Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes I [son of Ahasuerus (Xerxes)] king of Persia, Ezra the son (descendant) of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

²the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

³the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

⁴the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

⁵the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—

⁶this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law (the five books) of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him everything that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

⁷Some of the sons of Israel, with some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants also went up [from Babylon] to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

⁸Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.

⁹For on the first of the first month he started out from Babylon, and on the first of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was on him.

¹⁰For Ezra had set his heart (resolved) to study and interpret the Law of the LORD, and to practice it and teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

¹¹Now this is a copy of the decree that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe [who was] learned in the words of the commandments of the LORD and of His statutes to Israel:

¹²"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, perfect peace (greetings). And now

¹³I have issued a decree that all 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.

¹⁴For you are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem in accordance with the Law of your God, which is in your hand,

¹⁵and to bring [with you] the silver and gold which the king and his advisers have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

¹⁶and all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests for the house of their God in Jerusalem.

¹⁷Therefore with this money, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

¹⁸And whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, you may do in accordance with the will of your God.

¹⁹As for the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver [those] in full before the God of Jerusalem.

²⁰The rest of the things required for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, provide it from the royal treasury.

²¹"And I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently and at once—

²²even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 kors (measures) of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of [olive] oil, and salt as needed.

²³Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done diligently and with enthusiasm for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.

²⁴We also inform you that it is not authorized to impose tax, tribute, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants or other servants of this house of God.

²⁵"You, Ezra, are to appoint magistrates and judges in accordance with the wisdom and instruction of your God which is in your hand, so that they may judge all the people who are in the province west of the [Euphrates] River; appoint those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who does not know them.

²⁶Whoever does not observe and practice the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly and promptly, whether it be for death or banishment or confiscation of property or imprisonment."

²⁷Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers [said Ezra], who put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to adorn and glorify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,

²⁸and has extended His mercy and lovingkindness to me before the king, his advisers, and all the king's mighty officials. I was strengthened and encouraged, for the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together outstanding men of Israel to go up with me [to Jerusalem].

¹These are the heads of their fathers' households and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes:

²of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush;

³of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men by genealogy;

⁴of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, with 200 men;

⁵of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, with 300 men;

⁶of the sons of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, with 50 men;

⁷of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, with 70 men;

⁸of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, with 80 men;

⁹of the sons of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, with 218 men;

¹⁰of the sons of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, with 160 men;

¹¹of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, with 28 men;

¹²of the sons of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, with 110 men;

¹³of the sons of Adonikam, the last to come, their names are Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, with 60 men;

¹⁴and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, with 70 men.

¹⁵Now I gathered them together at the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days. I observed the people and the priests, and I did not find any Levites there.

¹⁶So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, [who were] leading men, and also for Joiarib and Elnathan, [who were] teachers.

¹⁷And I sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers, the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring us servants (ministers) for the house of our God.

¹⁸And as the good hand of our God was upon us, they brought us a man of understanding (insight) from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, named Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers (relatives), 18 men;

¹⁹and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers (relatives) and their sons, 20 men;

²⁰also 220 of the temple servants, whom David and the leaders had set apart [with their descendants] for the service of the Levites. They were all designated by name.

²¹Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions.

²²For I was ashamed to request troops and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, "The hand of our God is favorable toward all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who abandon (turn away from) Him."

²³So we fasted and sought [help from] our God concerning this [matter], and He heard our plea.

²⁴Then I set apart twelve leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers (relatives),

²⁵and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king, his advisers, his officials, and all Israel who were present there had offered.

²⁶I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 talents of gold;

²⁷also 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold.

²⁸Then I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, the utensils are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers.

²⁹Guard and keep them until you weigh them before the leading priests and the Levites and the leaders of the fathers' households of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD."

³⁰So the priests and the Levites received the weighed out silver and gold, and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

³¹We set out from the river Ahava on the twelfth [day] of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and He rescued us from the hand of the enemy and those who lay in ambushes along the way.

³²So we came to Jerusalem and remained there for three days.

³³On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth 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.

³⁴Every piece was counted and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at that time.

³⁵Also the [former] exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and 12 male goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

³⁶And they delivered the king's edicts to the king's satraps (lieutenants) and to the governors west of the [Euphrates] River, and they supported the people and God's house.

¹When these things were completed, the officials came to me and said, "The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, but have committed the repulsive acts of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

²For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands. Indeed, the officials and chief men have been foremost in this unfaithful act and direct violation [of God's will]."

