The words of Nehemiah son of Hakhalya: It was in the month of Kislev, the twentieth year of King Artahshasta, and I was in the Shushan citadel.Shushan was a fortified city that contained the administrative center of the Persian Empire.

Hanani, one of my brothers, colleagues, or his actual brother (see 7:2), he and some additional men from Judah came to Shushan. Hanani had traveled to the Land of Israel while Nehemiah had remained in exile, serving the king. And I asked them about the Judeans in Judah, the survivors that remained from the captivity, meaning the exiles from Babylonia that had reached Judah previously; alternatively, it refers to an unknown event that occurred closer to that time, in which Judean captives were taken from Jerusalem, and about the situation in Jerusalem. Nehemiah probably also asked about his family that had immigrated there.

They said to me: The remaining Judeans who remain from the captivity there in the province are living in great trouble and in disgrace. Their situation is dire, both economically and otherwise. The wall of Jerusalem is breached and in ruins, and its gates were set on fire. Perhaps the walls were somewhat breached when Ezra had arrived thirteen years before, and by Nehemiah’s time they were in an even worse state.

It was when I heard these words that I sat down and cried and mourned for days; I was fasting and praying before God of the heavens, as I shared in the misery of Israel.

I said: Please, Lord God of the heavens, the great and awesome God, who maintains the covenant and kindness for those who love Him and those who observe His commandments. This description of God “who maintains the covenant…” appears in the book of Deuteronomy (7:9), and Daniel also uses it when addressing God in prayer. A similar phrase can be found in Solomon’s prayer as well.

Please let Your ear be attentive, and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant that I am praying before You today, day and night, about the children of Israel Your servants. I confess the sins of the children of Israel that we have sinned against You; and that I and my father’s house have sinned. Nehemiah includes himself in his confession for his people, just as Daniel did.

In our sins, we have done injury, caused various harms, to You, and have not observed the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that You commanded Your servant Moses.

Remember, please, the matter that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying: You will trespass and betray Me, and I will scatter you among the peoples;

and if you regret your former ways and you will return to Me, and observe My commandments and perform them, then if your banished brethren will be at the ends of the heavens, the far-flung corners of the world, from there I will gather them, and I will bring them to the place where I have chosen to rest My name.

They are Your servants and Your people, whom You redeemed with Your great power, and with Your strong hand.

Please Lord, let now Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants, who desire to fear Your name, as Nehemiah is praying on behalf of the community; and please cause Your servant to succeed today, and dispose him for mercy before this man, the king. Nehemiah is about to seek permission from the king to take steps to amend the situation in Jerusalem. He therefore prays to God for success in the mission, that he will find favor in the eyes of the king. Before continuing the narrative, Nehemiah provides information about his official function, which is indicative of his closeness to the king: I was cupbearer to the king.

It was in the month of Nisan, the twentieth year of Artahshasta the king; wine was before him, and I, as the royal cupbearer, carried the wine, and I gave it to the king. I had never until that point been wretched in his presence. I was always at my best when before the king, and for his part he always showed fondness toward me.

The king said to me: Why is your face wretched, and you are not ill? You do not look good today; this is nothing other than heartache. If you are not ill, you must be preoccupied by negative thoughts. I was exceedingly afraid. The king of Persia was not accountable to anyone. It was enough for this supreme leader, who had the virtual status of a demigod, to suspect someone of wrongdoing, for that person to be executed.

I said to the king: May the king live forever. Why wouldn’t my face be wretched; why would I not appear worried and miserable, when the city, which is the place of the graves of my fathers, is in ruins, and its gates have been consumed by fire? I feel terrible and restless due to the state of Jerusalem.

The king said to me: If you are that upset, what is it that you request? What is your desire? The close relationship between Nehemiah and the king mentioned above is clearly evident here. And I, Nehemiah, prayed in my heart to the God of the heavens that I should find the right words and that they would be accepted by the king. Nehemiah knew that this short conversation could have important ramifications.

I said to the king: If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, would that you send me, grant me permission to go, to Judah, to the city of the graves of my fathers, and I will build it anew.

The king said to me, and the consort, his queen or concubine, was sitting with him. Nehemiah depicts the king as dining in a highly intimate setting, with no strangers around. The king was in a fine mood, and responded positively to his request: Until when will your journey be? For how long do you wish to go? And when will you return? It found favor before the king to send me. He allowed me to go, and I set him a time for my return. It is known that Nehemiah returned to the king after twelve years, although sometime later he went back to Jerusalem again.

I said to the king: If it pleases the king, have them give me letters to the governors, the rulers of the province, of Ever HaNahar so that they grant me passage until I arrive in Judah. I need some sort of letter of recommendation that will allow me to pass safely through their territory. Nehemiah required the assistance of the local rulers beyond the Euphrates for his journey, and missives written and signed by the king were considered direct orders with unquestionable authority.

And also send with me an additional letter, to Asaf, the keeper of the king’s forests, who was in charge of the royal gardens and woods, so that he will provide me with timber from which to roof the gates of the complex that abuts the House, the gates of the Temple Mount, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I will come, to live there. The king granted me all that I requested, according to the benevolent hand of my God upon me, generously.

I came to the governors of Ever HaNahar, and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent with me army and cavalry officers. Since Nehemiah was a senior state official, the king had a group of soldiers and horsemen accompany him, to provide him with protection.

Sanbalat the Horonite, perhaps the governor of Samaria, and Toviya the Amonite servant, possibly a relatively minor governor in Amon, whom Nehemiah derisively called a servant, heard, and they were exceedingly displeased that a person had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

I came to Jerusalem and was there three days, as a visitor. It is likely that Nehemiah’s appearance, accompanied by horsemen and soldiers, made a great impression on the local populace.

I arose stealthily at night, I and a few men with me; I did not tell any person what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem; no animal was with me, other than the animal on which I was riding, probably a horse or a mule.

I emerged through the Valley Gate, one of the gates of Jerusalem, at night, to opposite the Jackals’ Spring, which might be Ein Rogel, based on the direction he was walking, and to the Dung Gate, and I surveyed the walls of Jerusalem, which were breached, and its gates were consumed by fire.

