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Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Theme: Although the Jews completed the Temple by 526 BC, the city walls were still a shambles for the next 70 years. God put the desire to rebuild the walls in Nehemiah's heart. He was a good team leader and planned carefully. He was a good problem solver and showed faith and courage. The people built the wall but also needed revival. Nehemiah 1 __4-6_On hearing these words I wept, fasted and prayed before God. I said, O Lord, You are great and awesome. You preserve the covenant and loving kindness to those who love you and keep Your commandments. Please hear my prayer as I pray before you day and night, confessing my sins and the sins of the children of Israel.
__7-11_We have acted corruptly against You, O Lord. We have not kept the commandments, statutes or ordinances, as your servant Moses did. You said that if we were unfaithful You would scatter us. And if we return, You will gather us back to You. Please listen to my prayer. May the king grant my request. I was the king's cup bearer.
Nehemiah 2 __4-8_Then the king said, what is your request? I offered a prayer to God before answering the king. If it pleases you, send me to the city of my fathers that I may rebuild it. He asked how long it would take? I gave him a definite time and he sent me. I asked for letters allowing my travel and for local materials.
__9-16_I showed the letters to the governors of the provinces beyond the River. The king had sent army officers and horseman with me. Some local officials were unhappy to see anyone coming to help the children of Israel. I came to Jerusalem without telling anyone what God had placed on my heart. I went out secretly at night to look at the gates.
__17-19_Then I said to the leaders, our situation is not good. Jerusalem is desolate. Its gates are burned. Let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. I told them of the king's encouragement in the matter. They agreed to begin rebuilding. Local officials mocked us and tried to discourage us, saying, you are rebelling against the king.
__20_I answered by saying, the God of heaven will give us success. We are His servants and we will build, but you will have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 3 Nehemiah 4 __7-14_As the breaches in the wall began to close Sanballat, Tobiah and others became very angry. They conspired together to cause a disturbance. So Nehemiah and others set up a guard against them day and night. Nehemiah encouraged the people to remember that God is great. And if necessary, they must fight for their families and homes.
__15-17_Nehemiah said, when our enemies heard that we knew of their plan to bother us and that God had frustrated their plan, then each of us returned to his part of the wall to work. From that day on, half the people worked on the wall and half stood guard. In some cases those carrying burdens also carried weapons.
__18-23_Builders wore a sword while the lookout stood with his trumpet. Though separated by distance, all would be able to hear the trumpet and rally, and God would fight for us. We work from dawn to dusk. The workers remained in Jerusalem at night as guards. We slept in our clothes, even carrying our weapons to get water.
Nehemiah 5 __6-10_I, Nehemiah, was angry when I heard this. I told the rulers that they were exacting too much usury from their brothers. I called a great assembly and said, we have been redeemed from the nations and now we are selling our brothers. They were all silent. I continued, what you are doing is not right. No one should charge usury.
__11-12_Please, give back their fields this very day. Give back their vineyards, their olive groves, their houses and the usury you have taken from them. And they responded by saying, we will give it back and require nothing from them. We will do just as you have said. I took and oath from them in the presence of the priests.
__13-15_I also shook out my garment and said, thus may the LORD shake out every man who does not keep his promise. Everyone said, Amen! And they praised the LORD. From that day Nehemiah was appointed to be their governor for the next twelve years. The former governors had laid heavy burdens on the people. Nehemiah did not do this.
__16-19_Nehemiah applied himself to the work of restoring the wall. He and his servants did not buy land. They only worked on the wall. At his table he fed one hundred and twenty officials from surrounding nations. It took an ox and six sheep plus other goods every day. Nehemiah did not make the people pay for this.
Nehemiah 6 __4-6_They sent messages to me four times and each time I gave the same answer. Then Sanballat sent his servant with an open letter that said, it is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. This is why you are building the wall. And according to the reports, you will be their king.
__7-9_You have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim you king of Judah. Come, let us council together. I sent a message back saying, nothing like this is being done. This is an invention of your own mind. They were trying to frighten and discourage us. I asked God to strengthen my hands.
__10-12_When I entered the house of Shemaiah, who was confined at home, he said, let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and close the doors. For they are coming to kill you at night. But I said, I cannot go there to save my life. Then I surmised that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
__13-16_He was hired by them to frighten me and cause me to sin so that they might have an evil report to use against me. Remember, O God, Tobiah, Sanballat and the others concerning their works. So the wall was completed in fifty-two days. And when the surrounding nations heard of this, they recognized that God was with us.
