Nehemiah - The Old Testament

¹ In view of all this we make a firm agreement, in writing. Our princes, our Levites, our priests and the rest of the people have put their names to the document under seal.

² On the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah;

³ Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

⁴ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

⁵ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

⁶ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁷ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁸ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁹ Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

¹⁰ The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

¹¹ and their kinsmen Shebaniah, Hodaviah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹² Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹³ Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹⁴ Hodiah, Bani, Chenani.

¹⁵ The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

¹⁶ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁷ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁸ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁹ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

²⁰ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²¹ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

²² Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²³ Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²⁴ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

²⁵ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁶ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁷ Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

²⁸ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁹ And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple slaves and all those who had severed relations with the people of the country to adhere to the law of God, as also their wives, their sons, their daughters, that is, all those who had reached the age of discretion,

³⁰ have joined their esteemed brothers in a solemn oath to follow the law of God given through Moses, servant of God, and to observe and practise all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, with his rules and his statutes.

³¹ We will not give our daughters in marriage to the peoples of the country, nor allow their daughters to marry our sons.

³² If the people of the country bring goods or foodstuff of any kind to sell on the Sabbath day, we will buy nothing from them on Sabbath or holy day. In the seventh year, we will forgo the produce of the soil and the exaction of all debts.

³³ We recognise the following obligations: to give one-third of a shekel yearly for the service of the Temple of our God:

³⁴ for the loaves of permanent offering, for the perpetual oblation, for the perpetual burnt offering, for the sacrifices on Sabbaths, on New Moons and on festivals, for the consecrated gifts, the sin offerings to expiate for Israel, in short, for the whole work of the Temple of our God;

³⁵ Furthermore, as regards deliveries of wood for burning on the altar of our God as the law prescribes, we have arranged, by drawing lots, how these deliveries are to be made at the Temple of our God by the priests, the Levites and the people by families, at stated times every year.

³⁶ and further, to bring yearly to the Temple of our God the first-fruits of our soil and the first-fruits of all our orchards,

³⁷ also the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, as the law prescribes, the first-born of our herds and flocks should be taken to the Temple of our God for the priests officiating in the Temple of our God.

³⁸ Furthermore, we shall bring the best of our dough, of every kind of fruit, of the new wine and of the oil to the priests, to the storerooms of the Temple of our God, and the tithe on our soil to the Levites -- the Levites will themselves collect the tithes from all the towns of our religion.

³⁹ An Aaronite priest will accompany the Levites when they collect the tithes, and the Levites will bring a tenth part

⁴⁰ a,b of the tithes to the Temple of our God, into the treasury storerooms; for these rooms are where the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of corn, wine and oil, and where the vessels of the sanctuary are, and the officiating priests, the gatekeepers and the singers.