³When I heard this, I tore my clothing and my robe [in grief], I pulled out some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled [at the shame of it].

⁴Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me as I sat appalled until the evening offering.

⁵At the evening offering I arose from my [time of] humiliation and penitence and having torn my clothing and my robe, I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God,

⁶and I said, "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongdoings have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has grown to the heavens.

⁷Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been exceedingly guilty; and on account of our wrongdoings we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to complete shame, as it is today.

⁸But now for a brief moment grace has been [shown to us] from the LORD our God, who has left us a surviving remnant and has given us a peg (secure hold) in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

⁹For we are slaves; yet our God has not abandoned us in our bondage, but has extended lovingkindness to us before the kings of Persia, to revive us to rebuild the house of our God, to repair the site of its ruins and to give us a wall [of protection] in Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰"Now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have abandoned (turned away from) Your commandments,

¹¹which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land which you are entering to possess is a defiled land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their repulsive acts which have filled it from one end to the other along with their impurity.

¹²So now do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons; and never seek their peace or their prosperity, so that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.'

¹³And after everything that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our wrongdoings deserve, and have given us survivors like these,

¹⁴shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who practice these repulsive acts? Would You not be angry with us to the point of total destruction, so that there would be no remnant nor survivor?

¹⁵O LORD God of Israel, You are [uncompromisingly] just (righteous), for we have been left as survivors, as it is this day. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this."

¹Now while Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and laying himself face down before the house of God, a very large group from Israel, of men, women, and children, gathered to him, for the people wept bitterly.

²Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.

³Therefore let us now make a covenant with our God to send away all the [foreign] wives and their children, in accordance with the advice of my lord and of those who tremble [in reverent obedience] at the commandment of our God; and let it be done in accordance with the Law.

⁴Stand up, for it is your duty, and we will be with you. Be brave and act."

⁵Then Ezra stood and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, take an oath that they would act in accordance with this proposal; so they took the oath.

⁶Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib [and spent the night there]. He did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the [former] exiles' faithlessness.

⁷They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the [former] exiles, that they were to assemble at Jerusalem,

⁸and that whoever would not come within three days, by order of the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions and property would be forfeited and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

⁹So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the twentieth [day] of the ninth month, and all the people sat in the open square in front of the house of God, trembling because of [the seriousness of] this matter and because of the heavy rain.

¹⁰Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful [to God] and have married foreign (pagan) women, adding to the guilt of Israel.

¹¹So now, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from [your] foreign wives."

¹²Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, "It is our responsibility to do just as you have said.

¹³But there are many people and it is the season of heavy rain; so we are unable to stand outside. Nor can the task be done in a day or two, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

¹⁴Let our leaders stand for and represent the entire assembly; 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 burning anger of our God over this matter is turned away from us."

¹⁵Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

¹⁶Then the [former] exiles did so. Ezra the priest and men who were heads of fathers' households were selected, according to their fathers' households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.

¹⁷And by the first day of the first month they finished investigating all the men married to foreign wives.

¹⁸Now among the sons of the priests who had married foreign women were found: of the sons of Jeshua [the high priest] the son of Jozadak, and his brothers—Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

¹⁹They vowed to send away their [pagan] wives, and being guilty, they each offered a ram of the flock for their offense.

²⁰Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah;

²¹and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah;

²²and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

²³Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah, that is, Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

²⁴Of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

²⁵Of Israel, of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah (Hashabiah), and Benaiah;

²⁶and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah;

²⁷and of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza;

²⁸and of the sons also of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai;

²⁹and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth;

³⁰and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh;

³¹and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

³²Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah;

³³of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei;

³⁴of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

³⁵Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

³⁶Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

³⁷Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,

³⁸Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

³⁹Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

⁴⁰Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

⁴¹Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

⁴²Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

⁴³Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

⁴⁴All these had married foreign women, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

¹The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year [of the Persian king], as I was in the capitol of Susa,

²Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them about the surviving Jews who had escaped and survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

³They said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its [fortified] gates have been burned (destroyed) by fire."

⁴Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying [constantly] before the God of heaven.

⁵And I said, "Please, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

⁶please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You, day and night, on behalf of Your servants, the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob), confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father's house have sinned.

⁷We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

⁸Please remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful and violate your obligations to Me I will scatter you [abroad] among the peoples;

⁹but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered are in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen for My Name to dwell.'

¹⁰Now they are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.

