Nehemiah’s Final Reforms
1On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, 2because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) 3When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.
4Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
6But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.
10I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.
12All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms. 13I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.
14Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.
15In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. 17I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”
19When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.
23Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. 25I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. 26Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”
28One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.
29Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
30So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits.
Remember me with favor, my God.
Enkyukakyuka za Nekkemiya Ezasembayo
113:1 nny 23; Ma 23:3Ku lunaku olwo, Ekitabo kya Musa ne kisomebwa ng’abantu bawulira, ne bazuula nga kyawandiikibwa nti tewabanga Omwamoni newaakubadde Omumowaabu akkirizibwanga okuyingira mu kuŋŋaaniro lya Katonda, 213:2 a Kbl 22:3-11 b Kbl 23:7; Ma 23:3 c Kbl 23:11; Ma 23:4-5kubanga tebaayaniriza Bayisirayiri na mmere newaakubadde amazzi, wabula baagulirira Balamu akolimire Abayisirayiri. Kyokka Katonda waffe yafuula ekikolimo okuba omukisa. 313:3 nny 23; Nek 9:2Abantu bwe baawulira etteeka eryo, ne bagoba bannaggwanga bonna mu Isirayiri.
413:4 a Nek 12:44 b Nek 2:10Ebyo nga tebinnabaawo, Eriyasibu omu ku bakabona, yali aweereddwa obuvunaanyizibwa okulabiriranga amawanika g’ennyumba ya Katonda waffe, kyokka nga mukwano nnyo wa Tobiya. 513:5 Lv 27:30; Kbl 18:21Eriyasibu yali awadde Tobiya ekimu ku bisenge ebigazi omwali muterekebwa ekiweebwayo eky’emmere ey’empeke, n’omugavu, n’ebintu ebikozesebwa mu kusinza, ne kimu kya kkumi eky’emmere ey’empeke, ne wayini omuggya, awamu n’omuzigo ogwaweebwanga Abaleevi, n’abayimbi, n’abakuumi ba wankaaki, n’ebyo ebyaweebwanga bakabona.
613:6 Nek 2:6; 5:14Kyokka ebyo byonna bwe byali bikolebwa, ssaali mu Yerusaalemi, kubanga mu mwaka ogw’amakumi asatu mu ebiri ogw’obufuzi bwa Alutagizerugizi kabaka w’e Babulooni, nnali nzizeeyo eri kabaka. Oluvannyuma lw’ebbanga, ne nsaba kabaka, 713:7 Ezr 10:24ne nkomawo e Yerusaalemi, ne manyisibwa ekibi Eriyasibu kye yali akoze, bwe yawa Tobiya ekisenge mu mpya z’ennyumba ya Katonda. 813:8 Mat 21:12-13; Yk 2:13-16Ne nyiiga nnyo era ne nkasuka ebintu bya Tobiya byonna ebweru, okubiggya mu kisenge. 913:9 1By 23:28; 2By 29:5Ne ndagira ebisenge bitukuzibwe, n’oluvannyuma ebintu ebyabeeranga mu nnyumba ya Katonda, n’emmere ey’empeke, n’omugavu ne biddizibwamu.
1013:10 Ma 12:19Ne ntegeezebwa ng’emigabo gy’Abaleevi nagyo gyali tegibaweerebbwa, era nga n’Abaleevi bonna awamu n’abayimbi baali bazzeeyo mu bibanja byabwe. 1113:11 Nek 10:37-39; Kag 1:1-9Kyenava nnenya abakungu ne mbabuuza nti, “Lwaki ennyumba ya Katonda terabiriddwa?” Bonna ne mbayita ne mbagamba bakomewo mu bifo mwe baabeeranga.
1213:12 a 2By 31:6 b 1Bk 7:51; Nek 10:37-39; Mal 3:10Yuda yenna ne baleeta ekimu eky’ekkumi eky’emmere ey’empeke ne wayini omuggya n’omuzigo, ne babiteeka mu mawanika. 1313:13 Nek 12:44; Bik 6:1-5Ne nnonda Seremiya omu ku bakabona, ne Zadooki omuwandiisi, ne Pedaya omu ku Baleevi balabirirenga amawanika. Ne nnonda ne Kanani mutabani wa Zakkuli, mutabani wa Mattaniya okubayambangako; baali basajja beesimbu.
1413:14 Lub 8:1Ozinjukirenga Ayi Katonda wange olw’ekikolwa ekyo, oleme okusangulawo ebyo byonna bye nakolera ennyumba ya Katonda wange, n’okuweereza kwe naweereza n’obwesigwa.