__17-19_In those days there were nobles of Judah who sent letters to Tobiah, some of them having been bound by an oath to him because he was related by marriage to some of them. They even spoke of his good deeds to me. And he sent letters to frighten me.
Nehemiah 7 __3-4_I told them to not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun was hot. And while they were standing guard the gates were to be shut and bolted. They were to appoint people as guards of their own houses. The city was large and spacious but there were few houses and there were not many people living it yet.
__5-7_God impressed me to assemble the nobles, officials and the people to be enrolled in the record by genealogies. I found the book of genealogy of those taken to Babylon and who had now returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah.
__8-60_The people are here listed with the number of the people who came. A careful note is made of the priests, Levites and temple servants.
__61-69_There were some of the priesthood who could not show that they were of Israel. So they were excluded from the priesthood. The entire assembly numbered 42,360, besides their servants who numbered 7,337 and 245 singers.
__70-73_The heads of households gave to the work of the temple. And the governor gave to the temple treasury basins and garments for the priests. Now the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all Israel lived in their cities.
Nehemiah 8 __5-7_And Ezra opened the book and the people stood up. Ezra blessed the LORD God and the people answered Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands. Then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Then several people helped by explaining the law to the people who remained in their place.
__8-9_And they read from the book of the law of God, translating it as they went, so that it made sense. Then Nehemiah, who was governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites said to the people, this is a holy day to the LORD. Do not weep, or mourn. For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.
__10-12_The leaders said, because this is a holy day to the LORD, do not grieve. The joy of the LORD is your strength. Feast and send portions to those who have nothing prepared. So the Levites calmed the people and everyone went away to eat, drink, celebrate and send portions of food to those who had none.
__13-15_The next day the heads of households, the priests and Levites gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain understanding of the law. They learned about the Feast of Booths during the seventh month. So they made a proclamation that people should go into the hills and gather leafy branches to make booths for the feast.
__16-17_So the people went out and gathered the branches and made booths for themselves, each on the roof of his house. Some made a booth in the court of the house of God and some in the square at the Water Gate and the Gate of Ephraim. The entire assembly made booths and lived in them. This hadn't been done since the days of Joshua.
__18_Ezra read from the book of the law for seven days. On the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.
Nehemiah 9 __4-7_Several of the Levites cried out with loud voices, saying, arise and bless the LORD forever. You alone, O Lord, are Lord. You have made the heavens and the earth and everything in them both. You give life to all and the heavenly host bows down before you. You are the LORD God Who chose Abram and gave him the name Abraham.
__8_You found his heart faithful and made a covenant with him to give him the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite. You fulfilled Your promise, for You are righteous.
__9-11_You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and You heard their cry by the Red Sea. You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. You made a path through the sea so that they could pass through on dry land. Their pursuers You hurled into the depths like stones in raging water.
__12-15_With a pillar of cloud You led them by day and You lighted their way at night with a pillar fire. You came down to Mount Sinai to speak with them from heaven. You made known Your holy Sabbath and laid down for them commandments, statutes and the law through your servant Moses. You gave bread from heaven and water from a rock.
__16-17_But our fathers acted arrogantly. They were stubborn and unwilling to listen to Your commandments. They forgot Your wonderful deeds toward them. They even appointed a leader to take them back to slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness. You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness.
__18-20_Even when they made a molten calf and said, this is our god who brought you out of Egypt, You in Your great compassion did not forsake them. The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day nor the pillar of fire by night. You did not cease to light their way. Your Spirit instructed them and You gave them manna and water.
__21-23_For forty years in the wilderness You faithfully provided for them and they had no want. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. You gave them the land the kingdoms of other peoples. You gave them many sons and brought them to the land You had promised to their fathers.
__24-25_So their sons entered the land possessed it. You subdued the inhabitants, giving them fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses ready to live in. There were hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves and an abundance of fruit trees. They ate, were fat and reveled in Your great goodness.
__26-27_But they became disobedient and rebelled against You. They stopped following Your law. They killed Your prophets who tried to lead them back to you. They committed great blasphemies. Eventually You delivered them into the hands of those who oppressed them. Then they cried out to You in their distress and You delivered them.
__28-29_As soon as they had rest, they did evil again. Then You would abandon them to their enemies and when they cried out to You, You listened and many times rescued them because of Your great compassion. Though they were admonished to turn back to Your law, they arrogantly ignored Your commandments and ordinances.
__30-31_You bore with them many years, admonishing them by Your Spirit and your prophets. But they would not listen. Though You gave them into the hand of their enemies, You never made an end of them nor did You forsake them. You are a gracious and compassionate God.
__32-34_O God, You have always been compassionate and faithful toward us. Do not see our hardship as insignificant, from the days of the kings of Assyria down to this day. You are just in whatever has come upon us. You have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. We have not kept Your law or paid attention to Your commandments.
__35-38_When they had it so good with the best of everything they did not serve You. Today we are slaves on the land You gave our fathers. Its abundant produce is for our masters whom You have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our cattle. We are in great distress. So we want to make an agreement in writing.
Nehemiah 10 __29-30_Are joining with their kinsmen taking on themselves the curse and an oath to walk in God's law. We want to keep all the commandments of God, His ordinances and His statutes. We have promised not to give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters to our sons.
__31-33_We will not trade with the people of the land on Sabbath. We will forego the crops of the seventh year and the collection of every debt. We place ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one-third shekel for the service of the house of God: for those things such as showbread, grain offerings and burnt offerings.
__34-37_We will cast lots for who will supply wood for the temple. We will bring the First Fruits of our ground and of every tree every year. We will bring to the house of our God the first-born of our sons, our herds and our flocks. We will bring the first of our dough, the new wine and the oil that the Levites may receive the tithe.
__38-39_For the children of Israel and the sons of Levi we shall bring the contribution of grain, new wine and oil, to the sanctuary and to those ministering in it. We will not neglect the house of God.
Nehemiah 11 __3-36_These verses give a list of the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem but had property in the cities of Judah. The list covers various groups such as the priest, Levites and others.
Nehemiah 12 __44-47_Everything about this dedication was carefully planned. Much of it was patterned after services in David's time. All Israel gave the portions due singers and gate keepers in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah. Nothing was forgotten in the planning.
Nehemiah 13 __4-6_Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest had taken over rooms in the house of God for Tobiah. They were the rooms that had been used to store grain offerings, frankincense, utensils, tithes of grain, wine and oil, which was used for the temple service. I had been away working for Artaxerxes. Then I asked leave of the king to return to Jerusalem.
__7-9_I came to Jerusalem and learned of the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah by preparing rooms for him in the house of God. It was very displeasing to me and I threw all Tobiah's household things out of the room. I gave orders for the rooms to be cleaned and the original things put back in it.
__10-12_I also discovered that some of the Levites had not received their portions, causing the Levites and the singers to leave, each to his own field. I reprimanded the officials and gathered those who had left back to their posts. All Judah brought the tithe of grain, wine and oil to the storehouses.
__13-15_I appointed reliable priests and Levites to manage and distribute its contents to their kinsmen. Remember me, O God, for trying to keep order in your house. In those days I saw some who were treading wine presses on the Sabbath. Others were bringing all kinds of food stuffs into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day to sell.
__16-18_There were men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem and sold fish and other merchandise on the Sabbath. I reprimanded the nobles, reminding them that our fathers did this and caused the downfall of our country. I told them that they were adding to the wrath of Israel by profaning the Sabbath.
__19-20_So when the next Sabbath came and it was getting dark, I commanded that the gates of the city be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I placed some of my servants at the gate to be sure no one entered the gate with a load on the Sabbath day. Once or twice traders came and spent the night outside Jerusalem.
__21-22_I warned them not to come again on Sabbath. Next time I would use force. So they quit coming. I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath. O God, have compassion according to Your great loving kindness.
__23-25_In those days I also saw that Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Some of the children could not speak the language of Judah. I contended with them, striking them and pulling their hair. I made them swear to not take daughters of foreigners for their son's or give their daughters to be wives of foreigners.
__26-28_Did not Solomon king of Israel sin in this regard. The foreign women caused him to sin. Now we hear of this great evil committed by you. You are acting unfaithfully against God by marrying foreign women. Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away.
__29-31_Remember them, O Lord, because they have defiled the priesthood and its covenant. Thus I purified them of everything foreign and appointed them to their duties. I arranged for the regular supply of wood and First Fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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