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Nehemiah 6-8
New English Translation

Opposition to the Rebuilding Efforts Continues

6 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, “Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim[a] in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me harm.

3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in[b] an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?” 4 They contacted[c] me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time.[d]

5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. 6 Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored[e] (and Geshem[f] has substantiated[g] this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors[h] you are going to become their king. 7 You have also established prophets to announce[i] in Jerusalem on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on, let’s talk about this.”[j]

8 I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing.[k] All of this is a figment of your imagination.”[l]

9 All of them were wanting[m] to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”

So now, strengthen my hands![n]

10 Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home.[o] He said, “Let’s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.”

11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life?[p] I will not go!” 12 I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat.[q] 13 He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I[r] would be discredited.[s]

14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs—also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who have been trying to scare me!

The Rebuilding of the Wall Is Finally Completed

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul,[t] in just fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw[u] this, they were greatly disheartened.[v] They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

17 In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them. 18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him,[w] because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said.[x] Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare[y] me.

7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had positioned the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani and Hananiah[z] the chief of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do. 3 I[aa] said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning,[ab] until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them.[ac] Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some near their homes.” 4 Now the city was spread out[ad] and large, and there were not a lot of people in it.[ae] At that time houses had not been rebuilt. 5 My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders,[af] the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records[ag] of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record:[ah]

6 These are the people[ai] of the province who returned[aj] from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile.[ak] They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelite men[al] was as follows:

8 the descendants[am] of Parosh: 2,172;

9 the descendants of Shephatiah: 372;

10 the descendants of Arah: 652;

11 the descendants of Pahath Moab (from the line[an] of Jeshua and Joab): 2,818;

12 the descendants of Elam: 1,254;

13 the descendants of Zattu: 845;

14 the descendants of Zaccai: 760;

15 the descendants of Binnui: 648;

16 the descendants of Bebai: 628;

17 the descendants of Azgad: 2,322;

18 the descendants of Adonikam: 667;

19 the descendants of Bigvai: 2,067;

20 the descendants of Adin: 655;

21 the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah): 98;

22 the descendants of Hashum: 328;

23 the descendants of Bezai: 324;

24 the descendants of Harif: 112;

25 the descendants of Gibeon: 95;

26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah: 188;

27 the men of Anathoth: 128;

28 the men of the family[ao] of Azmaveth: 42;

29 the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth: 743;

30 the men of Ramah and Geba: 621;

31 the men of Micmash: 122;

32 the men of Bethel and Ai: 123;

33 the men of the other Nebo: 52;

34 the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254;

35 the descendants of Harim: 320;

36 the descendants of Jericho: 345;

37 the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 721;

38 the descendants of Senaah: 3,930;

39 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family[ap] of Jeshua): 973;

40 the descendants of Immer: 1,052;

41 the descendants of Pashhur: 1,247;

42 the descendants of Harim: 1,017.

43 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodaviah): 74.

44 The singers: the descendants of Asaph: 148.

45 The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai: 138.

46 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, 47 the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon, 48 the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai, 49 the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, 50 the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, 51 the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah, 52 the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephussim, 53 the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, 54 the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, 55 the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, 56 the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.

57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida, 58 the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, 59 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon.

60 All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon, 392.

61 These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify[aq] their family connection[ar] or their ancestry,[as] as to whether they were really from Israel):

62 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642.

63 And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a woman from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). 64 They searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but none were found. They were therefore excluded[at] from the priesthood. 65 The governor[au] instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult[av] the Urim and Thummim.

66 The entire group numbered 42,360— 67 not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers. 68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 69 (7:68)[aw] 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 70 Some of the family leaders[ax] contributed to the work. The governor contributed to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas,[ay] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. 71 Some of the family leaders gave to the project treasury 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. 72 What the rest of the people gave amounted to 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.

73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.

The People Respond to the Reading of the Law

When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites[az] were settled in their towns,[ba] 8 1 all the people gathered together[bb] in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked[bc] Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and women and all those able to understand what they heard. (This happened on the first day of the seventh month.) 3 So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon[bd] before the men and women and those children who could understand.[be] All the people were eager to hear[bf] the book of the law.

4 Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform[bg] constructed for this purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra opened the book in plain view[bh] of all the people, for he was elevated above all the people. When he opened the book,[bi] all the people stood up. 6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—all of whom were Levites[bj]—were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing. 8 They read from the book of God’s law, explaining it[bk] and imparting insight. Thus the people[bl] gained understanding from what was read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor,[bm] Ezra the priestly scribe,[bn] and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them,[bo] “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord.[bp] Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.” 12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food[bq] with others[br] and to enjoy tremendous joy,[bs] for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

13 On the second day of the month the family leaders[bt] met with[bu] Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law. 14 They discovered written in the law that the Lord had commanded through[bv] Moses that the Israelites should live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month, 15 and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message[bw] in all their cities and in Jerusalem: “Go to the hill country and bring back olive branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.”

