1Here are the names of those who put their official marks on the agreement. Nehemiah, the son of Hakaliah He was the governor. Zedekiah,2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,3Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk,5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,8Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah They were the priests.9Here are the names of the Levites. Jeshua, the son of Azaniah, Binnui, one of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel10Here are the names of those who helped them. Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,11Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah,12Zakkur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,13Hodiah, Bani, Beninu14Here are the names of 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,26Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,27Malluk, Harim, Baanah28The rest of the people gathered together. They included the priests, the Levites and the men who guarded the gates. They included the musicians and temple servants. They also included all the people who separated themselves from the surrounding nations to obey the Law of God. All these men brought their wives with them. And they brought all their sons and daughters who were old enough to understand what was being agreed to.29All the men joined the nobles of their people. They made a firm agreement. They made a promise and said they would be cursed if they didn’t keep it. They promised to follow the Law of God. It had been given through Moses, the servant of God. They promised to obey carefully all the commands, rules and laws of the LORD our Lord.30Here is what the priests, Levites and people said. ‘We promise not to let our daughters marry men from the nations around us. And we promise not to let their daughters marry our sons.31‘The people around us will bring goods and corn to sell on the Sabbath day. But we won’t buy anything from them on the Sabbath day. In fact, we won’t buy anything from them on any holy day. Every seventh year we won’t farm the land. And we’ll forgive people what they owe us.32‘We will be accountable for carrying out the commands for serving in the house of our God. Each of us will give 4 grams of silver every year.33It will pay for the holy bread that is placed on the table in the temple. It will pay for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings. It will pay for the offerings on the Sabbath days. It will pay for the offerings at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed feasts. It will pay for the holy offerings. It will be used for sin offerings to pay for the sins of Israel. It will also pay for everything else that needs to be done at the house of our God.34‘We are the priests, Levites and people. Each of our families should bring a gift of wood to the house of our God. We have cast lots to decide when they will do that. They will bring it at certain appointed times every year. The wood will be burned on the altar of the LORD our God. That’s what the Law requires.35‘We will also be accountable for bringing the first share of our crops each year. And we’ll bring the first share of every fruit tree. We’ll bring them to the LORD’s house.36‘Each of us will bring our eldest son to the priests who serve there. We’ll also bring the male animals that were born first to their mothers among our cattle, herds and flocks. We’ll bring them to the house of our God. That’s what the Law requires.37‘We will also bring the first part of the meal we grind. We’ll bring the first of our grain offerings. We’ll bring the first share of fruit from all our trees. And we’ll bring the first share of our olive oil and fresh wine. We’ll give all those things to the priests. They’ll put them in the storerooms of the house of our God. And we’ll give a tenth of our crops to the Levites. They collect the tenth shares. They do it in all the towns where we work.38A priest from Aaron’s family line must go with the Levites when they receive the tenth shares. And the Levites must bring a tenth of those shares up to the house of our God. They must put it in the rooms where the treasures are stored.39The people of Israel, including the Levites, must bring their gifts. They must bring corn, olive oil and fresh wine. They must put them in the storerooms where the objects for the temple are kept. That’s also where the objects are kept for the priests serving at the temple, the musicians and the men who guard the gates. ‘We won’t forget to take care of the house of our God.’
Nehemiah 10
English Standard Version
The People Who Sealed the Covenant
1[1] “On the seals are the names of[2] Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, (Ne 1:1; Ne 8:9; Ne 9:38)2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, (Ne 12:2)3Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, (Ezr 8:2)5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,8Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests.9And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; (Ezr 2:40; Ezr 3:9)10and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,11Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,13Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.14The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, (Ezr 2:3; Ne 7:8)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,26Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,27Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
The Obligations of the Covenant
28“The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, (Ezr 2:36; Ne 9:2)29join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. (De 29:12; De 29:14; 2Ki 23:3; 2Ch 34:31; Ne 5:12; Ps 119:106)30We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. (Ex 34:16; De 7:3; Ezr 9:12; Ezr 9:14)31And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. (Ex 20:10; Ex 23:10; Le 23:3; Le 25:4; De 5:12; De 15:1; Ne 5:12; Ne 13:15)32“We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel[3] for the service of the house of our God: (Mt 17:24)33for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. (Le 24:5; 1Ch 9:32; 2Ch 2:4)34We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law. (Le 6:12; Ne 11:1; Ne 13:31; Isa 40:16)35We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; (Ex 23:19; Ex 34:26; Le 19:23; Nu 18:12; De 26:2)36also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; (Ex 13:2; Ex 13:12; Le 27:26; Nu 18:15)37and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. (Le 23:17; Nu 15:20; Nu 18:12; De 18:4; 1Ch 9:26; 2Ch 31:11)38And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. (1Ch 26:20)39For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” (De 12:6; De 12:11; 2Ch 31:12; Ne 13:11; Ne 13:12)