Signers of the Covenant

¹Now these were the ones who sealed the document:Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah,and also Zedekiah,

²Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

³Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

⁴Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

⁵Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁶Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁷Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁸Maaziah, Bilgai,and Shemaiah.These were the priests.

⁹The Levites:Jeshua son of Azaniah,Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

¹⁰and their associates: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹¹Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹²Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹³Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

¹⁴And the leaders of the people:Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

¹⁵Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁶Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁷Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁸Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

¹⁹Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²⁰Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

²¹Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²²Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²³Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

²⁴Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁵Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁶Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

²⁷Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The Vows of the Covenant

²⁸“The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants,and all who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand,

²⁹hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to obey carefully all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.

³⁰We will not give our daughters in marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their daughters for our sons.

³¹When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow and will cancel every debt.

³²We also place ourselves under the obligation to contribute a third of a shekelyearly for the service of the house of our God:

³³for the showbread, for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings, for the Sabbath offerings, for the New Moons and appointed feasts, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our God.

³⁴We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring it to the house of our God to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law.

³⁵We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year.

³⁶And we will bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.

³⁷Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor.

³⁸A priest of Aaron’s line is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.

³⁹For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay.Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”

Shecaniah’s Encouragement

¹While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.

²Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.

³So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.

⁴Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”

⁵So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.

The People’s Confession of Sin

⁶Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayedthere, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

⁷And a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem.

⁸Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

⁹So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God, trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain.

¹⁰Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.

¹¹Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”

¹²And the whole assembly responded in a loud voice: “Truly we must do as you say!

¹³But there are many people here, and it is the rainy season. We are not able to stay out in the open. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

¹⁴Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”

¹⁵(Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this plan.)

¹⁶So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, each of them identified by name, to represent their families. On the first day of the tenth month they launched the investigation,

¹⁷and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

¹⁸Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women were found these descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadakand his brothers:Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

¹⁹They pledged to send their wives away, and for their guilt they presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.

²⁰From the descendants of Immer:Hanani and Zebadiah.

²¹From the descendants of Harim:Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

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

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

²⁴From the singers:Eliashib.From the gatekeepers:Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

²⁵And among the other Israelites, from the descendants of Parosh:Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah,and Benaiah.

²⁶From the descendants of Elam:Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

²⁷From the descendants of Zattu:Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

²⁸From the descendants of Bebai:Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

²⁹From the descendants of Bani:Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.

³⁰From the descendants of Pahath-moab:Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

³¹From the descendants of Harim:Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

³²Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

³³From the descendants of Hashum:Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

³⁴From the descendants of Bani:Maadai, Amram, Uel,

³⁵Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

³⁶Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

³⁷Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

³⁸From the descendants of Binnui:Shimei,

³⁹Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

⁴⁰Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

⁴¹Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

⁴²Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

⁴³And from the descendants of Nebo:Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

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

The Exiles Who Returned with Ezra

¹These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

²from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;from the descendants of David, Hattush

³of the descendants of Shecaniah;from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

⁴from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

⁵from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel,and with him 300 men;

⁶from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

⁷from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

⁸from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

⁹from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

¹⁰from the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah,and with him 160 men;

¹¹from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

¹²from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

¹³from the laterdescendants of Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

¹⁴and from the descendants of Bigvai, both Uthai and Zaccur,and with them 70 men.

Ezra Sends for the Levites

¹⁵Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.

¹⁶Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan,Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.

¹⁷And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servantsat Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

¹⁸And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;

¹⁹also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.

²⁰They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.

Fasting for Protection

²¹And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

²²For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”

²³So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

Priests to Guard the Offerings

²⁴Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,

²⁵and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.

²⁶I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver,articles of silver weighing 100 talents,100 talents of gold,

²⁷20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics,and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.

²⁸Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

²⁹Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”

³⁰So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

³¹On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.

Arrival in Jerusalem

³²So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.

³³On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.

³⁴Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

³⁵Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

³⁶They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satrapsand governors of the region west of the Euphrates,who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.

Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart

¹My son, do not forget my teaching,but let your heart keep my commandments;

²for they will add length to your days,years and peace to your life.

³Never let loving devotionor faithfulness leave you;bind them around your neck,write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Then you will find favor and high regardin the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart,and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him,and He will make your paths straight.

⁷Be not wise in your own eyes;fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

⁸This will bring healing to your bodyand refreshmentto your bones.

⁹Honor the LORD with your wealthand with the firstfruits of all your crops;

¹⁰then your barns will be filled with plenty,and your vats will overflow with new wine.

¹¹My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,and do not loathe His rebuke;

¹²for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,as does a father the son in whom he delights.

The Blessings of Wisdom

¹³Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,the man who acquires understanding,

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver,and her gain is better than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies;nothing you desire compares with her.

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;in her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷All her ways are pleasant,and all her paths are peaceful.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

¹⁹The LORD founded the earth by wisdomand established the heavens by understanding.

²⁰By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open,and the clouds dripped with dew.

²¹My son, do not lose sight of this:Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

²²They will be life to your souland adornment to your neck.

²³Then you will go on your way in safety,and your foot will not stumble.

²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid;when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

²⁵Do not fear sudden dangeror the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶for the LORD will be your confidenceand will keep your foot from the snare.

²⁷Do not withhold good from the deservingwhen it is within your power to act.

²⁸Do not tell your neighbor,“Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.

²⁹Do not devise evil against your neighbor,for he trustfully dwells beside you.

³⁰Do not accuse a man without cause,when he has done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy a violent manor choose any of his ways;

³²for the LORD detests the perverse,but He is a friend to the upright.

³³The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,but He blesses the home of the righteous.

³⁴He mocks the mockers,but gives grace to the humble.

³⁵The wise will inherit honor,but fools are held up to shame.