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.
1در همان روز، وقتی تورات موسی برای قوم اسرائيل خوانده میشد، اين مطلب را در آن يافتند كه عمونیها و موآبیها هرگز نبايد وارد جماعت قوم خدا شوند.13:1 نگاه کنيد به تثنيه 23:3-5. 2اين دستور بدان سبب بود كه آنها با نان و آب از بنیاسرائيل استقبال نكردند، بلكه بلعام را اجير نمودند تا ايشان را لعنت كند، ولی خدای ما لعنت او را به بركت تبديل كرد. 3وقتی اين قسمت خوانده شد، قوم اسرائيل افراد بيگانه را از جماعت خود جدا ساختند.
4الياشيب كاهن كه انباردار انبارهای خانهٔ خدا و دوست صميمی طوبيا بود، 5يكی از اتاقهای بزرگ انبار را به طوبيا داده بود. اين اتاق قبلاً انبار هدايای آردی، بخور، ظروف خانهٔ خدا، ده يک غله، شراب و روغن زيتون بود. اين هدايا متعلق به لاويان، دستهٔ سرايندگان و نگهبانان بود. هدايای مخصوص كاهنان نيز در اين اتاق نگهداری میشد.
6در اين موقع من در اورشليم نبودم، چون در سال سی و دوم سلطنت اردشير، پادشاه پارس، كه بر بابل حكومت میکرد، من نزد او رفته بودم. پس از مدتی دوباره از او اجازه خواستم تا به اورشليم بازگردم. 7وقتی به اورشليم رسيدم و از اين كار زشت الياشيب باخبر شدم كه در خانهٔ خدا برای طوبيا اتاقی فراهم كرده بود 8بسيار ناراحت شدم و اسباب و اثاثيه او را از اتاق بيرون ريختم. 9سپس دستور دادم اتاق را تطهير كنند و ظروف خانهٔ خدا، هدايای آردی و بخور را به آنجا بازگردانند.
10در ضمن فهميدم دستهٔ سرايندگان خانهٔ خدا و ساير لاويان، اورشليم را ترک گفته و به مزرعههای خود بازگشته بودند، زيرا مردم سهمشان را به ايشان نمیدادند. 11پس سران قوم را توبيخ كرده، گفتم: «چرا از خانهٔ خدا غافل ماندهايد؟» سپس تمام لاويان را جمع كرده، ايشان را دوباره در خانهٔ خدا سر خدمت گذاشتم. 12سپس قوم اسرائيل، بار ديگر ده يک غله، شراب و روغن زيتون خود را به انبارهای خانهٔ خدا آوردند. 13سپس شلميای كاهن و فدايای لاوی و صادوق را كه معلم شريعت بودند مأمور نگهداری انبارها نمودم، و حانان (پسر زكور، نوه متنيا) را هم معاون ايشان تعيين كردم، زيرا همهٔ اين اشخاص مورد اعتماد مردم بودند. مسئوليت ايشان تقسيم سهميه بين لاويان بود.
14ای خدای من، كارهای مرا به ياد آور و خدماتی را كه برای خانهٔ تو كردهام فراموش نكن.
15در آن روزها در يهودا عدهای را ديدم كه در روز سبت در چرخشت، انگور له میكردند و عدهای ديگر غله و شراب و انگور و انجير و چيزهای ديگر، بار الاغ مینمودند تا به اورشليم ببرند و بفروشند. پس به ايشان اخطار كردم كه در روز سبت اين كار را نكنند. 16بعضی از اهالی صور نيز كه در اورشليم ساكن بودند در روز سبت ماهی و كالاهای گوناگون میآوردند و به قوم اسرائيل در اورشليم میفروختند.
17آنگاه سران يهودا را توبيخ كرده، گفتم: «اين چه كار زشتی است كه انجام میدهيد؟ چرا روز سبت را بیحرمت میكنيد؟ 18آيا برای همين كار نبود كه خدا اجدادتان را تنبيه كرد و اين شهر را ويران نمود؟ و حال، خود شما هم سبت را بیحرمت میكنيد و باعث میشويد غضب خدا بر اسرائيل شعلهورتر شود.»
19سپس دستور دادم دروازههای شهر اورشليم را از غروب آفتاب روز جمعه ببندند و تا غروب روز سبت باز نكنند. چند نفر از افراد خود را فرستادم تا دم دروازهها نگهبانی بدهند و نگذارند روز سبت چيزی برای فروش به شهر بياورند. 20تاجران و فروشندگان يكی دو بار، جمعهها، بيرون اورشليم، شب را به سر بردند. 21ولی من ايشان را تهديد كرده، گفتم: «اينجا چه میكنيد، چرا شب را پشت ديوار به سر میبريد؟ اگر بار ديگر اين كار را بكنيد، متوسل به زور میشوم.» از آن روز به بعد، ديگر روزهای سبت نيامدند.
22سپس به لاويان دستور دادم خود را تطهير كنند و دم دروازهها نگهبانی بدهند تا تقدس روز سبت حفظ شود.
ای خدای من، اين كار مرا به ياد آور و برحسب محبت بیپايانت به من رحم كن.
23در آن روزها عدهای از يهوديان را ديدم كه از قومهای اشدودی، موآبی و عمونی برای خود زنان گرفته بودند 24و نصف فرزندانشان به زبان اشدودی يا ساير زبانها صحبت میكردند و زبان عبری را نمیفهميدند. 25پس با والدين آنها دعوا كردم، ايشان را لعنت كردم، زدم و موی سرشان را كندم و در حضور خدا قسم دادم كه نگذارند فرزندانشان با غيريهوديان ازدواج كنند.
26سپس گفتم: «آيا اين همان گناهی نيست كه سليمان پادشاه مرتكب شد؟ سليمان در ميان پادشاهان دنيا نظير نداشت. خدا او را دوست میداشت و او را پادشاه تمام اسرائيل ساخت؛ ولی با وجود اين، همسران بيگانهٔ سليمان، او را به بتپرستی كشانيدند! 27حال كه شما زنان بيگانه برای خود گرفته و به خدای خويش خيانت كردهايد، خيال میكنيد ما اين شرارت شما را تحمل خواهيم كرد؟»
28يكی از پسران يهوياداع (پسر الياشيب كاهن اعظم) دختر سنبلط حورونی را به زنی گرفته بود، پس مجبور شدم او را از اورشليم بيرون كنم.
29ای خدای من، كارهای آنها را فراموش نكن، چون به مقام كاهنی و عهد و پيمان كاهنان و لاويان توهين كردهاند.
30پس قوم خدا را از بيگانهها جدا كردم و برای كاهنان و لاويان وظيفه تعيين نمودم تا هر کس بداند چه بايد بكند. 31ترتيبی دادم تا به موقع برای قربانگاه هيزم بياورند و نوبر محصولات را جمعآوری كنند.
ای خدای من، مرا به ياد آور و بركت ده.