¹¹Please, O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [reverently] fear Your Name [Your essence, Your nature, Your attributes, with awe]; and make Your servant successful this day and grant him compassion in the sight of this man [the king]." For I was cupbearer to the king [of Persia].

¹In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was placed before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not [previously] been sad in his presence.

²So the king said to me, "Why do you look sad when you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very frightened,

³and I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

⁴The king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.

⁵I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your presence, [I ask] that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, so that I may rebuild it."

⁶The king, beside whom the queen was sitting, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time [for my return].

⁷Then I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the provinces beyond the [Euphrates] River, so that they will allow me to pass through until I reach Judah,

⁸and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, so that he will give me timber to construct beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, and for the city wall and for the house which I will occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

⁹Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the [Euphrates] River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent officers of the army and horsemen with me.

¹⁰When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard this, it caused them great displeasure that someone had come to see about the welfare and prosperity of the Israelites.

¹¹So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days.

¹²Then I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting in my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there was no animal with me except the one on which I was riding [so as not to attract attention].

¹³So I went out at night by the Valley Gate toward the Dragon's Well and to the Refuse Gate and inspected the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire.

¹⁴Then I passed over to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no place for the animal that I was riding to pass.

¹⁵So I went up at night by the ravine [of Kidron] and inspected the wall; then I turned back and entered [the city] by the Valley Gate, and returned.

¹⁶The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the rest who did the work.

¹⁷Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation that we are in—how Jerusalem is desolate and lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, and let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace."

¹⁸Then I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, "Let us rise up and build." So they thoroughly supported the good work.

¹⁹But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked us and regarded us with contempt and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"

²⁰I answered them, "The God of heaven [has appointed us for His purpose and] will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem."

¹Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; and they consecrated the wall [westward] to the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.

²Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

³Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors with its bolts and its bars.

⁴Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. And next to him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs.

⁵Next to him the men of Tekoa made repairs, but their nobles did not support the work of their overseers.

⁶Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They laid its beams and set up its doors with its bolts and its bars.

⁷Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, made repairs for the official seat (Jerusalem residence) of the governor [of the province] beyond the [Euphrates] River.

⁸Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

⁹Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

¹⁰Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his own house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs.

¹¹Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Furnaces.

¹²Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

¹³Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and set up its doors with its bolts and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits (1,500 ft.) of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.

¹⁴Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of Beth-haccherem repaired the Refuse Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors with its bolts and its bars.

¹⁵Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, official of the district of Mizpah repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it [with a roof], and set up its doors with its bolts and its bars, and [he rebuilt] the wall of the Pool of Shelah (Siloam) by the King's Garden as far as the stairs that descend [the eastern slope] from [the section of Jerusalem known as] the City of David.

¹⁶After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, official of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired [the wall] as far as [a point] in front of the tombs of David, and as far as the artificial pool and the house of the guards.

¹⁷After him the Levites carried out repairs under Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, official of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.

¹⁸After him their brothers carried out repairs under Bavvai the son of Henadad, official of [the other] half of the district of Keilah.

¹⁹Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the official of Mizpah, repaired another section [northward] in front of the ascent to the armory at the Angle [in the wall].

²⁰After him Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section [toward the hill], from the Angle [in the wall] to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

²¹After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another [eastern] section, from the door of Eliashib's house as far as the end of his house.

²²After him the priests, the men of the [lower Jordan] valley, carried out repairs.

²³After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, carried out repairs beside his own house.

²⁴After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section [of the wall], from the house of Azariah to the Angle [in the wall] and to the corner.

²⁵Palal the son of Uzai made repairs in front of the Angle [in the wall] and the tower projecting from the upper house (palace) of the king, which is by the courtyard of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

²⁶The temple servants were living in Ophel [the hill south of the temple], and they made repairs as far as the front of the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower.

²⁷After them the Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.

²⁸Above the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each one in front of his own house.

²⁹After them Zadok the son of Immer carried out repairs in front of his house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate, repaired the wall.

³⁰After 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 quarters.

³¹After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, carried out repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room of the corner.

³²Between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants carried out repairs.

¹But when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious, completely enraged, and he ridiculed the Jews.

²He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the heaps of dust and rubbish, even the ones that have been burned?"

³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Even what they are building—if a fox should get up on it, he would break down their stone wall."

⁴[And Nehemiah prayed] Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their taunts on their own heads. Give them up as prey in a land of captivity.

⁵Do not forgive their wrongdoing and do not let their sin be wiped out before You, for they have offended the builders [and provoked You].

