Nehemiah 13

bayyom hahu niqra besefer mosheh be'ozne ha'am venimtsa katuv bo asher lo-yavo ammoni umo'avi biqhal ha'elohim ad-olam

At that time they read to the people from the Book of Moses, and it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite might ever enter the congregation of God,

ki lo qiddemu et-bene yisra'el ballekhem uvammayim vayyiskor alayw et-bilam leqallo vayyahafokh elohenu haqqelalah livrakhah

since they did not meet Israel with bread and water, and hired Balaam against them to curse them; but our God turned the curse into a blessing.

vayehi keshomam et-hattorah vayyavdilu khol-erev miyyisra'el

When they heard the Teaching, they separated all those who had intermingled with Israel.

velifne mizzeh elyashiv hakkohen natun belishkat bet-elohenu qarov letoviyyah

Earlier, the priest Eliashib, a relative of Tobiah’s who had been appointed over the rooms in the House of our God,

vayya'as lo lishkah gedolah vesham hayu lefanim notenim et-hamminkhah hallevonah vehakkelim umasar haddagan hattirosh vehayyitshar mitsvat haleviyyim vehameshorerim vehasho'arim uterumat hakkohanim

had assigned to him a large room where they used to store the grain offering, the frankincense, the equipment, the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, the dues of the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, and the gifts for the priests.

uvekhol-zeh lo hayiti birushalai͏m ki bishnat sheloshim ushetayim le'artakhshast melekh-bavel bati el-hammelekh uleqets yamim nishalti min-hammelekh

During all this time, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I went to the king, and only after a while did I ask leave of the king [to return].

va'avo lirushalai͏m va'avinah vara'ah asher asah elyashiv letoviyyah la'asot lo nishkah bekhatsre bet ha'elohim

When I arrived in Jerusalem, I learned of the outrage perpetrated by Eliashib in behalf of Tobiah in assigning him a room in the courts of the House of God.

vayyera li me'od va'ashlikhah et-kol-kele vet-toviyyah hakhuts min-hallishkah

I was greatly displeased, and had all the household gear of Tobiah thrown out of the room;

va'omerah vayetaharu halleshakhot va'ashivah sham kele bet ha'elohim et-hamminkhah vehallevonah

I gave orders to purify the rooms, and had the equipment of the House of God and the grain offering and the frankincense put back.

va'ede'ah ki-menayot haleviyyim lo nittanah vayyivrekhu ish-lesadehu haleviyyim vehameshorerim ose hammelakhah

I then discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been contributed, and that the Levites and the singers who performed the [temple] service had made off, each to his fields.

va'arivah et-hasseganim va'omerah maddua ne'ezav bet-ha'elohim va'eqbetsem va'a'amidem al-omdam

I censured the prefects, saying, “How is it that the House of God has been neglected?” Then I recalled [the Levites] and installed them again in their posts;

vekhol-yehudah hevi'u masar haddagan vehattirosh vehayyitshar la'otsarot

and all Judah brought the tithes of grain, wine, and oil into the treasuries.

va'otserah al-otsarot shelemyah hakkohen vetsadoq hassofer ufedayah min-haleviyyim ve'al-yadam khanan ben-zakkur ben-mattanyah ki ne'emanim nekhshavu va'alehem lakhaloq la'akhehem

I put the treasuries in the charge of the priest Shelemiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah of the Levites; and assisting them was Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah—for they were regarded as trustworthy persons, and it was their duty to distribute the portions to their brothers.

zokhrah-lli elohay al-zot ve'al-temakh khasaday asher asiti bevet elohay uvemishmarayw

O my God, remember me favorably for this, and do not blot out the devotion I showed toward the House of my God and its attendants.

bayyamim hahemmah ra'iti vihudah dorekhim-gittot bashabbat umevi'im ha'aremot ve'omesim al-hakhamorim ve'af-yayin anavim ute'enim vekhol-massa umevi'im yerushalai͏m beyom hashabbat va'a'id beyom mikhram tsayid

At that time I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the sabbath, and others bringing heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, also wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of goods, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the sabbath. I admonished them there and then for selling provisions.

vehatsorim yashevu vah mevi'im dag vekhol-mekher umokherim bashabbat livne yehudah uvirushalai͏m

