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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Nehemiah 13 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/nehemiah/13.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/nehemiah/13-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > Nehemiah 13</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/12.htm" title="Nehemiah 12">◄</a> Nehemiah 13 <a href="../tobit/1.htm" title="Tobit 1">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Foreigners Separated from Israel</span></h3><p class="chapter-2"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>On that day they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>because they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>When the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Reforms of Nehemiah</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>Now before this, the priest Eliashib, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>and returned to Jerusalem. I then discovered the wrong that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah, preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the room. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>Then I gave orders and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them; so that the Levites and the singers, who had conducted the service, had gone back to their fields. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>So I remonstrated with the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful; and their duty was to distribute to their associates. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Sabbath Reforms Begun</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I warned them at that time against selling food. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of merchandise and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>Did not your ancestors act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, to prevent any burden from being brought in on the sabbath day. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Mixed Marriages Condemned</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>In those days also I saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>and half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke the language of various peoples. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>And I contended with them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair; and I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>Did not King Solomon of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>And one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of the high priest Eliashib, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I chased him away from me. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the covenant of the priests and the Levites.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>and I provided for the wood offering, at appointed times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.</span></p> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. 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