I passed to the Gate of the Spring and to the King’s Pool; but when I tried to enter I discovered that there was no room for the animal under me to pass. Due to the collapse of the gate, the entrance was too low for a man riding on an animal to pass through. Alternatively, the animal he was riding could not walk along the blocked path.

I went up the ravine at night and surveyed the state of the wall; I came around and entered once again through the Valley Gate, and I returned to my starting point after traversing all the way around the city walls. Perhaps Nehemiah made notes and diagrams for himself, or he simply tried to form a mental picture of the appearance of the walls and gates, in order to plan how they could be rebuilt.

The prefects, senior officials, who were with me, did not know where I had gone, or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the rest of the Judeans, the priests, the nobles, the prefects, and the rest of the laborers until that point. I did not tell anyone what I had done. The dignified status of the visitor who had arrived from the royal capital, under direct appointment of the king, enabled him to act as he wished without having to report to anyone. Nehemiah knew not only how to speak well, but also when to remain silent.

After my nocturnal reconnaissance, I turned to the ministers and rulers, and I said to them: You see the wretched state which we are in, that Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates were set on fire. Since our city is entirely unprotected, let us come and build the wall of Jerusalem, and we will not continue to be a disgrace.

I told them of the hand of my God that was benevolent upon me, how God had helped me, and also of the king’s words that he had said to me; the explicit permission he had granted me to rebuild the city. They said: Let us rise and build. They were encouraged for the good. When they heard that Nehemiah had received governmental assistance, they were encouraged to start the work. Nehemiah did not bring with him enough money or the means to resolve all the problems of Jerusalem, but thanks to the royal support and license he had been granted, he was able to motivate the residents of the city to take action with him.

Sanbalat the Horonite and Toviya the Amonite servant and Geshem the Arabian, probably a leader of a group of Arabians, heard, and they mocked us and scorned us, and said: What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king? Given the situation, the enemies of Jerusalem had no option left but to resort to propaganda and slander.

I answered them and said to them: The God of the heavens, He will cause us to succeed, and we, His servants, will rise and build; but we will take no notice of you, as you have no share, or right, or vestige in Jerusalem.

Elyashiv the High Priest rose with his brethren the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate, which was probably called by this name because sheep were brought to the Temple through this gate. They consecrated it, prepared the gate, and appended it to the holy city, and set up its doors, and consecrated it, the wall, up to the Tower of the Hundred,nd they continued to build and sanctify it up to the Tower of Hananel. The priests accepted upon themselves the construction of that section of the wall.

Next to him, near the section of the wall that was constructed by Elyashiv and his brethren the priests, the men of Jericho built part of the wall. Next to him, Elyashiv and his colleagues, Zakur son of Imri, probably a member of an important family, also built.

The sons of Hasenaa, a family from the tribe of Benjamin, built the Fish Gate; they roofed it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars. The construction of the gate was more complex than building a simple wall, and it therefore required more effort and craftsmanship.

Next to them, Meremot, son of Uriya, son of Hakotz made repairs on the adjacent section of the wall. Next to them, Meshulam, son of Berekhya, son of Meshezavel made repairs. Next to them, Tzadok son of Baana made repairs.

Next to them, the Tekoites made repairs; the ordinary inhabitants of Tekoa, which was an active, patriotic city, joined in the building work, but their nobles and wealthy individuals [addireihem] did not put their necks into the work of their lord. They did not participate in the labor. Some explain that the verse is praising these people: The owners of great flocks [addarim] did not place the necks of their young shepherds in the yoke of their usual labor with the sheep, but rather they allowed them to help in the construction of the walls.

The Old Gate,Yoyada son of Pase’ah and Meshulam son of Besodeya repaired; they roofed it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.

Next to them, Melatya the Givonite and Yadon the Meronotite, who were the men of Givon and of the Mitzpa, made repairs. They declared that their share of the construction was for the honor of the seat of the governor of Ever HaNahar, possibly because he provided them with support. Perhaps they set aside a place for the governor’s throne in that location for when he came to Jerusalem. Although the Givonites were presumably members of the group known as Netinim, they apparently did not consider themselves inferior and downtrodden, but as full partners with Israel.

Next to him, them, Uziel son of Harhaya, both of whom were the smiths, made repairs. Next to him, Hananya, one of the perfumers, made repairs. They restored, or built a sealed layer, in Jerusalem up to the Broad Wall.

Next to them, Refaya son of Hur, who was ruler of half the district, province, of Jerusalem, made repairs. He had limited responsibilities, as the population of the city was not large.

Next to them, Yedaya son of Harumaf, a personal name, or a nickname meaning one whose nose [af] is sunken. He made repairs in the area opposite his house. Next to him, Hatush son of Hashavneya made repairs.

Malkiya son of Harim and Hashuv son of Pahat Moav repaired a second section of the wall, or a portion identical in size to the previous one, and they also built the Tower of the Ovens.This is the name of a tower in the city, which was probably at the edge of the section of the wall that they built.

Next to it, Shalum son of Halohesh, who was ruler of the other half of the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters, perhaps because he had no sons. Presumably these daughters did not build the walls with their own hands. It is more likely that they were noble and wealthy women who helped by donating funds to the cause, as well as sending members of their families to assist in the labor.

The Valley Gate, Hanun and the inhabitants of Zano’ah repaired; they built it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and in addition to the construction of the gate, they agreed to build one thousand cubits of the wall until the Dung Gate (see commentary on 2:13).

The Dung Gate itself, Malkiya son of Rekhav, ruler of the district of Beit HaKerem repaired; he built it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.

The Gate of the Spring, Shalun son of Kol Hozeh, a personal name, or a nickname meaning one who sees [ĥozeh] all [kol], or perhaps one who has great insight, ruler of the district of the Mitzpa, repaired; he built it, and covered it with a roof, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and he also built the wall of the pool of the Shela, to the king’s garden, until the stairs that descend from the City of David.

After him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beit Tzur, made repairs, up to opposite the graves of David and further on from there, or on a different side, up to the artificial pool, and up to the House of the Mighty.

After him, of the Levites, Rehum son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him, Hashavya, ruler of half the district of Ke’ila, made repairs for, on behalf of, his district.

After him, their brethren, Bavai son of Henadad, ruler of the other half of the district of Ke’ila, made repairs.

Next to him, Ezer son of Yeshua, ruler of the Mitzpa, repaired another section. Ezer initially participated in the construction of one length of the wall, and when he finished his section he volunteered to build another part that was opposite the ascent to the armory, perhaps a structure where weapons were placed, which was located at the angle, near the corner of the wall.

After him, Barukh son of Zakai repaired another portion with alacrity, from the angle, the corner, to the door of the house of Elyashiv the High Priest.

After him, Meremot, son of Uriya, son of Hakotz repaired another section, from the door of the house of Elyashiv until the end of the house of Elyashiv. This house of the High Priest was a large structure that was probably situated adjacent to the wall. Meremot built the section of the wall that ran parallel to this house.

After him, the priests, men of the plain surrounding Jerusalem (see 12:28), made repairs.

After him, Benjamin and Hashuv made repairs opposite their house. After him, Azarya, son of Maaseya, son of Ananya made repairs near his house. These men owned houses in Jerusalem, and they undertook to build the sections of the wall near their homes.

After him, Binui son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azarya until the angle, the edge of the wall, until the corner tower.

Palal son of Uzai was working from opposite the angle, and the tower that emerges from the upper house of the king, which is near, or part of, the courtyard of internment, which served as a detention center within the king’s house. It seems that they built the wall opposite this tower, which had not been destroyed. After him was Pedaya son of Parosh.

The Netinim were living in the Ofel, a raised area or building, and they too helped in constructing the wall in their area; they were building up to opposite the Water Gate to the east, and the tower that extends outward.

After him, the Tekoites, who had already volunteered for and completed one undertaking, as stated above (3:5), accepted upon themselves a further task and repaired another section, from opposite the great tower that extends outward, up to the wall of the Ofel.

Above the Horses’ Gate the priests made repairs, each opposite his house. The priests agreed to build the section of the wall that was opposite their houses.

After him, Tzadok son of Imer made repairs opposite his house. After him, Shemaya son of Shekhanya, keeper of the East Gate, made repairs.

After him, Hananya son of Shelemya, and Hanun, who was the sixth [hashishi] son of Tzalaf, repaired another section. Some explain that Hanun was an expert craftsman in linen [shesh]. After him, Meshulam son of Berekhya made repairs opposite his chamber, which was on the inside of the wall.

After him, Malkiya, son of the smith, made repairs until the house of the Netinim and the merchants, opposite the Assembly Gate, and to the corner tower.

Between the corner tower and the Sheep Gate (see commentary on 3:1) the smiths and the merchants made repairs. These were professional guilds of sorts, that undertook to perform the labor together.

It was when Sanbalat heard that we were building the wall that he became incensed and was greatly angered, and he mocked the Judeans.

He stated before his brethren and the forces of Samaria, saying: What are these miserable and broken Judeans doing? Will they restore the wall at will? Could they possibly strengthen it? Will they slaughter offerings? When they finish, will they manage to sacrifice anything, as they plan? Will they finish in a day, be able to complete the work on time, when the day arrives? Will they revive the stones from the dust heaps, and, i.e., although, they are burned? Although stones cannot actually be burned, if they are greatly heated they will crack, and thereby be rendered unsuitable for building.

Toviya the Amonite was standing near him, Sanbalat, perhaps serving as one of his deputies, and said: Even that which they are building, what kind of a wall would it be? If a fox were to go up, he would breach the wall of their stones. Even a mere fox could breach it and knock it down.

Upon hearing their statements, Nehemiah turned to God in prayer: Hear, our God, for we have become an object of scorn, and return their disgrace on their head, and give them up as loot in a land of captivity, as those men deserve to be exiled from their homes, as captives.

Do not cover over their iniquity, and let their sin not be expunged from before You. Remember their sins and punish them accordingly when the time comes, for they have angered You against, in the presence of, the builders.

Nehemiah resumes the narrative: We built the wall further, and all the wall, with its various sections constructed by the different groups of builders, was connected up to half its height, for the people had heart, they were happy and enthusiastic, and they had a mind to work.

It was when Sanbalat and Toviya and the Arabians and the Amonites and the Ashdodites, who dwelled in the surrounding regions, heard that healing had come to the walls of Jerusalem, and that the breaches had begun to be sealed, that they were very incensed;

they all conspired to come and make war against Jerusalem, and to wreak harm upon them, the people of Jerusalem.

We prayed to our God, and set upon them, the residents of Jerusalem, a watch to guard day and night, because of them.

The people of Judah said, after all the construction efforts and the conscription of the guards: The strength of the bearer is failing; it is hard for us to bear the loads, and the dirt is abundant; we cannot build the wall.

In addition to our physical weakness, the threat hanging over us also impairs our resolve, as our enemies said: They, the Judeans, will not know and will not see until we come into their midst and kill them, and put a stop to the labor. Our enemies are planning a surprise attack against us.

It was when the Judeans who lived with them, among the nations, came to us, and ten times, on numerous occasions, they said to us, informed us, of all the places from which they would assail us. Judeans who lived among the enemy nations revealed the places where the enemies would attack.

Therefore, when I heard all these warnings, I deployed men in the lower levels of the space, in low spots, hidden in the ground, behind the wall, and in the crevices, between the rocks, and I deployed the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

I looked and examined our defenses, or I saw fit to act, and I rose and said to the nobles, to the senior prefects, and to the rest of the people: Do not fear them; remember the great and awesome Lord, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.

It was when our enemies heard that it, their plot, had become known to us, and that we were ready to do battle, that God thwarted their counsel and their plans were nullified, and all of us returned to the wall, each man to his labor.

It was from that day that half of my lads who came with me from Babylonia would engage in labor, and half of them would hold the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the armor. The princes who accompanied me were constantly marching behind the entire house of Judah, to protect them.

The builders in the wall and the bearers of burdens were burdened, those who would lift and transport the loads, each one of them with one hand was performing labor, and at the same time with one, the other hand, holding a weapon [shalah·]; alternatively, shalaĥ refers specifically to a sword;

and as for the builders, who required the use of both hands to perform their labor, each man had his sword girded at his side while building. The sounder of the shofar was standing with me, to call a general alarm in case of an attack.

I said to the nobles and to the prefects and to the rest of the people: The labor is abundant and spread out over a broad area, and we are separated on the wall, each far from the other, and therefore we cannot know what is happening in every place.

In the place where you hear the sound of the shofar, there you shall gather to us. The sound of the shofar will signal the spot from where the ambush or attack is coming, and our God will wage war for us.

We were performing the labor, and half of them were holding the spears from dawn until the emergence of the stars. We utilized all the available daylight hours for our labor.

It was also at that time that I said to the people: Let each man and his lad stay the night inside Jerusalem, rather than return home, and the night will be for guarding; they will perform guard duty at night, and the day is for labor.

As for me, and my brethren, and my lads, and the men of the guard who followed me, we did not remove our garments at night, each man was with his weapon, his sword, drawn, when he went to the water. Even when one of us bathed or performed his bodily functions, he kept his weapon accessible.

The cry of the people and their wives was great about the actions of their brethren, the wealthier Judeans.

There were some among those who cried out who were saying: Our sons, our daughters, are numerous; alternatively: We are trying to raise our children; we must acquire grain that we may eat and live, as we must feed our families. Some commentaries explain: We are forced to hand over our children to creditors to pay the interest they imposed on us when we borrowed money to buy food.

There were some who were saying: We have mortgaged our fields, our vineyards, and our houses that we may buy grain for our hunger.

There were some who were saying: We borrowed silver for the king’s tax, to pay the royal property tax, and to do so we mortgaged our fields and our vineyards.

Now our flesh is like the flesh of our wealthier brethren, our children like their children, and nevertheless, behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters into servitude, and some of our daughters are being forced to serve as maidservants; and we are powerless, we cannot do anything, and our fields and our vineyards are for others. The wealthy lent money to the poor and then took advantage of their debts in order to take over the borrowers’ property and to enslave their children.

I was greatly incensed when I heard their outcry and these words.

I pondered in my heart, I thought about the problem, and argued with the nobles and the prefects, the wealthy individuals in positions of power, and said to them: Is each of you claiming a debt from his brethren? How dare you act as creditors toward your brethren and oppress them. This violates the command of the Torah: “If you shall lend silver to My people, to the poor who is with you, you shall not be as a creditor to him.” I set against them a great assembly to protest their actions.

Nehemiah delivered a severely critical speech to the assembly: I said to them: When we were in exile, we purchased our brethren the Judeans, who were sold to the nations, according to our means; we always made every effort to redeem our captive brothers from gentiles. As for you, will you sell your brethren, that they will be sold to us? Will you now enslave your brothers who are among us here, and force us to have to redeem them in the same manner? They were silent and could not find a word. They had no answer.

I said: The thing that you are doing is no good; truly, you should walk in, act with, the fear of our God. Don’t you seek to avoid the disgrace of the nations, our enemies, when they see us oppressing our own people?

You are not the only ones to whom money is owed, as I, my brethren, and my lads also have a claim of silver and grain from them. I too lent them money. Let us now abandon this debt. We should all nullify these debts.

Restore to them now, as of today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, also the hundred pieces of silver, or the great sums of money, and the grain, the wine, and the oil that you are claiming from them.

They, his audience, who were shocked by his harsh statements, said: We will restore everything belonging to our debtors that is in our possession, and we will not seek; we will no longer seek to collect the debts; so will we do, as you say. I called the priests and administered an oath to them, the community, by means of the priests, to act in this manner.

I also shook out the corner of my garment, so that everything was spilled out as a symbolic act, and said: So may God shake every man who does not fulfill this matter from his house and from his earnings, his wealth; so shall he be shaken and emptied. He will forfeit all his property and be left with nothing. The entire congregation said to the oath: Amen, and they praised the Lord and the people acted in this manner. Despite the difficulties such a move entailed, they agreed to relinquish their debts, and they praised God for the opportunity to help the downtrodden live in dignity.

When writing the book, Nehemiah added a comment here: Moreover, from the day that he had commanded, appointed, me to be governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artahshasta the king, for twelve years, I and my brethren, my colleagues who accompanied me to the Land of Israel, did not eat the food of the governor. Although I was entitled to various payments and provisions from the people while serving as ruler, the king’s representative, I did not take anything.

But the first governors, who were prior to me, oppressed the people, and took taxes from them for bread and wine in addition to the collection of forty silver shekels; also their lads lorded over the people. They took advantage of their power to render life difficult for the local residents, but in contrast to them, I did not do so, due to the fear of God. Perhaps it was somewhat unseemly for Nehemiah to issue such a self-serving declaration, but he was a very forthright man.

Also, not only did I refuse to take anything from the people for my own needs, I supported the labor of the construction of this wall, and we did not purchase any field, and all my lads were gathered together there for the labor. Even though I brought money with me and I had the prerogatives of a ruler, I did not acquire anything, nor did my servants, as all our actions were for the public good.

The Judeans and the royal prefects, one hundred and fifty men, and those people coming to assist us from the nations that were around us, they were all at my table.

That which was prepared at my table on their behalf for one day: One bull, six select sheep, and birds were prepared for me, and every ten days I would give them to drink from all sorts of wine in abundance; alternatively: We would renew the store of wine every ten days. Nevertheless, I did not seek the food of the governor, the tax for maintenance to which I was entitled as governor, because the work was heavy upon this people.

Remember me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.

It was when it was heard by Sanbalat and Toviya, and by Geshem the Arabian, and by the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that no breach remained in it. The wall had not been in complete ruin, but it had been full of breaches that required repair, though they also heard that until that time, after the walls were finished, I had not yet set doors in the gates. This was a dangerous situation, as even though the city was almost completely fortified, it could still be easily penetrated.

Sanbalat and Geshem sent to me, saying: Come, let us meet together in one of the small villages in the Valley of Ono. We should hold a joint conference, you, the leader of the province of Judah, with us, the rulers of other provinces. And in fact, they thought to do me harm. Nehemiah was generally suspicious of such ideas, perhaps because he was familiar with the frequent political intrigues of the Persian royal court. He was certainly wary of these men, who were hardly his friends.

I sent messengers to them, saying: I am doing a great labor, and I cannot come down. I am currently too busy for such meetings. Why should the labor cease when I desist from working and come down to you?

They sent to me in this manner four times, and I answered them in this manner. They sent me more invitations, and on each occasion, I replied that I did not have the time.

Sanbalat sent his servant to me in this manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand, rather than the usual sealed communication, which meant that it could be read by anyone, perhaps in a deliberate attempt to publicize its contents.

In it was written: It has been heard among the nations, and Gashmu, Geshem the Arabian, says, or the body of the letter says: You and the Judeans are thinking to rebel against the Persian Empire; therefore, you are building the wall and you would be king for them and so on; the letter contained other such statements of this kind.

You have also appointed prophets to proclaim about you in Jerusalem, saying: There is a king in Judah, and now it will be heard by the king, Artahshasta, and so on. We ourselves do not yet believe these insinuations, but rumors abound, and they may well reach the king. Now, come, and let us confer together. Let us discuss the matter and announce together that there is no truth to these reports.

I sent to him, Sanbalat, saying: Nothing like these things that you are saying has been, there are no plans or even rumors, for you have fabricated them from your heart. These are lies that you have made up.

For they, those accusing us, all threaten us, saying: Let them desist from the labor, and let it not be done. But now, if indeed you have my best interests in mind, support me.

As for me, I went to the house of Shemaya, son of Delaya, son of Meheitavel, apparently an important individual, perhaps someone considered a prophet, and he was housebound, due to illness or for some other reason. He said to me: Let us meet, us two, in the House of God, in the Sanctuary, and let us shut the doors of the Sanctuary, as they are coming to kill you. At night, they are coming to kill you. Danger awaits you tonight. Since the Temple is closed and empty of people at night, you will be safe there.

I said: Would a man like me flee? I absolutely will not flee. Who like me could come to the Sanctuary and live? Since I am not a priest, it is prohibited for me to enter the Sanctuary. I will not come.

I realized, and behold, it was not God who sent him that he spoke the supposed prophecy about me that people were planning to kill me that night, and yet that was not the word of God, as in actual fact, Toviya and Sanbalat had hired him to speak such matters to me.

For he was hired to issue that pronouncement so that I would be intimidated, and do so, act as he suggested, and thereby sin, and it would serve for them as a bad report, so that they could discredit me. Had I listened to Shemaya’s advice, my adversaries would have publicized the matter, which would lead to people shaming and cursing me. The advice I received from the false prophet would not have harmed me directly, but it would have led to widespread slander against me.

Remember, my God, against Toviya and Sanbalat in accordance with these actions of theirs, and also against the prophetess Noadya, and the rest of the prophets who were threatening me. There were other prophets who sought to intimidate Nehemiah in a similar manner.

The wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, after fifty-two days had passed from the start of the rebuilding project.

When all our enemies heard, all the nations that were around us were frightened, and they were humbled in their own eyes, and they knew that this labor was accomplished from our God. They realized that our ability to complete the work in a relatively short time was thanks to divine assistance.

Moreover, in those days many letters of the nobles of Judah were going, were being sent by them, to Toviya, and many letters of Toviya were coming to them. Some people, who did not dare to speak against Nehemiah openly, corresponded with Toviya and his men. At that time, the difference between the Judeans and the Samaritans was not that pronounced, as the Samaritans claimed that they too were members of the people of Israel and wished to participate in the sacred construction project. Thus, various ties were established between the two groups, and many thought that this was an internal dispute between different factions of the same nation.

For many men in Judah were close to Toviya and were sworn to him, had established a covenant with him, because he was a son-in-law of Shekhanya son of Arah, and Yehohanan his, Toviya’s, son had taken the daughter of Meshulam son of Berekhya as a wife. They had married into the most distinguished families of Jerusalem.

They would also say his, Toviya’s, praises before me, they would praise him to me, and in contrast, they would report my words to him. They would tell him any gossip they could find against me. Consequently, Toviya sent letters to threaten me. Although Nehemiah had arrived with royal authorization, he was new to the region and did not belong to any of the local factions. The people did not doubt his integrity, but as he was not one of their own it was only natural that they would have various grievances and quarrels with him. Even after the wall was completed, the land was not at peace. Time and again, people attempted to cause unrest in the city and help the enemies of the Judeans outside Jerusalem’s walls.

It was when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, so that the city was properly fortified, and the gatekeepers and the Levite singers and the other Levites were appointed and had begun to perform their respective roles,

that I commanded my brother Hanani, possibly Nehemiah’s actual brother, and Hananya officer of the capital, over guarding Jerusalem; for he, Hananya, was a reliable man, and feared God as acknowledged by many; alternatively: He feared God and was esteemed by many people.

I said to them: The gates of Jerusalem shall not be opened until the sun grows hot. The gates are to remain closed all night, and should be opened only when the heat of the day begins, which would be at about ten o’clock in the morning. They shall remain open while they, the gatekeepers, are still standing at the entrance, and they shall close and bar the doors firmly in the evening; alternatively, hold firm to this matter and do not neglect it; and set watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each on his watch, and each opposite his house.

The reason for this is that the city was spacious and large, as the rebuilt wall roughly followed the route of the old wall, which served Jerusalem when it was prosperous and populated; and now the people in it were few, and there were no houses built. The immigrants had rebuilt only a few of the city’s houses.

My God put it, the thought, in my heart, and I gathered the nobles, and the prefects, and the people, in order to establish their lineage. I found the book of the lineage of the initial immigrants, and I found written in it:

These are the children of the province, who came up from the captivity of the exile, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon exiled, and they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his city;

those who came with Zerubavel, the leader of the immigrants, were Yeshua, Nehemiah, presumably not the Nehemiah of this book, Azarya, Raamya, Nahamani, Mordekhai, Bilshan, Misperet, Bigvai, Nehum, Baana. Now follows a heading for the ensuing list: The number of the men of the people of Israel was: Some explain: These are the numbers of the important men of Israel.

The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.

The children of Shefatya, three hundred and seventy-two.

The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.

The children of Pahat Moav, of the children of Yeshua and Yoav, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.

The children of Eilam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

The children of Zatu, eight hundred and forty-five.

The children of Zakai, seven hundred and sixty.

The children of Binui, six hundred and forty-eight.

The children of Bevai, six hundred and twenty-eight.

The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.

The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.

The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.

The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.

The children of Ater, of the children of Hizkiya, ninety-eight.

The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.

The children of Betzai, three hundred and twenty-four.

The children of Harif, one hundred and twelve.

The children, residents, of the city of Givon, ninety-five.

The men of Bethlehem and Netofa, one hundred and eighty-eight.

The men of Anatot, one hundred and twenty-eight.

The men of Beit Azmavet, forty-two.

The men of Kiryat Ye’arim, Kefira, and Be’erot, seven hundred and forty-three.

The men of Rama and Geva, six hundred and twenty-one.

The men of Mikhmas, one hundred and twenty-two.

The men of Beit El and the Ai, one hundred and twenty-three.

The men of Nevo Aher, fifty-two.

The children of the other Eilam, not the Eilam mentioned above (verse 12), even though their numbers are identical; one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.

The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, three cities that were adjacent to one another, seven hundred and twenty-one.

The children of Senaa, who were from the tribe of Benjamin, according to the tradition of the Sages, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

The priests: the children of Yedaya, of the house of Yeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.

The children of Imer, another priestly watch, one thousand and fifty-two.

The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven.

The children of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

The Levites: the children of Yeshua of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodeva, who is called Hodavya in the book of Ezra (2:40), seventy-four.

The singers: the children of Asaf, who had their own special role and were therefore arranged in a separate watch from the other singers, one hundred and forty-eight.

The gatekeepers, who were the children of Shalum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akuv, the children of Hatita, the children of Shovai, one hundred and thirty-eight.

The Netinim, the descendants of the Givonites, whom Joshua assigned to service of the people and the altar, and who were therefore connected to the Temple: the children of Tziha, the children of Hasufa, the children of Tabaot,

the children of Keiros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,

the children of Levana, the children of Hagava, the children of Shalmai,

the children of Hanan, the children of Gidel, the children of Gahar,

the children of Re’aya, the children of Retzin, the children of Nekoda,

the children of Gazam, the children of Uza, the children of Pase’ah,

the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nefishesim,

the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakufa, the children of Harhur,

the children of Batzlit, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,

the children of Netziah, the children of Hatifa.

The children of Solomon’s servants, who apparently kept their status as slaves, even though they observed the commandments of the Torah and had close ties to the people of Israel: the children of Sotai, the children of Soferet, the children of Perida,

the children of Yala, the children of Darkon, the children of Gidel,

the children of Shefatya, the children of Hatil, the children of Pokheret HaTzevayim, a personal name that means deer trap, the children of Amon.

All the Netinim, and the children of Solomon’s servants, who were not full-fledged Judeans but had established ties with the children of Israel and in practice were integrated into the nation, were three hundred and ninety-two.

These were those who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Keruv, Adon, and Imer, and they could not tell their patrilineal houses and their ancestry whether they were from Israel. Since their lineage was uncertain, it was hard to determine whether or not they were from Israel.

They were: the children of Delaya, the children of Toviya, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.

Those from the priests whose lineage was uncertain: the children of Havaya, the children of Hakotz, the children of Barzilai, who were called accordingly, not because Barzilai was their father but because their father took a wife from the daughters of Barzilai the Giladite and was called by their name.

These sought their writ of lineage, the records of their genealogy, which would prove that they were indeed priests, as they claimed, but it was not found; and they were disqualified from the priesthood.

The Tirshata, an honorary Persian or Aramean title for the ruler of the Judeans, which was also given to Nehemiah (see 8:9, 10:2), said to them that they may not eat of the sacred sacrament, the consecrated food of the most sacred order, which only the priests are permitted to eat, until a priest stands with Urim and Tumim. Since they could not prove that they were priests, they were prohibited from partaking of this sacrificial meat until the arrival of a priest who could use the Urim and the Tumim to confirm their lineage.

The entire congregation in total was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,

besides their slaves and maidservants; these were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers. Some versions of the textadd the following line: Their horses, seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five.

Camels, four hundred and thirty-five; donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

A few of the heads of the patrilineal houses gave a donation for the labor. The Tirshata, the ruler of the Judeans, gave to the treasury one thousand darics, which were units of gold, fifty basins, large receptacles for the blood that is sprinkled on the altar, five hundred and thirty priests’ tunics.

Some of the heads of the patrilineal houses gave to the treasury for the labor twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred maneh of silver. The Tirshata donated a large amount as a private individual, but since the heads of the fathers’ houses were a larger group, together they gave a far larger sum overall.

That which the rest of the people, who were not heads of patrilineal houses, gave: twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand maneh of silver, and sixty-seven priests’ tunics.

The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people of the tribe of Judah, the Netinim, and all Israel from the other tribes settled in their cities. They did not settle all the way to the edge of the territory of Judah. Their settlement reached only to the area of Lod. The seventh month, Tishrei, arrived, and the children of Israel were dwelling in their cities.

All the people gathered as one man to the plaza that was before the Water Gate, and they said to Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Torah of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. It seems that Ezra was not serving in an active leadership role at that time but was mainly a scholar and spiritual figure. As a scribe who would write copies of the Torah, he had a Torah scroll in his possession.

Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the congregation, including men and women and everyone who could hear to understand, who could comprehend the text, on the first day of the seventh month, Rosh HaShana.

He, Ezra, read from it before the plaza that was before the Water Gate, from dawn until midday, facing the men and the women, and all those who understand. And all the people’s ears were to the Torah scroll. They all listened to the words he read aloud.

