our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the 5 set up. kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, v ch.6.8,14. and to 5 repair the desolations there-6 of, and to give us a wall v in Judah and in Jerusalem.

by the

hand of.

mouth to mouth, 2K1.21.16.

8 withheld beneath our iniquities. Ps. 103. 10.

10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, 11 Which thou hast commanded w De.23.6. 6 by thy servants the prophets, saying, the land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from 7 one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace w or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou

y Jno.5.14. 2Pe.2.20,21.

z De.9.8.

a Ne.9.33. Da.9.14.

La.3.22,23.

c Jno.8.21,24. 1Co.15.17.

d Ps. 130.3.

(CHAP. 10.) a 2Ch.20.9. a great weeping.

our God hast & punished us less a than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; 14 Should y we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abomina-b Ne. 13.27. tions? wouldest not thou be angry c Is.55.6,7. with us till z thou hadst consumed

, so that there should be no rem-d 2Ch.34.31. nant nor escaping. 2 bring forth.

15 O LORD God of Israel, thou a art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, b as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our c tres-e ch.9.4. passes: for we cannot stand d before thee because of this.

ing and casting himself down before a the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and woinen and children: for the people wept 1 very sore.

2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed b against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is c hope in Israel concerning this thing.

3 Now therefore let us make a d covenant with our God to 2 put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those

f De.7.2,3.

g Ne.5.12. h De.9.18.

3 devoted. i 1Sa. 12.18.

4 showers. 5 caused to dwell, or, have brought back.

k Pr.28.13. 1Jno.1.9.

He reformeth the people.

that tremble e at the commandment f of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.

5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear g that they should do according to this word. And they sware.

6 T Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he h did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.

7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders. all his substance should be 3 forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.

9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, and the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because i of this matter, and for the great 4 rain.

10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have 5 taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

11 Now therefore make confession unto k the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land,and from the strange

wives.

12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.

13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we 6 are many that have transgressed in this thing.

14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for 7 this matter be turned from us.

15 Only Jonathan the son of

The names of them which

Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of B. C. 457. Tikvah 8 were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.

16 And the children of the cap-8 stood. tivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine l the matter,

17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.

/ De. 13. 14. Job 29.16. Jno.7.51.

m Jc.23.11. Mal.2.8,9.

had married strange wives. Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.

26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.

27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth."

30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and

taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.

1Ch.29.24.

2Ch.30.8. La.5.6.

6.4,6.

19 And they gave n their hands o Le.5. 15,16. that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered o a ram of the flock for their trespass.

20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani and Zebadiah.

21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

22 And of the sons of Pashur; p Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Ne-9 thaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

p Ne.7.41.

or, Mahnadébai, according to

some

copies.

24 Of the singers also; Eliashib : and of the porters; Shallum, and 9 Pr.5.20. Telem, and Uri.

25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and

31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon.

32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,

35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaa

sau,

38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, 39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,

409 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.

44 All these had taken strange q wives and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

m

2 That Hanani, one of my bre-c thren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concern

3.61. 5.1.

2Ki.25.10. Is.64.10.11.

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are b in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken c down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I

Nehemiah's prayer,

f 1Ki.8.28,29. 2Ch.6.40.

5 And said, I beseech thee, d Oe Ex.20.6. LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth e covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his command-g Ps.34.15. ments:

h Ps.32.5. 1Jno. 1.9.

i Ps. 106.6.

6 Let f thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, g that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, k De.28.15. day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess hl Le.26.33, &c the sins of the children of Israel, De.4.25,&c. which we have sinned against thee: 28.64. both I and my father's house have m De.30.4. sinned.

n Ps. 147.2. Is. 11. 12.

56.8. Je. 12. 15. 50. 19,20.

7 We i have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not keptk the commandments, nor the statutes,nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trans-P Ps.86.6. gress, I will scatter you abroad q Is.26.8. among the nations:

9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there m were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather n them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

10 Now these o are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

e q

o De.9.29. Da.9.15,&c.

He. 13.18.

r ch.2.1.

(CHAP. 2.)

a Ezr.7.1.

b ch.1.11.

c Pr. 15. 13.

d 1Ki.1.31.

Da.2.4.

11 O LORD, I beseech thee, let now 1Ch.1.3. thine ear be attentive p to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire q to fear thy name: and prosper, pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Forr I was the king's cupbearer.

CHAPTER II.

g Pr.3.6.

Phi.4.6.

1 wife.

h ch.5.14. 13.6.

Artaxerxes sendeth Nehemiah to Je-i ch.3.7.

rusalem.