⁶So we built the wall and the entire wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart to work.

⁷But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches were being closed, they were very angry.

⁸They all conspired together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to cause a disturbance in it.

⁹But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

¹⁰Then [the leaders of] Judah said, "The strength of the burden bearers is failing, And there is much rubble; We ourselves are unable To rebuild the wall."

¹¹Our enemies said, "They will not know or see us until we are among them, kill them and put a stop to the work."

¹²When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times (repeatedly), "From every place you turn, they will come up against us."

¹³So I stationed armed men behind the wall in the lowest places, at the open positions [where it was least protected]; and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows.

¹⁴When I saw their fear, I stood and said to the nobles and officials and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; [confidently] remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and [with courage from Him] fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and for your homes."

¹⁵Now when our enemies heard that we knew about their plot against us, and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each one to his work.

¹⁶From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah.

¹⁷Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens loaded themselves so that everyone worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

¹⁸Every builder had his sword secured at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet [to summon the troops] stood at my side.

¹⁹I 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.

²⁰Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather to us there. Our God will fight for us."

²¹So we carried on with the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars came out.

²²At that time I also said to the people, "Let each man with his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem so that they may serve as a guard for us at night and a laborer during the day."

²³So neither I, my brothers (relatives), my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each took his weapon [even] to the water.

¹Now there was a great outcry of the [poorer] people and their wives against their Jewish brothers [to whom they were deeply in debt].

²For there were some who were saying, "We, along with our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore allow us to get grain, so that we may eat and survive."

³There were others who were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to buy grain because of the famine."

⁴There were also others who were saying, "We have borrowed money on our fields and vineyards for the [Persian] king's [heavy] tax.

⁵Now our flesh (skin) is the same as that of our brothers (relatives), and our children are like their children, yet here we are forcing (selling) our sons and our daughters to be slaves; and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are powerless [to redeem them] because our fields and vineyards belong to others."

⁶Then I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words [of accusation].

⁷I thought it over and then challenged the nobles and the rulers. I said to them, "You are exacting usury (excessive interest) from your own brother (relative)." So I held a great assembly to confront them.

⁸I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed (purchased back) our Jewish brothers who were sold to the [Gentile] nations; now would you even sell your brothers, that they might be sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a [single] word to say.

⁹So I said, "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunting by the [pagan] nations, our enemies?

¹⁰And likewise I, my brothers, and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop [charging] this interest.

¹¹Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, and also a hundredth part of the money, the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you are lending them."

¹²Then they said, "We will give it back and not require anything from them. We will do exactly as you say." Then I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would act in accordance with this promise.

¹³I also shook out the front of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not keep this promise; like this may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the LORD. Then the people acted in accordance with this promise.

¹⁴Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my relatives have eaten the governor's food allowance.

¹⁵But the former governors who were [in office] before me put heavy burdens on the people and took food and wine from them in addition to forty shekels of silver [as an excessive monthly salary]; even their servants assumed authority over the people. But I did not do so because of the [reverent] fear of God.

¹⁶I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered together there for the work.

¹⁷Moreover, there were at my table a hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.

¹⁸Now the following were prepared for each day: one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls (poultry) were prepared for me; and in intervals of ten days all sorts of wine was provided in abundance. Yet for all this, I did not demand the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.

¹⁹Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all I have done for this people.

¹Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there was no breach left in it, although at that time I had not set up doors in the gates,

²Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono." But they were planning to harm me.

³So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to [meet with] you?"

⁴They sent word to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same way.

⁵Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.

⁶In it was written, "It is reported among the [neighboring] nations, and Gashmu is saying that you and the Jews are planning to revolt, and that is the reason you are rebuilding the wall. And according to these reports, you are to be their king.

⁷Also [it is reported that] you have appointed prophets to make a proclamation concerning you in Jerusalem, saying, 'There is a king in Judah!' And now these things will be reported to the [Persian] king. So come now, and let us consult together."

⁸I sent a message to him, saying, "Such things as you are saying have not been done; you are inventing them in your own mind."

⁹For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done." But now, [O God,] strengthen my hands.

¹⁰When I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, "Let us meet [and take refuge] together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple, because they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night."

¹¹But I said, "Should a man like me flee [in fear and hide]? Should someone like me enter the temple [for sanctuary] to save his life? I will not go."

