¹On that day they read in the book of Moses in the hearing of the people ; and it was found written in it that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God forever ,

²because they didn’t meet the children of Israel with bread and with water , but hired Balaam against them to curse them ; however , our God turned the curse into a blessing .

³It came to pass , when they had heard the law , that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel .

⁴Now before this , Eliashib the priest , who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God , being allied to Tobiah ,

⁵had prepared for him a great room , where before they laid the meal offerings , the frankincense , the vessels , and the tithes of the grain , the new wine , and the oil , which were given by commandment to the Levites , the singers , and the gatekeepers ; and the wave offerings for the priests .

⁶But in all this , I was not at Jerusalem ; for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king ; and after some days I asked leave of the king ,

⁷and I came to Jerusalem , and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah , in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house .

⁸It grieved me severely . Therefore I threw all Tobiah ’s household stuff out of the room .

⁹Then I commanded, and they cleansed the rooms . I brought into them the vessels of God’s house , with the meal offerings and the frankincense again .

¹⁰I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them , so that the Levites and the singers , who did the work , had each fled to his field .

¹¹Then I contended with the rulers , and said, “Why is God’s house forsaken ?” I gathered them together , and set them in their place .

¹²Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain , the new wine , and the oil to the treasuries.

¹³I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest , and Zadok the scribe , and of the Levites , Pedaiah : and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur , the son of Mattaniah ; for they were counted faithful, and their business was to distribute to their brothers .

¹⁴Remember me , my God, concerning this , and don’t wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its observances.

¹⁵In those days I saw some men treading wine presses on the Sabbath in Judah , bringing in sheaves , and loading donkeys with wine , grapes , figs , and all kinds of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day ; and I testified against them in the day in which they sold food .

¹⁶Some men of Tyre also lived there , who brought in fish and all kinds of wares, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Judah , and in Jerusalem .

¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah , and said to them , “What evil thing is this that you do , and profane the Sabbath day ?

¹⁸Didn’t your fathers do this , and didn’t our God bring all this evil on us and on this city ? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath .”

¹⁹It came to pass that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath , I commanded that the doors should be shut , and commanded that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath . I set some of my servants over the gates , so that no burden should be brought in on the Sabbath day .

²⁰So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares camped outside of Jerusalem once or twice .

²¹Then I testified against them , and said to them , “Why do you stay around the wall ? If you do so again , I will lay hands on you .” From that time on , they didn’t come on the Sabbath .

²²I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves , and that they should come and keep the gates , to sanctify the Sabbath day . Remember me for this also , my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your loving kindness .

²³In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon , and of Moab ;

²⁴and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language , but according to the language of each people .

²⁵I contended with them , cursed them , struck certain of them , plucked off their hair , and made them swear by God , “You shall not give your daughters to their sons , nor take their daughters for your sons , or for yourselves .

²⁶Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin by these things ? Yet among many nations there was no king like him , and he was loved by his God , and God made him king over all Israel . Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin .

²⁷Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil , to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women ?”

²⁸One of the sons of Joiada , the son of Eliashib the high priest , was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite ; therefore I chased him from me .

²⁹Remember them , my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites .

³⁰Thus I cleansed them from all foreigners and appointed duties for the priests and for the Levites , everyone in his work ;

³¹and for the wood offering , at appointed times , and for the first fruits . Remember me , my God, for good .