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Dedicating the Wall
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out Levites from all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy and thanksgiving, and songs with cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 The companies of singers were also assembled from the district around Jerusalem and from the Netophathite villages, 29 and from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmavet, for the singers had built communities for themselves round about Jerusalem.
30 After the kohanim and the Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall. 31 Then I led the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great choirs to give thanks. One of the processions went to the right on the wall toward the Dung Gate, 32 and going after them, Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah— 33 Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah, 35 some of the kohanim with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph, 36 and his brothers, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani—all with the musical instruments of David the man of God—and Ezra the scribe was ahead of them. 37 They went over the Fountain Gate and continued up the stairs of the city of David at the ascent to the wall, and passed, above the house of David all the way to the Water Gate toward the east.
38 The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left. I followed them, along with half of the people on the wall above the Tower of the Furnaces as far as the Broad Wall, 39 over the Ephraim Gate, the gate of the old city, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
40 So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the House of God. 41 So did I along with half the officials with me, and the kohanim—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah with their trumpets— 42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. The singers sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. 43 On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The joy in Jerusalem could be heard from far off.
44 On that day men were appointed over the storehouses for the offerings, firstfruits and tithes. They were to gather into them the portions from the fields of the cities required by the Torah for the kohanim and the Levites. For Judah delighted in the kohanim and in the Levites who were ministering. 45 They kept the ceremonial functions of their God and the ceremony of the purification according to the command of David and of Solomon his son. 46 For of old, in the days of David and Asaph, there were leaders of the singers who sang songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel gave daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They also set apart the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the portion for the sons of Aaron.
Please Remember This, My God
13 On that day, the scroll of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people. The command was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should enter into the assembly of God forever. 2 For they did not meet Bnei-Yisrael with bread and water, but instead hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When they heard the Torah, they separated from Israel all of mixed ancestry.
4 Prior to this Eliashib the kohen was given authority over the storerooms in the House of our God. 5 He was closely associated with Tobiah and provided him with a large chamber previously used to store the offerings, frankincense, and the Temple vessels, and also the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, along with the offerings for the kohanim.
6 I was not in Jerusalem during all this, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I went to the king. After a period of time, I requested to take leave from the king 7 and returned to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done by preparing a chamber for Tobiah in the courts of the House of God. 8 It greatly displeased me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household goods outside of the storeroom 9 and commanded the storerooms to be cleansed. Then I restored the utensils of the House of God, the offerings and the frankincense.
10 I also learned that the portions for the Levites had not been provided, and that each of the Levites and singers who performed the work had gone back to his own field. 11 So I rebuked the leaders and asked, “Why has the House of God been forsaken?” I assembled them and stationed them at their posts.
12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of grain, new wine and oil to the storehouses. 13 I put Shelemiah the kohen, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites in charge over the storehouses, and made Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah their assistant, because these men were considered faithful. They were responsible for distributing to their brothers.
14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loving kindness that I have done for the House of my God and for overseeing it.
15 In those days, I saw in Judah some people treading winepresses on the Shabbat, some bringing and loading heaps of grain on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and various other burdens, bringing them into Jerusalem on the Shabbat day. So I warned them about selling food on that day. 16 Men from Tyre who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of merchandise and were selling it on the Yom Shabbat to the children of Judah, even in Jerusalem.
17 So I complained to the nobles of Judah and asked them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing? You are profaning Yom Shabbat! 18 Didn’t your ancestors do exactly the same causing our God to bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? So now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by profaning Yom Shabbat.”
19 When evening darkness began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before Yom Shabbat, I commanded the doors to be shut. I further commanded that they should not be opened till after Yom Shabbat. I appointed some of my attendants over the gates so that no burden could enter during Shabbat.
20 Once or twice the traders and those selling all kinds of merchandise camped outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why are you camping next to the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time they no longer came on the Shabbat.
22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves, and to come and guard the gates in order to sanctify Yom Shabbat. Remember this also on my behalf, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of your lovingkindness.
23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the dialect of Ashdod or the language of other peoples, but none of them understood the language of Judah. 25 So I rebuked them. I cursed them, beat some of their men and pulled their beards. I made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons—or for yourselves. 26 Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin about these things? Yet among many nations there was never any king like him. Yes, he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, the foreign women caused even him to sin. [a] 27 Must we then hear about you doing all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful with our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Now one of the sons of Joiada, son of Eliashib the kohen gadol, was son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I drove him from me. 29 O my God, please remember them for the defilement of the priesthood as well as the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. 30 So I purged them from everything foreign and I assigned duties for the kohanim and the Levites, each to his own task, 31 and for the wood offering at appointed times and for the first fruits.
Remember me, O my God, for good.
11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Messiah.
Headship and Coverings
2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firm the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Messiah, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same as having been shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, let her cut off her hair. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, let her cover her head.
7 For surely a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God.[a] But the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. [b] 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 In any case—in the Lord—woman is not independent of man and man is not independent of woman. 12 For just as the woman came from the man, so also the man comes through the woman—but all things are from God.
13 Judge for yourselves—is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Doesn’t the natural order of things[c] teach you—if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace for him; 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory, for her hair was given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone intends to be contentious, we have no such custom—nor do God’s communities.
Justice for the Oppressed
Psalm 35
1 A psalm of David.
Adonai, oppose those who oppose me.
Fight those who fight me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to my help.
3 Draw out also a spear and battle-axe.
Stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life
be ashamed and disgraced.
May they be turned back and humiliated
—those who plot evil against me.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of Adonai driving them off.
6 May their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of Adonai pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me,
and without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let ruin come upon him by surprise.
Let the net he hid entangle himself
—into that same pit let him fall.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in Adonai
and delight in His salvation.
10 All my bones will say:
“Adonai, who is like You,
rescuing the poor from one too strong for him,
the poor and needy from one who robs him?”
11 Violent witnesses rise up.
They question me about things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good—
my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick,
my clothing was sackcloth.
I afflicted my soul with fasting,
my prayer kept returning to my heart.
14 I went about mourning as though for my own friend or brother.
I bowed down dressed in black as though for my own mother.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee.
Wretches gathered against me whom I did not know,
tearing at me without ceasing.
16 They mocked profanely, as if at a feast,
they gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Whoever loves pleasure becomes poor.
Whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous
and the faithless for the upright.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.