¹²Then I realized that God had not sent him, but he spoke this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

¹³He was hired for this reason, that I would be frightened and do as he said and sin, so that they would have [grounds to make] a malicious report in order to censure and disgrace me.

¹⁴Remember, O My God, Tobiah and Sanballat in regard to these actions of theirs, and also [remember] the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.

¹⁵So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth [day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty-two days.

¹⁶When all our enemies heard about it, and all the [Gentile] nations around us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

¹⁷Moreover, in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.

¹⁸For 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.

¹⁹Also, they were speaking about Tobiah's good deeds in my presence, and reporting to him what I said. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

¹Now when the wall had been rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites had been appointed,

²I put my brother Hanani, with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many [of the others].

³I said to them, "Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the watchmen are still standing guard, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from the residents of Jerusalem, each at his post [on the wall], and each in front of his own house."

⁴Now the city was spacious and large, but there were few people in it and the houses had not [yet] been built.

⁵Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. Then I found the register of the genealogy of those who came [from Babylon] first, and I found the following record:

⁶These are the sons (descendants, people) of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported [to Babylon]; they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his city,

⁷the ones who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The men of the people of Israel numbered:

⁸the sons of Parosh, 2,172;

⁹the sons of Shephatiah, 372;

¹⁰the sons of Arah, 652;

¹¹the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818;

¹²the sons of Elam, 1,254;

¹³the sons of Zattu, 845;

¹⁴the sons of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁵the sons of Binnui, 648;

¹⁶the sons of Bebai, 628;

¹⁷the sons of Azgad, 2,322;

¹⁸the sons of Adonikam, 667;

¹⁹the sons of Bigvai, 2,067;

²⁰the sons of Adin, 655;

²¹the sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98;

²²the sons of Hashum, 328;

²³the sons of Bezai, 324;

²⁴the sons of Hariph, 112;

²⁵the sons of Gibeon, 95;

²⁶the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

²⁷the men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁸the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;

²⁹the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

³¹the men of Michmas, 122;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

³³the men of the other Nebo, 52;

³⁴the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;

³⁵the sons of Harim, 320;

³⁶the sons of Jericho, 345;

³⁷the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 721;

³⁸the sons of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹These are the priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;

⁴⁰the sons of Immer, 1,052;

⁴¹the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;

⁴²the sons of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³These are the Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodevah, 74.

⁴⁴The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,

⁴⁸the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,

⁴⁹the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,

⁵⁰the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,

⁵¹the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,

⁵²the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim,

⁵³the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

⁵⁴the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

⁵⁵the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

⁵⁶the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁷The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,

⁵⁸the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

⁵⁹the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.

⁶⁰All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants, totaled 392.

⁶¹And these were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer; but they [had no birth records and] could not prove their fathers' houses or their descent, whether they were of Israel:

⁶²the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642.

⁶³Of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai, who [was so named because he had] married one of the daughters of Barzillai, the [well-known] Gileadite, and was named after them.

⁶⁴These men searched for their ancestral registration among those recorded in the genealogies, but it was not located; so they were excluded from the priesthood as [ceremonially] unclean.

⁶⁵The governor told them that they should not eat any of the most holy food until a priest arose with Urim and Thummim [to determine God's will in the matter].

⁶⁶The entire assembly together was 42,360,

⁶⁷besides their male and their female servants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers.

⁶⁸Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;

⁶⁹their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

⁷⁰Some from among the heads of fathers' households gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 basins, 530 priests' garments.

⁷¹Some of the heads of fathers' households gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas.

⁷²And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priests' garments.

⁷³So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, along with all Israel, lived in their cities. And when the seventh month came, the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob) were in their cities.

¹Then all the people gathered together as one man at the open square in front of the Water Gate; and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel.

²So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

³Then he read from it, in front of the open square which was in front of the Water Gate, from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and women, those who could understand; and all the people listened carefully to the Book of the Law.

⁴Ezra the scribe stood on a [large] wooden platform which they had constructed for this purpose. And beside him [on the platform] stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left.

⁵Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above them; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

⁶Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; and they knelt down and worshiped the LORD with their faces toward the ground.

⁷Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the Law to the people, and the people remained in their places.

⁸So they read from the Book of the Law of God, translating and explaining it so that the people understood the reading.

⁹Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁰Then Ezra said to them, "Go [your way], eat the rich festival food, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be worried, for the joy of the LORD is your strength and your stronghold."

¹¹So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be worried."

¹²Then all the people went on their way to eat, to drink, to send portions [of food to others] and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been communicated to them.

