrows surround me.
Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
He pours out bmy gall on the ground.
14 “He abreaks through me with breach after breach;
He bruns at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewed asackcloth over my skin
And bthrust my horn in the dust.
16 “My face is flushed from aweeping,
bAnd deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 Although there is no aviolence in my hands,
And bmy prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And let there be no resting place for my cry.
19 “Even now, behold, amy witness is in heaven,
20 “My friends are my scoffers;
21 “O that a man might plead with God
As a man with his neighbor!
22 “For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way aof no return.
Job Says He Has Become a Byword
1 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
2 “aSurely mockers are with me,
And my eye 1gazes on their provocation.
3 “Lay down, now, a pledge afor me with Yourself;
Who is there that will 1be my guarantor?
4 “For You have 1akept their heart from understanding,
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 “He who ainforms against friends for a share of the spoil,
The beyes of his children also will languish.
6 “But He has made me a abyword of the people,
And I am 1one at whom men bspit.
7 “My eye has also grown adim because of grief,
And all my bmembers are as a shadow.
8 “The upright will be appalled at this,
And the ainnocent will stir up himself against the godless.
9 “Nevertheless athe righteous will hold to his way,
And bhe who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
10 “But come again all of 1you now,
For I ado not find a wise man among you.
11 “My adays are past, my plans are torn apart,
Even the wishes of my heart.
12 “They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
13 “If I look for aSheol as my home,
I 1make my bed in the darkness;
14 If I call to the apit, ‘You are my father’;
To the bworm, ‘my mother and my sister’;
15 Where now is amy hope?
And who regards my hope?
16 “1Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together ago down into the dust?”
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite 1responded,
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding and then we can talk.
3 “Why are we aregarded as beasts,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 “O 1you who tear yourself in your anger—
For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,
Or the rock to be moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the alight of the wicked goes out,
And the 1flame of his fire gives no light.
6 “The light in his tent is adarkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 “His 1vigorous stride is shortened,
And his aown scheme brings him down.
8 “For he is athrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 “A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 “A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.
11 “All around aterrors frighten him,
And bharry him at every step.
12 “His strength is afamished,
And calamity is ready at his side.
13 “1His skin is devoured by disease,
The firstborn of death adevours his 2limbs.
14 “He is atorn from 1the security of his tent,
And 2they march him before the king of bterrors.
15 “1There dwells in his tent nothing of his;
aBrimstone is scattered on his habitation.
16 “His aroots are dried below,
And his bbranch is cut off above.
17 “aMemory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 “1He is driven from light ainto darkness,
And bchased from the inhabited world.
19 “He has no aoffspring or posterity among his people,
Nor any survivor where he sojourned.
20 “Those 1in the west are appalled at ahis 2fate,
And those 3in the east are seized with horror.
21 “Surely such are the adwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
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About New American Standard Bible (1995)The New American Standard Bible, long considered a favorite study Bible by serious students of the Scriptures, has been completely revised and updated in this new 1995 translation. Preserving the Lockman Foundation's standard of creating a literal translation of the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic manuscripts, the 1995 NASB provides a literal translation that is very readable. Formalized language and outdated words and phrases have been replaced with their contemporary counterparts. In short, the 1995 NASB is a Bible translation that is very conducive to word-by-word study and is also able to be read (and understood) by the whole family. |
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