The event was organized as follows: Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden tower, which they had made especially for the matter, this event, so that all those assembled could hear him; and Matitya, Shema, Anaya, Uriya, Hilkiya, and Maaseya stood by him on his right, and on his left were Pedaya, Mishael, Malkiya, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zekharya, and Meshulam. He was flanked on both sides by his disciples and colleagues. These were the most prominent scribes, who probably served as members of the court that later became known as the Great Assembly.

Ezra opened the scroll before the eyes of all the people, for all could see him as he was above all the people, on the wooden tower, and when he opened it, the Torah scroll, all the people stood as a demonstration of reverence.

Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, before he began to read. All the people answered: Amen, amen, with a hand upraised heavenward, a form of salute at the time; and they bowed and prostrated themselves to the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Some of those present had spoken only Aramaic while in exile. Consequently, it is likely that those individuals did not understand the Hebrew text, and required assistance: Yeshua, Bani, Sherevya, Yamin, Akuv, Shabetai, Hodiya, Maaseya, Kelita, Azarya, Yozabad, Hanan, Pelaya, and the Levites explained the Torah that was read to the people, and the people stood in their place.

They read in the scroll, in the Torah of God, by translating the text, and perhaps also by commenting on its meaning while elucidating certain words and terms; and with the appropriate elocution; they read with the correct vowels, and with precise punctuation and intonation, and they, those present, understood the reading, all that was read.

Nehemiah, he was the Tirshata, a Persian title of honor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who explained the Torah to the people, said to all the people: Today, Rosh HaShana, is sacred to the Lord your God; do not mourn, and do not weep, for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Torah. Apparently, Ezra read aloud sections from the book of Deuteronomy, which includes many passages of rebuke and retribution that those present had not heard before, as even before they were exiled from Jerusalem not all of them had been familiar with the Written Law. Upon hearing the commandments of the Torah that they had not fulfilled up to that point, they were distraught about their wrongdoings.

He, Nehemiah and Ezra, said to them, the people, at midday: Go to your homes, eat rich foods, delicacies, and drink sweet beverages. Enjoy your festive meals. And send gifts of food to whomever does not have anything prepared, as this day is holy to our Lord. Sending food to the poor, which is performed in a somewhat ritual manner on Purim, was an accepted custom on festivals in general, as no one should be left without food on a festival. Not only are the people to rejoice on a festival themselves, they must also gladden the hearts of the needy. Do not be saddened over your concerns about possible improper behavior in the past, as joy in the Lord, your delight in God, is your strength and source of protection.

The Levites were quieting all the people, saying: Hush, cease your crying and mourning, for the day is holy; do not be sad. Although this gathering was similar to the solemn assemblies held on fast days, it was designed for a very different purpose, so that the people would hear the words of the Torah before departing to celebrate the festival.

All the people went to eat and drink, to send gifts, and to make great rejoicing, because they understood the matters that they had related to them.

On the second day, the following day, only the heads of the patrilineal houses of all the people, as well as the priests and the Levites, gathered, but not all the people, to Ezra the scribe, and they gathered to become wise in the matters of the Torah.

They found written in the Torah that the Lord had commanded by means of Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the festival of Sukkot in the seventh month. Many of them were unfamiliar with the festival of Sukkot or had forgotten it. When they now listened to the reading of the Torah, they learned about this festival, which is celebrated in the seventh month, Tishrei.

And the leaders of the people further commanded that they, messengers, should announce and circulate a proclamation in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying: Go out to the highlands, and bring olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, date palm branches, and branches of a leafy tree, in order to make booths, as it is written in the Torah. At least two of the four species that are taken on the festival of Sukkot come from these trees: the lulav, which is a palm branch, and the myrtle. It seems that these branches served a double purpose: Some of them were used for the four species, while those that were less beautiful or less suitable were placed on the booths, the sukkot, as sekhakh, the roofing of the booths.

The people went out and brought them, and made themselves booths, each on his roof and in their courtyards, and in the courtyards of the House of God, and in the plaza of the Water Gate, and in the plaza of the Ephraim Gate. It seems that these plazas in front of city gates were used for markets and gatherings.

The entire congregation of those who returned from the captivity made booths, and they lived in the booths, for the children of Israel had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. It is possible that over the years only certain lone individuals celebrated the festival, but the nation of Israel as a whole had forgotten it, and now all the people participated together in the festivities. And the rejoicing was very great.

He, Ezra or his representative, read from the Torah of God day by day, from the first day of the festival until the last day. This indicates that our practice of reading from the Torah on festivals is a very ancient custom. They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day was an assembly, in accordance with the ordinance, as written in the Torah.

On the twenty-fourth day of that month of Tishrei, the children of Israel assembled, with fasting, and with sackcloth and earth upon them. The twenty-second of Tishrei is the festival of Shemini Atzeret, while the twenty-third, the day after the festival, is also a somewhat festive day, known in later generations as Isru Ĥag. On the following day, all the people gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, to express their mourning and sorrow.

The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. The leaders took this opportunity to deal with the thorny issue of the intermarriages which had spread among the people over the course of time.

They stood in their place and read in the scroll of the Torah of the Lord their God a quarter of the day, and another quarter of the day they were confessing their sins and prostrating themselves and praying to the Lord their God.

Yeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shevanya, Buni, Sherevya, another Bani, and Kenani stood on the platform of the Levites and cried out in a loud voice to the Lord their God. They prayed aloud on behalf of all Israel. This prayer was essentially a preface to the ensuing events.

The Levites Yeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashavneya, Sherevya, Hodiya, Shevanya, and Petahya, some of whom were standing on the platform, said to the people: Stand and bless the Lord your God forever and ever, and, addressing God, may they bless the name of Your glory; exalted above all blessing and praise.

You alone are the Lord; You made the heavens, the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them, all the creatures of the sea, and You sustain them all, and the host of the heavens prostrates itself to You.

You are the Lord the God, who chose Abram, which was his name when God chose him, and took him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and later, when he was already in the Land of Israel, You changed his name and set his name as Abraham.

You found his heart faithful before You and established a covenant with him, which included, among other promises, the promise to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hitites, the Emorites, the Perizites, the Yevusites, and the Girgashites, to give to his descendants, and several generations later You fulfilled Your words, for You are righteous, You act justly.