1513:15 Kuv 20:8-11; 34:21; Ma 5:12-15; Nek 10:31Mu biro ebyo, ne ndaba abasajja mu Yuda, nga basogola omwenge ku Ssabbiiti, era nga baleeta emmere ey’empeke awamu ne wayini, n’emizabbibu, n’ettiini, n’emigugu emirala egya buli ngeri, nga babitisse endogoyi. Bino baali babiyingiza mu Yerusaalemi ku Ssabbiiti. Kyenava mbalabula obutatunda mmere ku lunaku olwo. 1613:16 Nek 10:31Abantu b’e Ttuulo abaatuulanga mu Yerusaalemi, baaleetanga ebyennyanja n’ebyamaguzi eby’engeri ez’enjawulo, nga babitunza abantu ba Yuda mu Yerusaalemi ku Ssabbiiti. 17Nanenya abakulembeze ba Yuda ne mbagamba nti, “Kiki kino eky’ekivve kye mukola nga mwonoona olunaku lwa Ssabbiiti? 1813:18 Nek 10:31; Yer 17:21-23Bajjajjammwe tebaakola bintu bye bimu, Katonda waffe n’alyoka aleeta ekikangabwa kino kyonna ku ffe ne ku kibuga kyaffe kino? Kaakano mwongera kusiikula kiruyi kirala eri Isirayiri nga mwonoona Ssabbiiti?”
1913:19 Lv 23:32Awo ebisiikirize ebya kawungeezi bwe byali bitandise okugwa ku miryango gya Yerusaalemi, nga Ssabbiiti tennatuuka, ne ndagira emiryango okuggalwa era gireme okuggulwa okutuusa nga Ssabbiiti eweddeko. Nateeka abamu ku basajja bange ku miryango, waleme kubaawo mugugu guyingizibwa wadde ogufulumizibwa ku Ssabbiiti. 20Omulundi gumu oba ebiri, abasuubuzi n’abatundanga ebintu eby’engeri zonna baasula ebweru w’ekibuga Yerusaalemi. 21Kyokka ne mbalabula nga mbagamba nti, “Lwaki musula awo ku bbugwe? Bwe munaddamu okukikola nzija kubabonereza.” Okuva ku olwo tebaddayo kujja ku Ssabbiiti. 2213:22 Lub 8:1; Nek 12:30Ne ndyoka ndagira Abaleevi okwetukuza bagende bakuume emiryango, okusobola okukuuma olunaku lwa Ssabbiiti nga lutukuvu.
Onzijukire olwa kino nakyo Ayi Katonda wange, era ondage ekisa okusinziira ku kwagala kwo okungi.
2313:23 a Ezr 9:1-2; Mal 2:11 b nny 1; Nek 10:30Ate era mu nnaku ezo, ne ndaba abasajja ba Yuda abaali bawasizza abakazi okuva mu Asudodi, ne Amoni, ne Mowaabu. 24Kimu kyakubiri ku baana baabwe baali boogera olulimi lw’Abasudodi, oba olumu ku nnimi z’abantu abalala. 2513:25 Ezr 10:5Ne mbanenya ne mbakolimira. Ne nkubako abamu ku basajja abo Abayudaaya, ne mbakuunyuulako enviiri. Ne mbalayiza mu linnya lya Katonda nga mbagamba nti, “Temuwangayo bawala bammwe kufumbirwa batabani baabwe, wadde bawala baabwe okufumbirwa batabani bammwe, oba mmwe mwennyini. 2613:26 a 1Bk 3:13; 2By 1:12 b 2Sa 12:25 c 1Bk 11:3Okufumbiriganwa okw’engeri eyo, si kwe kwaleetera Sulemaani kabaka wa Isirayiri okwonoona? Mu mawanga gonna, tewaali kabaka nga ye. Yali ayagalibwa nnyo Katonda, era Katonda yamufuula kabaka wa Isirayiri yonna, kyokka abakazi bannaggwanga amalala, baamuwabya, n’akola ebibi. 2713:27 Ezr 9:14; 10:2Ate tuwulira nga mukoze ebintu bino ebibi bwe bityo. Temuba beesigwa eri Katonda waffe bwe muwasa abakazi bannamawanga.”
2813:28 a Ezr 10:24 b Nek 2:10Omu ku batabani ba Yekoyaada, mutabani wa Eriyasibu kabona omukulu yali mukoddomi wa Sanubalaati Omukoloni. Ne mmugoba we ndi.
2913:29 Nek 6:14Bajjukire, Ayi Katonda wange, kubanga baayonoona omulimu gw’obwakabona n’endagaano y’obwakabona ne ey’Abaleevi.
3013:30 Nek 10:30Ne ntukuza bakabona awamu n’Abaleevi okuva mu buli kintu kyonna ekitali kitukuvu, buli omu ne mmuwa emirimu egy’okukola. 3113:31 a Nek 10:34 b nny 14, 22; Lub 8:1Ne nteekawo enkola ey’abantu okuwaayo enku mu biseera ebigereke, era n’ebibala ebibereberye.
Onzijukire n’okwagala kwo Ayi Katonda wange.