¹³On the second day, all of the heads of fathers' households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, were gathered before Ezra the scribe to gain insight into the words of the Law (divine instruction).

¹⁴They found written in the Law how the LORD had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in booths (huts) during the feast of the seventh month.

¹⁵So they proclaimed and published an announcement in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills and bring olive branches, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy branches to make booths, as it is written."

¹⁶So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and the courtyards of God's house, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. Indeed since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that very day, the Israelites had not done so. And there was great rejoicing and celebration.

¹⁸Every day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days; on the eighth day there was a [closing] solemn assembly in accordance with the ordinance.

¹Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled with fasting and in sackcloth and with dirt on their heads.

²The descendants of Israel (Jacob) separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers.

³While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day and for another fourth [of it] they confessed [their sins] and worshiped the LORD their God.

⁴On the platform of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they called out with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

⁵Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, "Stand up and bless (praise, honor) the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. May Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise."

⁶[And Ezra said], "You are the LORD, You alone; You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host (the heavenly bodies), The earth and everything that is on it, The seas and everything that is in them. You give life to all of them, And the heavenly host is bowing down [in worship] to You.

⁷"You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham.

⁸"You found his heart to be faithful before You, And You made a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite, Of the Hittite, of the Amorite, Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite— To give it to his descendants. And You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous and just.

⁹"You saw our fathers' affliction in Egypt, And You heard their cry by the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds).

¹⁰"Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants and all the people of his land; For You knew that they behaved arrogantly toward them (the Israelites), And You made a name for Yourself, as it is to this day.

¹¹"You divided the sea before them, So that they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land; You hurled their pursuers into the depths, Like a stone into mighty and raging waters.

¹²"And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day, And with a pillar of fire by night To light the way for them In which they were to go.

¹³"Then You came down on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven; And You gave them fair ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments.

¹⁴"So You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, And gave them commandments, statutes, and law, Through Your servant Moses.

¹⁵"You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought water for them out of a rock for their thirst, And You told them to enter and take possession of The land that You swore to give them.

¹⁶"But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; They stiffened their necks and would not heed Your commandments.

¹⁷"They refused to listen and obey, And did not remember Your wondrous acts which You had performed among them; So they stiffened their necks and [in their rebellion] appointed a leader in order to return them to slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and merciful and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not abandon them.

¹⁸"Even when they had made for themselves A calf of cast metal And said, 'This is your god Who brought you up from Egypt,' And committed great [and contemptible] blasphemies,

¹⁹You, in Your great mercy and compassion, Did not abandon them in the wilderness; The pillar of the cloud did not leave them by day, To lead them in the way, Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way they should go.

²⁰"You [also] gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And You gave them water for their thirst.

²¹"Indeed, for forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.

²²"You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, And You allotted the kingdoms to them as a boundary. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon And the land of Og king of Bashan.

²³"You made their children as numerous as the stars of heaven, And You brought them into the land Which You told their fathers to enter and possess.

²⁴"So their sons (descendants) went in and took possession of the land; And You 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 as they pleased.

²⁵"They captured fortified cities and a fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all good things, Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat, And they reveled and were delighted in Your great goodness.

²⁶"Yet they were disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who warned them To return to You; And they committed great [and contemptible] blasphemies.

²⁷"Therefore You handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them. But when they cried out to You in the time of their suffering and distress, You heard them from heaven, and according to Your great compassion You gave them people to rescue them. Who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

²⁸"But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil before You; Therefore You abandoned them into the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them. Yet when they turned and cried out again to You, You heard them from heaven, And You rescued them many times in accordance with Your compassion,

²⁹And You admonished them and warned them to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and arrogantly and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, Which by keeping, a man will live. But they turned a stubborn shoulder, stiffened their neck, and would not listen.

³⁰"Yet You were patient with them for many years, And admonished them and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; Still they would not listen. Therefore You gave them into the hand (power) of the peoples of the lands.

³¹"Yet in Your great compassion You did not utterly destroy them or abandon them, For You are a gracious and merciful God.

³²"Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps the 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, Since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

³³"However, You are just and righteous in everything that has come upon us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.

³⁴Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your law Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your warnings which You have given them.

³⁵"But they, in their kingdom, With 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 wicked deeds.

³⁶"Behold, we are slaves today, And as for the land which You gave our fathers, to eat of its fruit and its goodness, Behold, we are slaves in it.

³⁷"Its 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" Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests."