1On that day, as they read from the Book of Moses for all the people to hear, they found a law written there that said no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be allowed into the assembly of God.
2This was because these nations had not offered food and water to the Israelites, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. However, our God turned that curse into a blessing.
3When the people heard this law, they separated everyone of mixed heritage from Israel.
4Now, before this happened, Eliashib the priest, who was in charge of the storerooms in the house of our God, became friends with Tobiah.
5Eliashib had prepared a large room for Tobiah, which used to be where they stored the grain offerings, frankincense, vessels, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil that were commanded to be given to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, as well as the special offerings for the priests.
6But during all this, I was not in Jerusalem. In the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I went to the king. After some time, I asked the king for permission to leave.
7Then I returned to Jerusalem and realized the terrible thing Eliashib had done for Tobiah by preparing a room for him in the courts of God’s house.
8This greatly upset me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household belongings out of the room.
9Then I gave orders, and they cleaned the storage rooms. I brought back into them the articles for God’s Temple, along with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
10I found out that the Levites had not been given their assigned portions, so the Levites and the singers who were supposed to do the work had all run off to their own fields.
11Then I argued with the officials and asked, “Why has God’s Temple been neglected?” I gathered the Levites and singers and put them back in their assigned places.
12Then all the people of Judah brought a tenth of their grain, new wine, and olive oil to the storerooms.
13I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, as treasurers over the storerooms. Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, was their assistant. I chose them because they were considered trustworthy, and their job was to distribute supplies to their fellow Levites.
14Remember me for this, my God, and do not forget the good things I have done for the house of my God and for its services.
15In those days in Judah, I saw some men pressing wine on the Sabbath, bringing in sacks of grain, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I also warned them on the day they sold food.
16Some men from Tyre who lived there also brought in fish and all sorts of merchandise, selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in Jerusalem.
17Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What evil thing are you doing, profaning the Sabbath day?
18Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, and didn’t our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are bringing even more anger on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19As the gates of Jerusalem began to grow dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I placed some of my own servants at the gates so that no burdens could be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem once or twice.
21Then I warned them, “Why do you camp near the wall? If you do it again, I will have you arrested.” From that time on, they did not come on the Sabbath.
22I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also, my God, and spare me according to your great love.
23In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and could not speak the language of Judah; they spoke only the language of their mothers' people.
25I argued with them, cursed them, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I made them swear before God, saying, “You must not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.”
26“Didn’t King Solomon of Israel sin because of foreign women? Among all the many nations, there was no king like him. God loved him and made him king over all Israel. But even he was led into sin by foreign women.
27Should we then listen to you and commit all this terrible evil, being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”
28One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was Sanballat the Horonite's son-in-law. So I drove him away from me.
29My God, remember them, because they have made the priesthood, and the agreement of the priesthood and of the Levites, impure.
30So I purified them from all foreigners, and gave specific jobs to the priests and the Levites, everyone doing their own task.
31I also arranged for the wood offering at the appointed times, and for the first harvests. My God, remember me favorably.