16 So the people went out and brought these things[bx] back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple[by] of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate. 17 So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy.[bz] 18 Ezra[ca] read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last.[cb] They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly[cc] as was required.[cd]

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 6:2 tn It is not entirely clear whether the Hebrew word כְּפִירִים (kefirim) is a place-name not mentioned elsewhere in the OT (as indicated in the present translation; so also NAB, NASB) or whether it means “in [one of] the villages” (so, e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT; see BDB 499 s.v.; HALOT 493 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it in the latter sense. Some scholars connect this term with the identically spelled word כפירים (“lions”) as a figurative description of princes or warriors (e.g., Pss 34:11; 35:17; 58:7; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2, 13; Nah 2:14 HT [2:13 ET]; see HALOT 493 s.v. כְּפִיר): “let us meet together with the leaders in the plain of Ono.”
  2. Nehemiah 6:3 tn Heb “[am] doing.”
  3. Nehemiah 6:4 tn Heb “sent to.”
  4. Nehemiah 6:4 tn Heb “and I answered them according to this word.”
  5. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “heard.”
  6. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.
  7. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “is saying.”
  8. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.
  9. Nehemiah 6:7 tn Heb “call.”
  10. Nehemiah 6:7 tn Heb “Let us consult together.”
  11. Nehemiah 6:8 tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”
  12. Nehemiah 6:8 tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”
  13. Nehemiah 6:9 tn The participle has a desiderative nuance here, describing the desire of the subject and not necessarily the actual outcome. See also v. 14.
  14. Nehemiah 6:9 tn The statement “So now, strengthen my hands” is frequently understood as an implied prayer, but is taken differently by NAB (“But instead, I now redoubled my efforts”).
  15. Nehemiah 6:10 tn Heb “shut in.” The reason for his confinement is not stated. BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness.
  16. Nehemiah 6:11 tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”
  17. Nehemiah 6:12 tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”
  18. Nehemiah 6:13 tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).
  19. Nehemiah 6:13 tn Heb “would have a bad name.”
  20. Nehemiah 6:15 sn Elul was the sixth month, or August-September by modern reckoning.
  21. Nehemiah 6:16 tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yareʾ, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (raʾah, “to see”).
  22. Nehemiah 6:16 tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipelu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippaleʾ, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).
  23. Nehemiah 6:18 tn Heb “were lords of oath.”
  24. Nehemiah 6:19 tn Heb “my words.”
  25. Nehemiah 6:19 tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  26. Nehemiah 7:2 tn Some have suggested that “Hananiah” is another name for Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, so that only one individual is mentioned here. However, the third person plural in v. 3 indicates two people are in view.
  27. Nehemiah 7:3 tc The present translation (along with most English versions) reads with the Qere, a Qumran text, and the ancient versions וָאֹמַר (vaʾomar, “and I said”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, which reads וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyoʾmer, “and he said”).
  28. Nehemiah 7:3 tn Heb “until the heat of the sun.” The phrase probably means that the gates were to be opened only after the day had progressed a bit, not at the first sign of morning light (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV). It is possible, however, that the Hebrew preposition עַד (ʿad), here translated as “until,” has a more rare sense of “during.” If so, this would mean that the gates were not to be left open and unattended during the hot part of the day when people typically would be at rest (cf. NLT).
  29. Nehemiah 7:3 tn Presumably this would mean the gates were not to be opened until later in the morning and were to remain open until evening. Some, however, have understood Nehemiah’s instructions to mean that the gates were not to be left open during the hottest part of the day, but must be shut and locked while the guards are still on duty. See J. Barr, “Hebrew עַד, especially at Job i.18 and Neh vii.3, ” JJS 27 (1982): 177-88.
  30. Nehemiah 7:4 tn Heb “wide of two hands.”
  31. Nehemiah 7:4 tn Heb “the people were few in its midst.”
  32. Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “nobles”; NCV “important men.”
  33. Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “the book of genealogy.”
  34. Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “in it”; the referent (the genealogical record) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  35. Nehemiah 7:6 tn Heb “the sons of”; KJV, ASV “the children of”; NAB “the inhabitants of.”
  36. Nehemiah 7:6 tn Heb “who were going up.”
  37. Nehemiah 7:6 tc One medieval Hebrew manuscript has “to Babylon.” Cf. Ezra 2:1.
  38. Nehemiah 7:7 tn Heb “the men of the people of Israel.” Some English versions translate as “the people from Israel” (NCV) or “the Israelite people” (NRSV), but “men” should be retained because the following numbers presumably include only adult males.
  39. Nehemiah 7:8 tn Heb “the sons of.”
