1 As governor, I signed the agreement together with Zedekiah and the following priests: 2-8 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.
9 The Levites who signed were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui from the clan of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 The leaders who signed were: Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
The Agreement
28-29 All of us, including priests, Levites, temple guards, singers, temple workers and leaders, together with our wives and children, have separated ourselves from the foreigners in this land and now enter into an agreement with a complete understanding of what we are doing. And so, we now place ourselves under the curse of the Lord our God, if we fail to obey his laws and teachings that were given to us by his servant Moses.
30 We won't let our sons and daughters marry foreigners.
31 We won't buy goods or grain on the Sabbath or on any other sacred day, not even from foreigners.
Every seven years we will let our fields rest, and we will cancel all debts.
32 Once a year we will each donate a small amount of silver to the temple of our God. 33 This is to pay for the sacred bread, as well as for the daily sacrifices and special sacrifices such as those offered on the Sabbath and during the New Moon Festival and the other festivals. It will also pay for the sacrifices to forgive our sins and for all expenses connected with the worship of God in the temple.
34 We have decided that the families of priests, Levites, and ordinary people will supply firewood for the temple each year, so that sacrifices can be offered on the altar, just as the Lord our God has commanded.
35 Each year we will bring to the temple the first part of our harvest of grain and fruit.
36 We will bring our first-born sons and the first-born males of our herds and flocks and offer them to the priests who serve in the temple, because this is what is written in God's Law.
37 To the priests in the temple of our God, we will bring the bread dough from the first harvest, together with our best fruit, and an offering of new wine and olive oil.
We will bring ten percent of our grain harvest to those Levites who are responsible for collecting it in our towns. 38 A priest from the family of Aaron must be there when we give this to the Levites. Then the Levites will put one tenth of this part in the temple storeroom, 39 which is also the place for the sacred objects used by the priests, the temple guards, and the singers.
Levites and everyone else must bring their gifts of grain, wine, and olive oil to this room.
We will not neglect the temple of our God.
1 The first to sign was the governor, Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and then Zedekiah signed. The following also signed:
2-8 Priests:Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.9-13 Levites:Jeshua son of Azaniah,Binnui of the clan of Henadad,Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah,Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.14-27 Leaders of the people:Parosh, Pahath Moab,Elam, Zattu, Bani,Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.The Agreement
28 We, the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the Temple musicians, the Temple workers, and all others who in obedience to God's Law have separated themselves from the foreigners living in our land, we, together with our wives and all our children old enough to understand, 29 do hereby join with our leaders in an oath, under penalty of a curse if we break it, that we will live according to God's Law, which God gave through his servant Moses; that we will obey all that the Lord, our Lord, commands us; and that we will keep all his laws and requirements.
30 We will not intermarry with the foreigners living in our land.
31 If foreigners bring grain or anything else to sell to us on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we will not buy from them.
Every seventh year we will not farm the land, and we will cancel all debts.
32 Every year we will each contribute one-eighth of an ounce of silver to help pay the expenses of the Temple.
33 We will provide for the Temple worship the following: the sacred bread, the daily grain offering, the animals to be burned each day as sacrifices, the sacred offerings for Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other festivals, the other sacred offerings, the offerings to take away the sins of Israel, and anything else needed for the Temple.
34 We, the people, priests, and Levites, will draw lots each year to determine which clans are to provide wood to burn the sacrifices offered to the Lord our God, according to the requirements of the Law.
35 We will take to the Temple each year an offering of the first grain we harvest and of the first fruit that ripens on our trees.
36 The first son born to each of us we will take to the priests in the Temple and there, as required by the Law, dedicate him to God. We will also dedicate the first calf born to each of our cows, and the first lamb or kid born to each of our sheep or goats.
37 We will take to the priests in the Temple the dough made from the first grain harvested each year and our other offerings of wine, olive oil, and all kinds of fruit.
We will take to the Levites, who collect tithes in our farming villages, the tithes from the crops that grow on our land. 38 Priests who are descended from Aaron are to be with the Levites when tithes are collected, and for use in the Temple the Levites are to take to the Temple storerooms one-tenth of all the tithes they collect. 39 The people of Israel and the Levites are to take the contributions of grain, wine, and olive oil to the storerooms where the utensils for the Temple are kept and where the priests who are on duty, the Temple guards, and the members of the Temple choir have their quarters.
We will not neglect the house of our God.