Tyrians who lived there brought fish and all sorts of wares and sold them on the sabbath to the Judahites in Jerusalem.

va'arivah et khore yehudah va'omerah lahem mah-haddavar hara hazzeh asher attem osim umekhallelim et-yom hashabbat

I censured the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What evil thing is this that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day!

halo khoh asu avotekhem vayyave elohenu alenu et kol-hara'ah hazzot ve'al ha'ir hazzot ve'attem mosifim kharon al-yisra'el lekhallel et-hashabbat

This is just what your ancestors did, and for it God brought all this misfortune on this city; and now you give cause for further wrath against Israel by profaning the sabbath!”

vayehi ka'asher tsalelu sha'are yerushalai͏m lifne hashabbat va'omerah vayyissageru haddelatot va'omerah asher lo yiftakhum ad akhar hashabbat uminne'aray he'emadti al-hashe'arim lo-yavo massa beyom hashabbat

When shadows filled the gateways of Jerusalem at the approach of the sabbath, I gave orders that the doors be closed, and ordered them not to be opened until after the sabbath. I stationed some of my servants at the gates, so that no goods should enter on the sabbath.

vayyalinu harokhelim umokhere khol-mimkar mikhuts lirushalai͏m pa'am ushetayim

Once or twice the merchants and the vendors of all sorts of wares spent the night outside Jerusalem,

va'a'idah vahem va'omerah alehem maddua attem lenim neged hakhomah im-tishnu yad eshlakh bakhem min-ha'et hahi lo-va'u bashabbat

but I warned them, saying, “What do you mean by spending the night alongside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands upon you!” From then on they did not come on the sabbath.

va'omerah lalviyyim asher yihyu mittaharim uva'im shomerim hashe'arim leqaddesh et-yom hashabbat gam-zot zokhrah-lli elohay vekhusah alay kerov khasdekha

I gave orders to the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to preserve the sanctity of the sabbath. This too, O my God, remember to my credit, and spare me in accord with your abundant faithfulness.

gam bayyamim hahem ra'iti et-hayyehudim hoshivu nashim (shdvdyvt) [ashdodiyyot] (mvnyvt) [ammoniyyot] mo'aviyyot

Also at that time, I saw that Jews had married Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Moabite women;

uvenehem khatsi medabber ashdodit ve'enam makkirim ledabber yehudit vekhilshon am va'am

a good number of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and the language of those various peoples, and did not know how to speak Judean.

va'ariv immam va'aqallem va'akkeh mehem anashim va'emretem va'ashbi'em belohim im-tittenu venotekhem livnehem ve'im-tisu mibbenotehem livnekhem velakhem

I censured them, cursed them, flogged certain ones, tore out their hair, and adjured them by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, or take any of their daughters for your sons or yourselves.

halo al-elleh khata-shelomoh melekh yisra'el uvaggoyim harabbim lo-hayah melekh kamohu ve'ahuv lelohayw hayah vayyittenehu elohim melekh al-kol-yisra'el gam-oto hekheti'u hannashim hannokhriyyot

It was just in such things that King Solomon of Israel sinned! Among the many nations there was not a king like him, and so well loved was he by his God that God made him king of all Israel, yet foreign wives caused even him to sin.

velakhem hanishma la'asot et kol-hara'ah haggedolah hazzot limol belohenu lehoshiv nashim nokhriyyot

How, then, can we acquiesce in your doing this great wrong, breaking faith with our God by marrying foreign women?”

umibbene yoyada ben-elyashiv hakkohen haggadol khatan lesanvallat hakhoroni va'avrikhehu me'alay

One of the sons of Joiada son of the high priest Eliashib was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; I drove him away from me.

zokhrah lahem elohay al go'ole hakkehunnah uverit hakkehunnah vehaleviyyim

Remember to their discredit, O my God, how they polluted the priesthood, the covenant of the priests and Levites.

vetihartim mikkol-nekhar va'a'amidah mishmarot lakkohanim velalviyyim ish bimlakhto

I purged them of every foreign element, and arranged for the priests and the Levites to work each at his task by shifts,

ulequrban ha'etsim be'ittim mezummanot velabbikkurim zokhrah-lli elohay letovah

and for the wood offering [to be brought] at fixed times and for the first fruits. O my God, remember it to my credit!