13
Principles of Separation
1On that day ⚓they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written ⚓that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God,
2because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but ⚓hired Balaam against them to curse them. ⚓However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3So it was, when they had heard the Law, ⚓that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.
The Reforms of Nehemiah
4Now before this, ⚓Eliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with ⚓Tobiah.
5And he had prepared for him a large room, ⚓where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, ⚓which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests.
6But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, ⚓for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king,
7and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in ⚓preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God.
8And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room.
9Then I commanded them to ⚓cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
10I also realized that the portions for the Levites had ⚓not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to ⚓his field.
11So ⚓I contended with the rulers, and said, ⚓“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place.
12⚓Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.
13⚓And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse 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 considered ⚓faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.
14⚓Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!
15In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses ⚓on the Sabbath, and 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 warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions.
16Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them 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, by which you profane the Sabbath day?
18⚓Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it ⚓began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. ⚓Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.
21Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath.
22And I commanded the Levites that ⚓they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!
23In those days I also saw Jews who⚓had married women of ⚓Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.
25So I ⚓contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them ⚓swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.
26⚓Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, ⚓who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. ⚓Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.
27Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, ⚓transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”
28And one of the sons ⚓of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of ⚓Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.
29⚓Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and ⚓the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30⚓Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also ⚓assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service,
31and to bringing⚓the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.
⚓Remember me, O my God, for good!
13
Nehemi tsim kho dua tshiab
1Hnub ntawd lawv nyeem Mauxe phau ntawv rau cov pejxeem mloog mas lawv pom qhov uas sau cia hais tias, tsis txhob kheev cov Asmoo thiab cov Mau‑a koom nrog Vajtswv haiv neeg mus ib txhis,
2rau qhov lawv tsis tau muab mov thiab dej los tos txais cov Yixayee tiamsis lawv tseem ntiav Npala‑as tuaj tsawm foom cov Yixayee. Tiamsis peb tus Vajtswv muab tej lus foom ntawd ntxeev ua koob hmoov.
3Thaum cov pejxeem hnov txoj kevcai ntawd lawv txawm muab txhua tus uas yog lwm haiv neeg li keeb cais tawm hauv cov Yixayee.
4Ua ntej no tus pov thawj Eliyasi uas tau raug tsa ua tus uas saib xyuas tej chav hauv peb tus Vajtswv lub tuam tsev thiab nrog Thaunpia ua phoojywg,
5tau tu ib chav dav rau Thaunpia, yog chav uas txeev siv khaws tej uas ua kevcai xyeem qoob loo, roj ntoos tsw qab, tej twj siv thiab ib feem kaum uas yog qoob, cawv txiv hmab tshiab thiab roj uas lawv pub raws li txoj kevcai rau cov Levi thiab cov hu nkauj thiab cov uas zov tej rooj loog, thiab tej uas pub rau cov pov thawj.
6Thaum uas muaj tej xwm txheej no kuv tsis nyob hauv Yeluxalees rau qhov xyoo peb caug ob uas Athaxawxi ua vajntxwv hauv Npanpiloo, kuv mus cuag vajntxwv. Nyob ntev loo kuv li thov vajntxwv cia kuv rov los.
7Kuv thiaj rov los rau hauv Yeluxalees mas kuv li paub tej kev phem uas Eliyasi tau ua pab Thaunpia, yog qhov uas tu ib chav ntawm lub tshav puam Vajtswv lub tuam tsev rau nws.
8Kuv thiaj chim heev thiab kuv muab Thaunpia tej cuab txhiaj cuab tam rho hauv chav tsev ntawd laim pov tseg huvsi.
9Thiab kuv hais kom ua kevcai ntxuav chav ntawd thiab kuv coj tej twj siv hauv Vajtswv lub tuam tsev, thiab tej uas siv ua kevcai xyeem qoob loo thiab cov roj ntoos tsw qab rov los cia rau hauv tej qub chaw.
10Thiab kuv kuj hnov tias cov Levi li feem mas lawv tsis muab rau cov Levi. Vim li no cov Levi thiab cov hu nkauj uas ua haujlwm thiaj nyias tsiv mus rau hauv nyias tej teb lawm.
11Kuv thiaj yws cov thawj thiab hais tias, “Ua cas muab Vajtswv lub tuam tsev tso tseg?” Kuv thiaj qaws lawv rov los thiab tsa lawv rov ua lawv tes haujlwm dua.
12Mas cov Yuda sawvdaws coj ib feem kaum uas yog qoob, cawv txiv hmab tshiab thiab roj tuaj tso rau hauv tej txhab.
13Thiab kuv tsa neeg saib xyuas tej txhab ntawd, yog pov thawj Selemiya, xibhwb Xadau thiab Pedaya uas yog ib tug Levi thiab tsa Xakaw tus tub Hanas uas yog Mathaniya tus xeeb ntxwv ua tus uas pab lawv, rau qhov suav hais tias lawv yog cov uas tso siab tau. Lawv li haujlwm yog faib rau lawv cov kwvtij.
14Au kuv tus Vajtswv, thov koj nco txog kuv rau zaj no thiab thov tsis txhob rhuav tej haujlwm zoo uas kuv tau ua rau kuv tus Vajtswv lub tuam tsev thiab tej uas ua pab txojkev uas ua koom tu Vajtswv.
15Thaum ntawd hauv Yuda kuv pom neeg tsuam kua txiv hmab rau hnub Xanpatau thiab sau tej niag pawg qoob rau nees luav thauj thiab thauj cawv txiv hmab tej txiv hmab txiv cev thiab txhua yam nra coj los rau hauv Yeluxalees rau hnub Xanpatau. Kuv thiaj li ntuas lawv rau hnub uas lawv muag zaub mov ntawd.
16Thiab cov neeg Thailab uas nyob hauv lub nroog coj ntses thiab txhua yam lus muag rau hnub Xanpatau rau cov pejxeem Yuda thiab hauv Yeluxalees.
17Ces kuv thiaj hais hnyav rau cov uas ua hlob hauv Yuda thiab hais rau lawv tias, “Nej ua phem dabtsi li no, ua qias puas tsuas hnub Xanpatau?
18Nej tej poj koob yawm txwv tsis tau ua li no lov? Peb tus Vajtswv tsis tau coj tej xwm txheej phem no huvsi los raug peb thiab lub nroog no lov, es nej tseem yuav coj txojkev npau taws heev dua li ntawd los raug cov Yixayee vim yog nej ua qias puas tsuas hnub Xanpatau?”
19Hmo uas yuav txog hnub Xanpatau thaum yuav tsaus ntuj kuv hais kom kaw tej rooj loog tsis txhob qheb mus txog dhau hnub Xanpatau tso, thiab kuv tsa kuv cov tub teg tub taws qee leej saib xyuas tej rooj loog thiaj txwv tsis kheev thauj ib yam nra dabtsi los rau hauv rau hnub Xanpatau.
20Mas cov tub luam thiab cov uas coj txhua yam tuaj muag thiaj pw ib hmo sab nraum lub nroog Yeluxalees ib ob zaug.
21Kuv ntuas lawv thiab hais rau lawv tias, “Ua cas nej tuaj pw sab nraum lub ntsa loog? Yog nej tseem tuaj dua thiab, kuv yuav ntes nej.” Txij thaum ntawd los lawv tsis tuaj rau hnub Xanpatau dua li lawm.
22Thiab kuv hais kom cov Levi tu lawv tus kheej kom dawb huv thiab tuaj zov tej rooj loog, thiaj li ua tau kom hnub Xanpatau dawb huv.
Au kuv tus Vajtswv, thov koj nco txog kuv rau zaj no thiab thov koj tseg kuv txojsia cia raws li koj txojkev hlub loj kawg uas ruaj khov.
23Thaum ntawd kuv kuj pom cov Yudai uas yuav cov neeg Asadau, Asmoo thiab Mau‑a tej ntxhais ua pojniam,
24thiab lawv tej menyuam ib nrab hais lus Asadau, lawv hais tsis tau lus Yuda tsuas yog nyias hais nyias yam lus xwb.
25Kuv thiaj cem lawv thiab foom lawv thiab ntaus lawv qee leej thiab dob lawv plaubhau pov tseg, thiab kuv kom lawv tuav Vajtswv lub npe cog lus twv. Kuv hais tias, “Nej tsis txhob muab nej tej ntxhais qua rau lawv tej tub, thiab tsis txhob yuav lawv tej ntxhais rau nej tej tub lossis nej tus kheej.
26Cov Yixayee tus vajntxwv Xalaumoo tsis tau ua txhaum rau qhov uas nws yuav pojniam li no lov? Hauv ib tsoom tebchaws tsis muaj ib tug vajntxwv twg zoo cuag li nws thiab nws tus Vajtswv kuj hlub nws, Vajtswv pub nws ua vajntxwv kav cov Yixayee huvsi. Txawm li ntawd los tej pojniam uas yog lwm haiv neeg tseem ua rau nws ua txhaum.
27Tseem tsim nyog peb yuav mloog nej thiab ua tej kev phem loj no huvsi thiab fav xeeb rau peb tus Vajtswv es mus yuav lwm haiv neeg tej ntxhais los ua pojniam lov?”
28Tus tuam pov thawj hlob Eliyasi tus tub Yehauyada muaj ib tug tub uas ua Xanpala uas yog neeg Hauloo li vauv, vim li no kuv thiaj muab nws ntiab khiav ntawm kuv mus.
29Au kuv tus Vajtswv, thov koj nco txog lawv rau qhov lawv tau ua qias puas tsuas qhov uas ua pov thawj thiab ua qias puas tsuas tej lus uas koj cog tseg rau cov pov thawj thiab cov Levi.
30Kuv thiaj muab txhua yam uas yog lwm haiv neeg li ntxuav ntawm lawv mus li no. Thiab kuv tu haujlwm rau cov pov thawj thiab cov Levi, nyias ua nyias feem.
31Thiab kuv teem kom coj taws tuaj pub raws li sijhawm uas teem cia lawd thiab coj thawj phaum qoob loo tuaj.
Au kuv tus Vajtswv, thov nco txog kuv thiab hlub kuv.