1At that time the Book of Moses was read out loud. All the people heard it. It was written there that no Ammonite or Moabite could ever become a member of God’s community. 2That’s because they hadn’t given the people of Israel food and water. Instead, they had hired Balaam to put a curse on them. But our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3When that law was read, the people of Judah obeyed it. They sent out of Israel everyone who was from another nation.
4Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms in the house of our God. He had worked closely with Tobiah. 5He had also provided a large room for Tobiah. It had been used to store the grain offerings. The incense and the objects for the temple had been put there. And a tenth of the grain, olive oil and fresh wine had been kept there. That’s what the Law required for the Levites. That’s also what it required for the musicians and the men who guarded the temple gates. The gifts for the priests had been kept there too.
6But I wasn’t in Jerusalem while all of that was going on. I had returned to the Persian King Artaxerxes, the king of Babylon. I went to him in the 32nd year of his rule. Some time later I asked him to let me return to Jerusalem. 7When I got back, I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done. He had provided a room for Tobiah. It was in the courtyards of God’s house. 8So I was very unhappy. I threw all of Tobiah’s things out of the room. 9I gave orders to make the rooms pure and “clean” again. Then I put the supplies from God’s house back into them. That included the grain offerings and the incense.
10I also learned that the shares the Levites were supposed to receive hadn’t been given to them. So all the Levites and musicians had to leave their regular temple duties. They had to go back and farm their own fields. 11I gave a warning to the officials. I asked them, “Why aren’t you taking care of God’s house?” Then I brought the Levites and musicians together. I stationed them in their proper places. I put them back to work.
12All the people of Judah brought a tenth of the grain, olive oil and fresh wine. They took it to the storerooms. 13I put some men in charge of the storerooms. They were Shelemiah, Zadok and Pedaiah. Shelemiah was a priest. Zadok was a teacher of the law. And Pedaiah was a Levite. I made Hanan their assistant. He was the son of Zakkur. Zakkur was the son of Mattaniah. I knew that these men could be trusted. They were put in charge of handing out the supplies to the other Levites.
14You are my God. Remember me because of what I’ve done. I’ve worked faithfully for your temple and its services. So please don’t forget the good things I’ve done.
15In those days I saw some people of Judah stomping on grapes in winepresses. They were doing it on the Sabbath day. Other people were bringing in grain. They were loading it on donkeys. Still other people were loading up wine, grapes, figs and other kinds of things. They were bringing all of it into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them not to sell food on that day. 16People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish. In fact, they were bringing in all kinds of goods. They were selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. The people of Judah were buying them. 17I gave a warning to the nobles of Judah. I said, “Why are you doing such an evil thing? You are misusing the Sabbath day! 18Your people of long ago did the very same things. That’s why our God has brought all this trouble on us. That’s why he’s making this city suffer so much. Now you are making him even angrier against Israel. You are misusing the Sabbath day.”
19Evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath day started. So I ordered the gates to be shut. They had to remain closed until the Sabbath day was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates. I told them not to let anything be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20Once or twice some traders and sellers spent the night outside Jerusalem. They were hoping to sell all kinds of goods. 21But I gave them a warning. I said, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do this again, I’ll arrest you.” So from that time on they didn’t come on the Sabbath day anymore. 22I commanded the Levites to make themselves pure. Then I told them to go and guard the gates. I wanted the Sabbath day to be kept holy.
You are my God. Remember me because of the good things I’ve done. Be kind to me according to your great love.
23In those days I also saw that some men of Judah had married women from Ashdod. Others had married women from Ammon or Moab. 24Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. Or they spoke the language of one of the other nations. They didn’t even know how to speak the language of Judah. 25So I gave them a warning. I cursed them. I beat up some of them. I pulled their hair out. I had them make a promise in God’s name. I said, “You must promise not to give your daughters to be married to their sons. You must promise not to let their daughters marry your sons. And you must not marry their daughters either. 26That’s how Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned. He married women from other nations. There wasn’t a king like him anywhere. His God loved him. In fact, God made him king over the whole nation of Israel. But even he was led into sin by women from other lands. 27Now I hear that you too are doing all of the same terrible and evil things. You aren’t being faithful to our God. You are marrying women from other lands.”
28One of the sons of Joiada was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Joiada, the son of Eliashib, was the high priest. I drove Joiada’s son away from me.
29You are my God. Remember what those priests have done. They have brought shame to their own work. They have also brought shame to the covenant that God made with the priests and Levites long ago.
30So I made the priests and Levites pure. I made them pure from every practice that had come from other countries and had made them impure. I gave them their duties. Each one had his own job to do. 31I also made plans for gifts of wood to be brought at certain appointed times. And I made plans for the first share of the crops to be brought.
You are my God. Please remember me with kindness.
Reforma final de Nehemías
1Aquel día se leyó ante el pueblo el libro de Moisés, y allí se encontró escrito que los amonitas y moabitas no debían jamás formar parte del pueblo de Dios, 2porque no solo no les habían dado de comer ni de beber a los israelitas, sino que habían contratado a Balán para que los maldijera, aunque en realidad nuestro Dios cambió la maldición por bendición. 3Al escuchar lo que la ley decía, apartaron de Israel a todos los que se habían mezclado con extranjeros.
4Antes de esto, el sacerdote Eliasib, encargado de los almacenes del templo de nuestro Dios, había emparentado con Tobías 5y le había acondicionado una habitación grande. Allí se almacenaban las ofrendas, el incienso, los utensilios, los diezmos del trigo, vino y aceite correspondientes a los levitas, cantores y porteros, y las contribuciones para los sacerdotes.
6Durante ese tiempo yo no estaba en Jerusalén, porque en el año treinta y dos de Artajerjes, rey de Babilonia, había ido a ver al rey. Después de algún tiempo, con permiso del rey, 7regresé a Jerusalén y me enteré de la infracción cometida por Eliasib al proporcionarle a Tobías una habitación en los atrios del templo de Dios. 8Esto me disgustó tanto que hice sacar de la habitación todas las pertenencias de Tobías. 9Luego ordené que purificaran las habitaciones y volvieran a colocar allí los utensilios sagrados del templo de Dios, las ofrendas y el incienso.
10También me enteré de que a los levitas no les habían entregado sus porciones, y de que los levitas y cantores encargados del servicio habían regresado a sus campos. 11Así que reprendí a los jefes y les dije: «¿Por qué está tan descuidado el templo de Dios?» Luego reuní a los levitas y cantores y los restablecí en sus puestos.
12Todo Judá trajo a los almacenes la décima parte del trigo, del vino y del aceite. 13Puse a cargo de los almacenes al sacerdote Selemías, al escriba Sadoc y al levita Pedaías; como ayudante de ellos nombré a Janán, hijo de Zacur y nieto de Matanías. Todos ellos eran dignos de confianza, y se encargarían de distribuir las porciones entre sus compañeros.
14«¡Recuerda esto, Dios mío, y favoréceme; no olvides todo el bien que hice por el templo de mi Dios y de su culto!»
15Durante aquellos días vi en Judá que en sábado algunos exprimían uvas y otros acarreaban, a lomo de mula, manojos de trigo, vino, uvas, higos y toda clase de cargas que llevaban a Jerusalén. Los reprendí entonces por vender sus víveres en ese día. 16También los tirios que vivían en Jerusalén traían a la ciudad pescado y otras mercancías, y las vendían a los judíos en sábado. 17Así que censuré la actitud de los nobles de Judá, y les dije: «¡Vosotros estáis pecando al profanar el sábado! 18Lo mismo hicieron vuestros antepasados, y por eso nuestro Dios envió toda esta desgracia sobre nosotros y sobre esta ciudad. ¿Acaso queréis que aumente la ira de Dios sobre Israel por profanar el sábado?»
19Entonces ordené que cerraran las puertas de Jerusalén al caer la tarde, antes de que comenzara el sábado, y que no las abrieran hasta después de ese día. Así mismo, puse a algunos de mis servidores en las puertas para que no dejaran entrar ninguna carga en sábado. 20Una o dos veces, los comerciantes y los vendedores de toda clase de mercancías pasaron la noche fuera de Jerusalén. 21Así que les advertí: «¡No os quedéis junto a la muralla! Si volvéis a hacerlo, ¡os apresaré!» Desde entonces no volvieron a aparecer más en sábado. 22Luego ordené a los levitas que se purificaran y que fueran a hacer guardia en las puertas, para que el sábado fuera respetado.
«¡Recuerda esto, Dios mío, y conforme a tu gran amor, ten compasión de mí!»
23En aquellos días también me di cuenta de que algunos judíos se habían casado con mujeres de Asdod, de Amón y de Moab. 24La mitad de sus hijos hablaban la lengua de Asdod o de otros pueblos, y no sabían hablar la lengua de los judíos. 25Entonces los reprendí y los maldije; a algunos de ellos los golpeé, y hasta les arranqué los pelos, y los obligué a jurar por Dios. Les dije: «No permitáis que vuestras hijas se casen con sus hijos, ni os caséis vosotros ni vuestros hijos con sus hijas. 26¿Acaso no fue ese el pecado de Salomón, rey de Israel? Entre todas las naciones no hubo un solo rey como él: Dios lo amó y lo hizo rey sobre todo Israel. Pero aun a él lo hicieron pecar las mujeres extranjeras. 27¿También de vosotros se dirá que cometisteis el gran pecado de ofender a nuestro Dios casándoos con mujeres extranjeras?»
28A uno de los hijos de Joyadá, hijo del sumo sacerdote Eliasib, lo eché de mi lado porque era yerno de Sambalat el horonita.
29«¡Recuerda esto, Dios mío, en perjuicio de los que profanaron el sacerdocio y el pacto de los sacerdotes y de los levitas!»
30Yo los purifiqué de todo lo extranjero y asigné a los sacerdotes y levitas sus respectivas tareas. 31También organicé la ofrenda de la leña en las fechas establecidas, y la entrega de las primicias.
«¡Acuérdate de mí, Dios mío, y favoréceme!»
