1 As governor, I signed the agreement together with Zedekiah and the following priests: 2-8 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.
9 The Levites who signed were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui from the clan of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 The leaders who signed were: Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
The Agreement
28-29 All of us, including priests, Levites, temple guards, singers, temple workers and leaders, together with our wives and children, have separated ourselves from the foreigners in this land and now enter into an agreement with a complete understanding of what we are doing. And so, we now place ourselves under the curse of the Lord our God, if we fail to obey his laws and teachings that were given to us by his servant Moses.
30 We won't let our sons and daughters marry foreigners.
31 We won't buy goods or grain on the Sabbath or on any other sacred day, not even from foreigners.
Every seven years we will let our fields rest, and we will cancel all debts.
32 Once a year we will each donate a small amount of silver to the temple of our God. 33 This is to pay for the sacred bread, as well as for the daily sacrifices and special sacrifices such as those offered on the Sabbath and during the New Moon Festival and the other festivals. It will also pay for the sacrifices to forgive our sins and for all expenses connected with the worship of God in the temple.
34 We have decided that the families of priests, Levites, and ordinary people will supply firewood for the temple each year, so that sacrifices can be offered on the altar, just as the Lord our God has commanded.
35 Each year we will bring to the temple the first part of our harvest of grain and fruit.
36 We will bring our first-born sons and the first-born males of our herds and flocks and offer them to the priests who serve in the temple, because this is what is written in God's Law.
37 To the priests in the temple of our God, we will bring the bread dough from the first harvest, together with our best fruit, and an offering of new wine and olive oil.
We will bring ten percent of our grain harvest to those Levites who are responsible for collecting it in our towns. 38 A priest from the family of Aaron must be there when we give this to the Levites. Then the Levites will put one tenth of this part in the temple storeroom, 39 which is also the place for the sacred objects used by the priests, the temple guards, and the singers.
Levites and everyone else must bring their gifts of grain, wine, and olive oil to this room.
We will not neglect the temple of our God.
1 Now they that sealed were Nehemiah the Tirshatha the sonne of Hachaliah, and Zidkiiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Ieremiah, 3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchiah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Merimoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abiiah, Miamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these are the Priestes. 9 And the Leuites: Ieshua the sonne of Azaniah, Binnui, of the sonnes of Henadad, Kadmiel. 10 And their brethren Shebaniah, Hodiiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanun, 11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The chiefe of the people were Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adoniah, Biguai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hizkiiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Iaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub, 24 Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 And Ahiiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. 28 And the rest of the people, the Priestes, the Leuites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all that were separated from the people of the landes vnto the Lawe of God, their wiues, their sonnes, and their daughters, all that coulde vnderstande. 29 The chiefe of them receiued it for their brethren, and they came to the curse and to the othe to walke in Gods Law, which was giuen by Moses the seruant of God, to obserue and doe all the commandements of the Lord our God, and his iudgements and his statutes: 30 And that we would not giue our daughters to the people of the lande, neither take their daughters for our sonnes. 31 And if the people of the lande brought ware on the Sabbath, or any vitailes to sell, that we would not take it of them on the Sabbath and on the holy dayes: and that we would let the seuenth yeere be free, and the debtes of euery person. 32 And we made statutes for our selues to giue by the yeere the thirde part of a shekel for the seruice of the house of our God, 33 For the shewbread, and for the daily offring, and for the daily burnt offring, the Sabbaths, the newe moones, for the solemne feastes, and for the thinges that were sanctified, and for the sinne offrings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the worke of the house of our God. 34 We cast also lottes for the offering of the wood, euen the Priestes, the Leuites and the people to bring it into the house of our God, by the house of our fathers, yeerely at the times appointed, to burne it vpon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Lawe, 35 And to bring the first fruites of our land, and the first of all the fruites of all trees, yeere by yeere, into the house of the Lord, 36 And the first borne of our sonnes, and of our cattel, as it is written in the Lawe, and the first borne of our bullockes and of our sheepe, to bring it into the house of our God, vnto ye Priests that minister in the house of our God, 37 And that we should bring the first fruite of our dough, and our offrings, and the fruite of euery tree, of wine and of oyle, vnto the Priests, to the chambers of the house of our God: and the tithes of our lande vnto the Leuites, that the Leuites might haue the tithes in all the cities of our trauaile. 38 And the Priest, the sonne of Aaron shall be with the Leuites, when ye Leuites take tithes, and the Leuites shall bring vp the tenth parte of the tithes vnto the house of our God, vnto the chambers of the treasure house. 39 For the children of Israel, and the children of Leui shall bring vp the offerings of the corne, of the wine, and of the oyle, vnto the chabers: and there shalbe the vessels of the Sanctuarie, and the Priestes that minister, and the porters, and the fingers, and we will not forsake the house of our God.