  40. Nehemiah 7:11 tn Heb “to the sons of.”
  41. Nehemiah 7:28 tc The translation reads בְּנֵי (bene, “the sons of”) rather than the MT reading אַנְשֵׁי בֵית (ʾanshe vet, “men of the house of”). Cf. Ezra 2:24.
  42. Nehemiah 7:39 tn Heb “to the house of.”
  43. Nehemiah 7:61 tn Heb “relate.”
  44. Nehemiah 7:61 tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”
  45. Nehemiah 7:61 tn Heb “their seed.”
  46. Nehemiah 7:64 tn Heb “they were desecrated.”
  47. Nehemiah 7:65 tn The Hebrew term תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshataʾ; KJV “Tirshatha”) is the official title of a Persian governor in Judea. In meaning it may be similar to “excellency” (cf. NAB). See further BDB 1077 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395; HALOT 1798 s.v.
  48. Nehemiah 7:65 tn Heb “stood.”
  49. Nehemiah 7:69 tc Most Hebrew mss omit 7:68 ET, which reads “They had 736 horses, 245 mules,” and thus have one less verse in chap. 7, ending the chapter at 7:72. This verse is included in the LXX and most English versions. Cf. Ezra 2:66.
  50. Nehemiah 7:70 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
  51. Nehemiah 7:70 tn Heb “darics” (also in vv. 71, 72).
  52. Nehemiah 7:73 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” So also in vv. 14, 17; 9:1.
  53. Nehemiah 7:73 tn The traditional understanding of the chapter and verse division here is probably incorrect. The final part of v. 73 is best understood as belonging with 8:1.
  54. Nehemiah 8:1 tn Heb “like one man.”
  55. Nehemiah 8:1 tn Heb “said [to].”
  56. Nehemiah 8:3 tn Heb “from the light till the noon of the day.”
  57. Nehemiah 8:3 tn Heb “all who could hear with understanding.” The word “children” is understood to be implied here by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, TEV, NLT).
  58. Nehemiah 8:3 tn Heb “the ears of all the people were toward.”
  59. Nehemiah 8:4 tn Heb “a tower of wood.”
  60. Nehemiah 8:5 tn Heb “to the eyes.”
  61. Nehemiah 8:5 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the book) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  62. Nehemiah 8:7 tc The MT reads “and the Levites.” The conjunction (“and”) should be deleted, following the LXX, Aquila, and the Vulgate. That the vav (ו) of the MT is the vav explicativum (“even the Levites”) is unlikely here.
  63. Nehemiah 8:8 tn The exact meaning of the pual participle מְפֹרָשׁ (meforash) in this verse is uncertain. The basic sense of the Hebrew word seems to be “to make distinct.” The word may also have the sense of “to divide in parts,” “to interpret,” or “to translate.” The context of Neh 8:8 does not decisively clarify how the participle is to be understood here. It probably refers to the role of the Levites as those who explained or interpreted the portions of biblical text that had been publicly read on this occasion. A different option, however, is suggested by the translation distincte (“distinctly”) of the Vulgate (cf. KJV, ASV). If the Hebrew word means “distinctly” here, it would imply that the readers paid particular attention to such things as word-grouping and pronunciation so as to be sure that the listeners had every opportunity to understand the message that was being read. Yet another view is found in the Talmud, which understands translation of the Hebrew text into Aramaic to be what is in view here. The following explanation of Neh 8:8 is found in b. Megillah 3a: “‘And they read in the book, in the law of God’: this indicates the [Hebrew] text; ‘with an interpretation’: this indicates the targum; ‘and they gave the sense’: this indicates the verse stops; ‘and caused them to understand the reading’: this indicates the accentuation, or, according to another version, the Masoretic notes.” However, this ancient rabbinic view that the origins of the Targum are found in Neh 8:8 is debatable. It is not clear that the practice of paraphrasing the Hebrew biblical text into Aramaic in order to accommodate the needs of those Jews who were not at home in the Hebrew language developed this early. The translation of מְפֹרָשׁ adopted above (i.e., “explaining it”) understands the word to have in mind an explanatory function (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT) rather than one of translation.
  64. Nehemiah 8:8 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  65. Nehemiah 8:9 tc The unexpected reference to Nehemiah here has led some scholars to suspect that the phrase “Nehemiah the governor” is a later addition to the text and not original.
  66. Nehemiah 8:9 tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”
  67. Nehemiah 8:9 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  68. Nehemiah 8:10 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  69. Nehemiah 8:12 tn Heb “to send portions.”
  70. Nehemiah 8:12 tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  71. Nehemiah 8:12 tn Heb “to make great joy.”
  72. Nehemiah 8:13 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
  73. Nehemiah 8:13 tn Heb “were gathered to”; NAB, NIV “gathered around”; NRSV “came together to.”
  74. Nehemiah 8:14 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
  75. Nehemiah 8:15 tn Heb “a voice.”
  76. Nehemiah 8:16 tn The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  77. Nehemiah 8:16 tn Heb “the house.”
  78. Nehemiah 8:17 tn Heb “And there was very great joy.”
  79. Nehemiah 8:18 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  80. Nehemiah 8:18 tn Heb “the last day.”
  81. Nehemiah 8:18 tn Heb “on the eighth day an assembly.” The words “they held” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  82. Nehemiah 8:18 tn Heb “according to the judgment.”
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