AND it came to pass in the month

Nisan, in the twentieth year of a Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up b the wine, and gave it unto the king: Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

ver. 18.

Ezr.5.5.

Ps. 112.10. Eze.25.6-8. m Ezr.8.32.

n Ps.51.8.

122.6.

2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, o 2Ch.26.9. seeing thou art not sick? this is no-p ch.1.3. thing else but sorrow c of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, q ch.3.15. 3 And said unto the king, Let d the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad when the

2Sa. 15.23. Je.31.38-40.

request, and commission.

city, e the place of my fathers' sepulchres, f lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed g to the God of heaven.

5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. 6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.h

1

7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;

8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house i that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according k to the good hand of my God upon me.

9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. (Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.)

10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved! them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

11 Som I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

12 T And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God a had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

13 And I went out by night by the gate o of the valley, even before the dragon-well, and to the dung-port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were p broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, g and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, r and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so re

turned.

The names of them

t

La.2.2,8,9.

ch. 1.3.

Ps.44.13. 79.4,12.

Je.24.9. Eze.5.14, 15. 22.4.

u ver.8.

v 2Sa.2.7. Ezr.6.22.

18 Then I told them of the hand u of my God, which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they w Ps.80.6. said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened v their hands for x ch.6.6. this good work.

14. Ec.7.18.

a Is.56.5.

19 But when Sanballat the Ho-y Ps. 102. 13, ronite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed w ustoz Ezr.4.3. scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, hey will prosper us: therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye z have no portion, nor right, c ch.12.39. nor memorial, in Jerusalem.a CHAPTER III.

The names and order of them that builded the wall.

HEN Eliashib a the high priest

priests, and they builded the b sheep-gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah c they sanctified it, unto the towerd of Hananeel.

2 And 1 next unto him builded the men of Jericho. e And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.

(CHAP. 3.) a ch. 12.10.

b Jno.5.2.

d Je.31.38. Zec.14.10. 1 at his hand.

Ezr.2.34.

f2Ch.33.14. Zep.1.10.

g Je.5.4,5. 1Co. 1.26. ITi.6. 17, 18.

h Ju.5.23.

6 Moreover the old gate repaired p 2K1.20.20. Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and q 1Sa.23.1, &c set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. r 2Ch.26.9. 7 And next unto them repaired

that builded the wall. Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne i of the governor on this side the river. 8 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they 2 fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.k

9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah, the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.

10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah, the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush, the son of Hashabniah.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired the 3 other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.

12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, The and his daughters.

13 The valley-gate / repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung-gate.m 14 But the dung-gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

15 But the gate of the fountain n repaired Shallum the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah o by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the poolp that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.

17 And after him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.

18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilali.g 19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning r of the wall.

4 or, Zaccai. s ch. 12.28. t ver. 19. u Je.32.2.

37.21.

Nehemiah setieth a watch. 2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do thesed feeble Jews? will they 1 fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are

of the house of Eliashib.

22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.s 23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah by his house.

24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning t of the wall, even unto the

corner.

25 Palal, the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the

king's high house, that was by the court u of the prison. After him Pedaiah, the son of Parosh. 26 Moreover the v Nethinims 5 dwelt in Ophel, w unto the place over against the water-gater toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.

27 After them, the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel. 28 From above the horsey gate repaired the priests, every ono over against his house.

5 or, which

29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, i 2Ch.29.36. the keeper of the east gate. Ps.110.3.

make an

30 After him repaired Hananiah 3 ascended. the son of Shelemiah, and Hanunk Ps. 83.3-5. the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto the place of the Nethinims, z and of the merchants, over against the gate. Miphkad, and to the going up of the 7 corner.

32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep-gate a repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

error to it, Je.20.10. Da.6.4,5.

Ps.50. 15. 55.16-22. m Lu.21.36. Ac.4.24-29. n 2Sa. 17.2.

5

Ac.23. 12,

21.

or, That
from all
places ye
must re-

turn to us. 6 from the lower parts of

o

the place. De. 1.29,30. Mat. 10.28.

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Evene that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

4 Hear,f O our God; for we are 2 despised and turng their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:

5 Andh cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

6 So built we the wall; and all the half thereof: for the people the wall was joined together unto had a mind i to work.

7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were 3 made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

8 And conspired k all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to 4 hinder it. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch m against them day and night, because of them.

10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.

11 And our adversaries said, n They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, 5 From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.

13 Therefore set I 6 in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be o not ye afraid of them: