Nehemiah

Old Testament · 13 chapters · 405 verses.

Chapter 1

1:1The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
1:2Hanani, one of my brothers, came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
1:3They said to me, “The survivors who remain from the captivity there in the province are in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
1:4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of the heavens.
1:5I said, “Ah, LORD, God of the heavens, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments,
1:6please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant that I now pray before You day and night concerning the sons of Israel, Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel that we have sinned against You. I and my father’s house have sinned.
1:7We have dealt very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and judgments that You commanded Your servant Moses.
1:8Please remember the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the peoples;
1:9but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though your outcasts are at the end of the heavens, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place I have chosen, to cause My Name to dwell there.’
1:10They are Your servants and Your people, whom You redeemed by Your great power and Your strong hand.
1:11Ah, Lord, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear Your Name. Please grant Your servant success today and give him compassion in the presence of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Chapter 2

2:1In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence before.
2:2Then the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” And I was very much afraid.
2:3I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire?”
2:4Then the king said to me, “What are you seeking?” So I prayed to the God of the heavens.
2:5And I said to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant is pleasing in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”
2:6Then the king said to me—the queen sitting beside him—“How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it seemed good to the king to send me, and I gave him a time.
2:7Then I said to the king, “If it seems good to the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
2:8and a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, that he may give me timber for beams for the gates of the citadel that belongs to the house, for the wall of the city, and for the house I shall enter.” And the king granted me this, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
2:9Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent officers of the army and horsemen with me.
2:10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it greatly displeased them that a man had come to seek the good of the sons of Israel.
2:11So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
2:12Then I rose by night, I and a few men with me. I had told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there was no animal with me except the animal I was riding.
2:13I went out by night through the Valley Gate, toward the Dragon Spring and the Dung Gate; and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.
2:14Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal I was riding to pass.
2:15So I went up by the brook at night and inspected the wall. Then I turned back, entered through the Valley Gate, and returned.
2:16The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing; and until then I had told nothing to the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the rest who were to do the work.
2:17Then I said to them, “You see the distress we are in, how Jerusalem lies desolate and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”
2:18And I told them of the good hand of my God upon me, and also of the words the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us rise and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
2:19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian heard of it, they mocked and despised us, saying, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
2:20Then I answered them and said, “The God of the heavens—He will give us success. We His servants will rise and build; but you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Chapter 3

3:1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; they consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananeel.
3:2Beside him the men of Jericho built, and beside them Zaccur son of Imri built.
3:3The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
3:4Beside them Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs; beside him Meshullam son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel, made repairs; and beside him Zadok son of Baanah made repairs.
3:5Beside him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.
3:6Jehoiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
3:7Beside them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite made repairs. They were men of Gibeon and Mizpah, under the jurisdiction of the governor of the province Beyond the River.
3:8Beside him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs; and beside him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
3:9Beside them Rephaiah son of Hur, head of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.
3:10Beside them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house; and beside him Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
3:11Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, including the Tower of the Furnaces.
3:12Beside him Shallum son of Hallohesh, head of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
3:13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate; they built it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired one thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
3:14Malchijah son of Rechab, head of the district of Beth-Haccerem, repaired the Dung Gate; he built it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
3:15Shallum son of Col-Hozeh, head of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps that go down from the City of David.
3:16After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, head of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs as far as opposite the tombs of David, as far as the constructed pool and the house of the mighty men.
3:17After him the Levites, under Rehum son of Bani, made repairs. Beside him Hashabiah, head of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.
3:18After him their brothers, under Bavvai son of Henadad, head of half the district of Keilah, made repairs.
3:19Beside him Ezer son of Jeshua, head of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the angle.
3:20After him Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
3:21After him Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the doorway of Eliashib’s house to the end of his house.
3:22After him the priests from the surrounding district made repairs.
3:23After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house; and after him Azariah son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
3:24After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the angle and to the corner.
3:25Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king, which was by the Court of the Guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh made repairs.
3:26The temple servants dwelt on Ophel, as far as opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.
3:27After him the Tekoites repaired another section, from opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.
3:28From above the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each opposite his own house.
3:29After them Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house; and after him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate, made repairs.
3:30After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his chamber.
3:31After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the upper room of the corner.
3:32And between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.
3:33When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews.
3:34He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubble, burned as they are?”
3:35And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”
3:36Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their reproach upon their own heads, and give them as spoil in a land of captivity.
3:37Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You, for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.
3:38So we rebuilt the wall, and the whole wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a heart to work.

Chapter 4

4:1When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs to the walls of Jerusalem were advancing and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry.
4:2And they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion in it.
4:3But we prayed to our God and set a watch against them day and night because of them.
4:4Then Judah said, “The strength of the burden-bearers is failing, and there is much rubble; we are not able to rebuild the wall.”
4:5And our enemies said, “They shall neither know nor see us until we come into their midst, kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
4:6When the Jews who dwelt near them came, they said to us ten times, “Wherever you turn, they will come against us.”
4:7So I stationed the people in the lowest places behind the wall, in the exposed places; I stationed them by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
4:8Then I looked, rose up, and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
4:9When our enemies heard that their counsel had become known to us and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.
4:10From that day on, half of my servants worked on the construction, while half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the leaders stood behind all the house of Judah.
4:11Those building on the wall and those carrying burdens did their work with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
4:12Each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built, and the one who sounded the horn was beside me.
4:13Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
4:14Wherever you hear the sound of the horn, gather to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
4:15So we labored at the work, while half of them held the spears, from the rising of dawn until the stars came out.
4:16At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and labor by day.”
4:17Neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me—none of us took off our garments; each kept his weapon with him even at the water.

Chapter 5

5:1Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish brothers.
5:2For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
5:3There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we may get grain during the famine.”
5:4And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax upon our fields and our vineyards.
5:5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, and our sons are as their sons. Behold, we are subjecting our sons and our daughters to slavery, and some of our daughters are already enslaved; but it is not in our power, for our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”
5:6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.
5:7After taking counsel with myself, I confronted the nobles and the officials and said to them, “You are each exacting interest from your brother.” And I held a great assembly against them.
5:8I said to them, “We, according to our ability, have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations. Yet you would even sell your brothers, that they might be sold back to us!” Then they were silent and found nothing to say.
5:9So I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
5:10I also, with my brothers and my servants, have lent them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this interest.
5:11Please restore to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, along with the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have exacted from them.”
5:12Then they said, “We will restore these things and require nothing from them; we will do as you say.” So I called the priests and made them swear to do according to this word.
5:13I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out from his house and from his possessions every man who does not fulfill this word. Thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “So be it,” and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this word.
5:14Moreover, from the day I was appointed governor over them in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s food allowance.
5:15But the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
5:16I also devoted myself to the work on this wall. We acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
5:17Moreover, one hundred fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations around us, were at my table.
5:18Now what was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; birds also were prepared for me, and once every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the service was heavy upon this people.
5:19Remember me, O my God, for good, for all that I have done for this people.

Chapter 6

6:1When it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and that no breach remained in it—though until that time I had not set up the doors in the gates—
6:2Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the Valley of Ono.” But they were planning to do me harm.
6:3So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?”
6:4They sent to me four times according to this word, and I answered them in the same manner.
6:5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time according to this word, with an open letter in his hand.
6:6In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. For this reason you are rebuilding the wall; and according to these reports, you are to become their king.
6:7You have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ And now these reports will be heard by the king. So come, and let us take counsel together.”
6:8Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are devising them out of your own heart.”
6:9For they all sought to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will grow too feeble for the work, and it will not be done.” But now, strengthen my hands.
6:10Then I entered the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabeel, who was confined to his house. And he said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, by night they are coming to kill you.”
6:11But I said, “Should a man such as I flee? And who is there such as I who could enter the temple and live? I will not go in.”
6:12Then I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him; rather, he had spoken this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
6:13He was hired so that I might be afraid and do as he said, and sin, and so that they might give me a bad name and reproach me.
6:14Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who sought to frighten me.
6:15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, after fifty-two days.
6:16When all our enemies heard of it and all the nations around us saw it, they were greatly humbled in their own eyes; and they knew that this work had been done by our God.
6:17Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
6:18For many in Judah were bound to him by oath, because he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah as his wife.
6:19They also spoke of his good deeds before me and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Chapter 7

7:1When the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed.
7:2Then I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah, commander of the citadel, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.
7:3And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the guards are still standing by, let them shut the doors and fasten them. Appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his watch and each in front of his house.”
7:4Now the city was broad and large, but the people within it were few, and the houses had not been rebuilt.
7:5Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the scroll of the genealogy of those who had come up at the beginning, and I found written in it:
7:6These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away; and they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city—
7:7those who came with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Reelaiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel was:
7:8sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two;
7:9sons of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two;
7:10sons of Arah, six hundred fifty-two;
7:11sons of Pahath-Moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen;
7:12sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four;
7:13sons of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five;
7:14sons of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty;
7:15sons of Bani, six hundred forty-eight;
7:16sons of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight;
7:17sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two;
7:18sons of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven;
7:19sons of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven;
7:20sons of Adin, six hundred fifty-five;
7:21sons of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;
7:22sons of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight;
7:23sons of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four;
7:24sons of Hariph, one hundred twelve;
7:25sons of Gibeon, ninety-five;
7:26men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight;
7:27men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight;
7:28men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two;
7:29men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three;
7:30men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one;
7:31men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two;
7:32men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three;
7:33men of the other Nebo, fifty-two;
7:34sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four;
7:35sons of Harim, three hundred twenty;
7:36sons of Jericho, three hundred forty-five;
7:37sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one;
7:38sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.
7:39The priests: sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three;
7:40sons of Immer, one thousand fifty-two;
7:41sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven;
7:42sons of Harim, one thousand seventeen.
7:43The Levites: sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
7:44The singers: sons of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.
7:45The gatekeepers: sons of Shallum, sons of Ater, sons of Talmon, sons of Akkub, sons of Hatita, and sons of Shobai; in all, one hundred thirty-eight.
7:46The temple servants: sons of Ziha, sons of Hasupha, sons of Tabbaoth,
7:47sons of Keros, sons of Siaha, sons of Padon,
7:48sons of Lebanah, sons of Hagabah, sons of Shalmai,
7:49sons of Hanan, sons of Giddel, sons of Gahar,
7:50sons of Reaiah, sons of Rezin, sons of Nekoda,
7:51sons of Gazzam, sons of Uzza, sons of Paseah,
7:52sons of Bezai, sons of Meunim, sons of Nephisim,
7:53sons of Bakbuk, sons of Hakupha, sons of Harhur,
7:54sons of Bazluth, sons of Mehida, sons of Harsha,
7:55sons of Barkos, sons of Sisera, sons of Temah,
7:56sons of Neziah, sons of Hatipha.
7:57Sons of the servants of Solomon: sons of Sotai, sons of Sophereth, sons of Peruda,
7:58sons of Jaalah, sons of Darkon, sons of Giddel,
7:59sons of Shephatiah, sons of Hattil, sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, and sons of Ami.
7:60All the temple servants and the sons of the servants of Solomon were three hundred ninety-two.
7:61And these were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they were unable to declare their fathers’ houses and their descent, whether they were of Israel:
7:62sons of Delaiah, sons of Tobiah, and sons of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.
7:63And of the priests: sons of Habaiah, sons of Hakkoz, and sons of Barzillai—who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name.
7:64These sought their register among those enrolled by genealogy, but it was not found; and they were excluded from the priesthood.
7:65Then the governor told them that they should not eat of the most holy things until a priest arose with the sacred decision lots.
7:66The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,
7:67besides their male and female servants, who were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred forty-five male and female singers.
7:68Their camels were four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.
7:69And some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty bowls, and five hundred thirty priestly garments.
7:70And some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the treasury for the work twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.
7:71What the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments.
7:72So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Chapter 8

8:1Then all the people gathered as one man in the square before the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel.
8:2So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly—men, women, and everyone who could understand what they heard—on the first day of the seventh month.
8:3He read from it in the square before the Water Gate, from dawn until midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
8:4Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform they had made for the purpose. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and on his left, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
8:5Then Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
8:6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered, “So be it, so be it,” lifting up their hands; and they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
8:7Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites helped the people understand the Law, while the people remained in their places.
8:8They read from the Book, from the Law of God, clearly; they gave the meaning, so that the people understood the reading.
8:9Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who instructed the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law.
8:10Then he said to them, “Go, eat rich food, drink what is sweet, and send portions to anyone for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
8:11And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this day is holy. Do not be grieved.”
8:12Then all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate with great joy, because they had understood the words made known to them.
8:13On the second day, the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered to Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law.
8:14And they found written in the Law that the LORD had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast in the seventh month,
8:15and that they should proclaim and spread this word throughout all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive trees, wild olive trees, myrtle trees, palm trees, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
8:16So the people went out and brought them, and made booths for themselves, each on his roof and in their courtyards, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square before the Water Gate and in the square before the Gate of Ephraim.
8:17Then the whole assembly of those who had returned from captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths; for the sons of Israel had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun to that day. And there was very great joy.
8:18And he read from the Book of the Law of God day by day, from the first day to the last day. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

Chapter 9

9:1On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the sons of Israel gathered with fasting, in sackcloth, and with earth upon them.
9:2Those of the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
9:3They stood in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and bowed down to the LORD their God.
9:4On the platform of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God.
9:5Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from age to age. Blessed be Your glorious Name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
9:6You are the LORD, You alone. You have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, and all their host; the earth and all that is upon it; the seas and all that is in them. You give life to them all, and the heavenly host bows down to You.
9:7You are the LORD God, who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham.
9:8You found his heart steadfast before You and made a covenant with him to give to his seed the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. And You fulfilled Your words, for You are righteous.
9:9You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds.
9:10You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for You knew that they had acted proudly against them. And You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
9:11You split the sea before them, and they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land; but their pursuers You cast into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.
9:12By a pillar of cloud You led them by day, and by a pillar of fire by night, to give them light on the way in which they should go.
9:13You came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them from the heavens; You gave them right judgments, true laws, good statutes and commandments.
9:14You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, and commanded them commandments, statutes, and law through Moses Your servant.
9:15You gave them bread from the heavens for their hunger and brought water out of a rock for their thirst; and You told them to go in and possess the land that You had lifted up Your hand to give them.
9:16But they—our fathers—acted proudly, hardened their necks, and did not listen to Your commandments.
9:17They refused to listen and did not remember the wonders You had done among them. They hardened their necks and, in their rebellion, appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love; and You did not forsake them.
9:18Even when they made for themselves a cast-metal calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and committed great blasphemies,
9:19You, in Your abundant mercies, did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on the way; nor did the pillar of fire by night, to give them light on the way in which they should go.
9:20You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
9:21For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their garments did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.
9:22You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner; and they possessed the land of Sihon—the land of the king of Heshbon—and the land of Og king of Bashan.
9:23You multiplied their sons like the stars of the heavens and brought them into the land that You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
9:24So their sons entered and possessed the land. You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land—the Canaanites—and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they pleased.
9:25They captured fortified cities and rich soil, and possessed houses full of every good thing, hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate and were satisfied and became fat, and they delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
9:26Yet they were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs, and killed Your prophets, who testified against them to bring them back to You; and they committed great blasphemies.
9:27Therefore You gave them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them. In the time of their distress they cried to You, and You heard from the heavens; and according to Your abundant compassion, You gave them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their adversaries.
9:28But when they had rest, they again did evil before You. So You left them in the hand of their enemies, who ruled over them. Yet when they returned and cried to You, You heard from the heavens and delivered them many times, according to Your compassion.
9:29You testified against them, to bring them back to Your law; but they acted proudly and did not listen to Your commandments. They sinned against Your judgments—which, if a man does them, he shall live by them—and they turned a stubborn shoulder, hardened their necks, and would not hear.
9:30You bore with them for many years and testified against them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; but they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
9:31Yet in Your abundant compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.
9:32And now, O our God—the great, mighty, and fearsome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love—do not let all the hardship that has found us seem little before You: the hardship of our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
9:33Yet You are righteous in all that has come upon us, for You have acted faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
9:34Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your law or paid heed to Your commandments and Your testimonies, by which You testified against them.
9:35Even in their own kingdom, amid the abundant goodness You gave them, and in the broad and rich land You set before them, they did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
9:36Behold, we are servants this day; and as for the land You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and its good produce—behold, we are servants upon it.
9:37Its abundant produce goes to the kings whom You have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

Chapter 10

10:1Because of all this, we are making a firm covenant in writing; and upon the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests.”
10:2Those whose seals were upon it were Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
10:3Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
10:4Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
10:5Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
10:6Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
10:7Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
10:8Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
10:9Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
10:10The Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel;
10:11and their brothers: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
10:12Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
10:13Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
10:14Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.
10:15Heads of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
10:16Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
10:17Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
10:18Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
10:19Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
10:20Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
10:21Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
10:22Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
10:23Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
10:24Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
10:25Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
10:26Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
10:27and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
10:28Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
10:29The rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and everyone who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, together with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all who had knowledge and understanding—
10:30joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His judgments and His statutes;
10:31and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons;
10:32and that if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day; and that we would leave the produce of the seventh year and cancel every debt.
10:33We also laid upon ourselves the command to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God:
10:34for the bread of the Presence, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the offerings of the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed times, for the holy things and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
10:35We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God according to our fathers’ houses, at appointed times, year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law;
10:36and to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of every fruit tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD;
10:37and to bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.
10:38We would also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine, and the oil to the priests, into the chambers of the house of our God; and we would bring the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are the ones who receive the tithes in all our farming towns.
10:39A priest, a son of Aaron, would be with the Levites when the Levites received the tithes; and the Levites would bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
10:40For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi would bring the contribution of grain, new wine, and oil into the chambers where the vessels of the sanctuary were, along with the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers. And we would not forsake the house of our God.

Chapter 11

11:1The leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine parts remained in the other cities.
11:2And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to live in Jerusalem.
11:3These were the heads of the province who lived in Jerusalem. In the cities of Judah, each lived in his own possession in their cities: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the sons of Solomon’s servants.
11:4And in Jerusalem dwelt some of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez;
11:5and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite.
11:6All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were four hundred sixty-eight men of valor.
11:7And these were sons of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah;
11:8and after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred twenty-eight.
11:9Joel son of Zichri was overseer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city.
11:10Of the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11:11Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, leader of the house of God,
11:12and their brothers who did the work of the house, eight hundred twenty-two; and Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah,
11:13and his brothers, heads of fathers’ houses, two hundred forty-two; and Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,
11:14and their brothers, one hundred twenty-eight mighty men of valor; and Zabdiel son of Haggedolim was overseer over them.
11:15Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni;
11:16and Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the heads of the Levites, were over the work outside the house of God.
11:17Mattaniah son of Micha, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, was the leader who began the thanksgiving in prayer; Bakbukiah was second among his brothers; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.
11:18All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred eighty-four.
11:19The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brothers who kept watch at the gates, were one hundred seventy-two.
11:20The rest of Israel, the priests, and the Levites were in all the cities of Judah, each in his inheritance.
11:21The temple servants lived in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants.
11:22The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers who were over the work of the house of God.
11:23For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, as each day required.
11:24Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah son of Judah, was at the king’s hand in every matter concerning the people.
11:25As for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its surrounding villages, in Dibon and its surrounding villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,
11:26and in Jeshua, and in Moladah, and in Beth-Phelet,
11:27in Hazar-shual, and in Beersheba and its surrounding villages,
11:28and in Ziklag, and in Mekonah and in its small towns,
11:29in En-rimmon, in Zorah, and in Jarmuth,
11:30in Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its surrounding villages. So they settled from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.
11:31The sons of Benjamin lived from Geba onward, in Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its surrounding villages,
11:32Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
11:33Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
11:34Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
11:35Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen.
11:36And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin.

Chapter 12

12:1These were the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
12:2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
12:3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
12:4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
12:5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
12:6Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,
12:7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Joshua.
12:8The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.
12:9Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them according to their duties.
12:10Joshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada;
12:11Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
12:12In the days of Joiakim, the priests who were heads of fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
12:13of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
12:14of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
12:15of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
12:16of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
12:17of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin; of Moadiah, Piltai;
12:18of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan;
12:19and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
12:20of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
12:21of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
12:22In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers’ houses, as were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian.
12:23The sons of Levi who were heads of fathers’ houses were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
12:24The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers who stood opposite them to praise and give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, one division corresponding to another.
12:25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers, keeping watch at the storehouses of the gates.
12:26These served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest, the scribe.
12:27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites from all their places and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, thanksgivings, and singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
12:28The sons of the singers gathered from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,
12:29and from Beth-gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
12:30The priests and the Levites cleansed themselves, and they cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.
12:31Then I brought the leaders of Judah up upon the wall and appointed two great thanksgiving companies. One proceeded to the right upon the wall, toward the Dung Gate.
12:32Then after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the heads of Judah,
12:33and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,
12:34Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah;
12:35and of the sons of the priests with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,
12:36and his brothers Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with instruments of song of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them.
12:37At the Fountain Gate, directly before them, they went up the steps of the City of David, by the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, as far as the Water Gate eastward.
12:38The second thanksgiving company went the other way, and I followed it with half the people upon the wall, past the Tower of the Furnaces as far as the Broad Wall,
12:39and past the Gate of Ephraim, the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananeel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at the Prison Gate.
12:40Then the two thanksgiving companies stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me,
12:41and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets,
12:42and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly, with Jezrahiah as their overseer.
12:43On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. The women and the children also rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
12:44On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the treasuries, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them, from the fields of the cities, the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered.
12:45They kept the charge of their God and the charge of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and Solomon his son.
12:46For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were leaders of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
12:47In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They set apart the portions for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the portions for the sons of Aaron.

Chapter 13

13:1On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and it was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,
13:2because they had not met the sons of Israel with food and water, but had hired Balaam against them to curse them; yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
13:3When they heard the Law, they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.
13:4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, was related to Tobiah.
13:5And he had prepared for him a large chamber where they formerly put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil—the portions commanded for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers—and the contribution for the priests.
13:6During all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king,
13:7and came to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil Eliashib had done for Tobiah by preparing a chamber for him in the courts of the house of God.
13:8It was very displeasing to me, and I cast all Tobiah’s household goods out of the chamber.
13:9Then I commanded that the chambers be cleansed, and I returned there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
13:10I also learned that the portions of the Levites had not been given, so that the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled, each to his own field.
13:11Then I contended with the officials and said, “Why has the house of God been forsaken?” And I gathered the Levites and singers together and restored them to their stations.
13:12Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil into the treasuries.
13:13I appointed over the treasuries Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites; and under their hand was Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were reckoned trustworthy, and it was their duty to distribute the portions to their brothers.
13:14Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out the faithful deeds I have done for the house of my God and for its charges.
13:15In those days I saw in Judah men treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in sheaves and loading them upon donkeys, and also bringing wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of burden into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day they sold provisions.
13:16Tyrians who lived there were bringing in fish and every kind of ware and selling them on the Sabbath to the sons of Judah, even in Jerusalem.
13:17Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?
13:18Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet you are bringing more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
13:19As it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors be shut and ordered that they not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, so that no burden would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
13:20Then the merchants and sellers of every kind of ware lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.
13:21But I warned them and said, “Why are you lodging in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not come on the Sabbath.
13:22Then I commanded the Levites to cleanse themselves and come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and have pity on me according to the abundance of Your steadfast love.
13:23In those days I also saw Jews who had married Ashdodite, Ammonite, and Moabite women.
13:24Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and did not know how to speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one people or another.
13:25Then I contended with them, cursed them, struck some of them, pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
13:26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin because of these women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet foreign women caused even him to sin.
13:27Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil, acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”
13:28One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him away from me.
13:29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
13:30Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his work,
13:31and made provision for the wood offering at appointed times and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.