You saw the affliction, the distress, of our fathers in Egypt, and You heard their cry at the shores of the Red Sea.

You produced signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for You knew that they had been deliberately malicious to them. The Egyptians did not employ the children of Israel as hired workers; rather they forced them to toil in hard labor. Furthermore, not only did they intend to utilize the children of Israel as a source of manpower, they actively sought to destroy them. And You made a name for Yourself, You publicized Your greatness, as this day, as clear as the day; alternatively, the name and renown that You established for Yourself has lasted from that time to this day.

You divided the sea before them, and they crossed in the midst of the sea on the dry land; You cast their pursuers into the depths, like a stone in mighty waters.

You led them by day with a pillar of cloud, and with a pillar of fire by night, in order to illuminate for them the way that they should go.

The Levites continued to relate the kindnesses of God, in chronological order: You came down upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right principles and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments.

You informed them of Your holy Sabbath, and commanded them commandments, and statutes, and Torah, by means of Moses Your servant. The Torah contains numerous laws and commandments, which are meant to structure both public and personal life, but some are put into practice only occasionally. By contrast, the Sabbath occurs every week; it was also given to Israel even before the revelation at Sinai. The Sabbath is not merely a statute and a commandment, but a permanent, unique gift that God bestowed upon His people, which is why it is given special mention here.

You gave them bread from the heavens, manna, for their hunger, and extracted for them water from the rock for their thirst, and You said to them to come to take possession of the land that You lifted up Your hand, You swore, to give to them. The raising of a hand is an act that expresses the taking of an oath. In relation to God, this expression is, of course, meant metaphorically.

But they, and they were our fathers, deliberately sinned, and they stiffened their neck, were stubborn, and they did not heed Your commandments.

They refused to heed Your voice and did not remember Your wonders that You had performed with them; they stiffened their neck, and in their defiance appointed a leader to return to their enslavement. They did not wish to enter the Land of Israel; even worse, they preferred to return to slavery in Egypt rather than conquering the Promised Land. But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness, and You did not forsake them, despite all their sins,

even when they made themselves a cast figure of a calf and said: This is your God who took you up from Egypt, and they performed great offenses.

And despite all that, You in Your great mercy did not forsake them in the wilderness, even when You disciplined them; the pillar of cloud did not withdraw from over them by day, leading them on the way, and the pillar of fire was by night, illuminating for them, and the way on which they should go. Although You punished them, You did not abandon them.

You gave Your benevolent spirit to educate them, and despite all their sins, You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and You gave them water for their thirst.

Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they did not lack anything; their garments did not grow worn and their feet did not swell.

You gave to them kingdoms and peoples, whom You scattered to the edge of the earth; and they, the children of Israel, took possession of the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

You multiplied their children like the stars of the heavens, and You brought them to the land that You said to their fathers to come and to take possession.

The children came and took possession of the land, and You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and delivered them into their hand, and their kings, and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they would.

They captured fortified cities, and fat land, and took possession of houses full of everything good, hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive trees and food trees in abundance. Since they conquered a previously inhabited land, everything was ready for them as soon as they entered. They ate, and were sated, and grew fat, and luxuriated in Your great goodness.

Then they were defiant, and rebelled against You, and they cast Your Torah behind their back, and killed Your prophets who warned them to return to You, and they performed great offenses.

You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, and they made trouble for them; and in the time of their trouble, they would cry to You, and You would hear their cries from the heavens; and in accordance with Your abounding mercy You would provide saviors for them, and they would save them from the hand of their enemies. This occurred repeatedly, both in the era of the judges and in later periods.

And when they experienced relief from their troubles, they would return to doing evil before You, and You again forsook them in the hand of their enemies, and they oppressed them; they repented and cried out to You and called for You to take action, and You would hear them from the heavens, and would rescue them in accordance with Your mercy, many times over and again.

You warned them, to cause them to return to Your Torah, and they deliberately sinned, and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, despite the fact that these are commandments which a person shall perform and live by them; they presented a wayward [soreret] shoulder; alternatively, a shoulder which one pulls back [mesir] from its burden so that the load placed upon it falls away, or a shoulder that one moves in order to turn away from his friend; and stiffened their neck, and did not heed.

You continued with them for many years, waiting for them to repent, and warned them through Your spirit by means of Your prophets, but they did not listen, and You delivered them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. You eventually delivered them into the hands of the gentile nations.

But in Your abounding mercy You did not make an end of them. Despite all their transgressions, You did not destroy Israel, and did not forsake them, as You are a gracious and merciful God.

Now, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who maintains the covenant and kindness, let it not be trivial before You all the adversity that has found us, our kings, our princes, and our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria to this day. Israel suffered from wars and troubles even before those years, but it was the Assyrians who first actively exiled them from their land, and this exile continued into the subsequent generations.

And You are righteous in everything that comes upon us. Everything that You have brought upon us is just. We have no complaints, as You have acted with truth, and we, all of us, have acted wickedly.

Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers, all of them did not observe Your Torah, did not heed Your commandments or Your testimonies about which you warned them.

They, in their kingdom, and with Your great goodness that You gave them, and in the broad and fat land that You put before them, did not serve You and did not repent from their evil exploits.

Behold, we are servants today. Although we are not actually enslaved, we are not a free people either, but rather we are subjects of the king of Persia. And the land that You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its goodness, behold, we are servants in it to foreign rulers. We dwell in the land, but it is not entirely ours.

Its produce is abundant for the kings whom You placed over us in our sins, and they rule over our bodies and over our cattle as they please, they do as they wish with our livestock, and we are in great trouble.

Nevertheless, even though we are subjugated to foreign rulers, we are now making a pact with God, and writing it, signed by our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

Signed by, in detail: Nehemiah, whose Persian title of honor was the Tirshata son of Hakhalya. As the political leader of the people, he was the first to sign; and Tzidkiya signed after him.

Then Seraya, Azarya, and Yirmeya, who were probably priests. Some claim that this Azarya was Ezra the scribe, as the name Ezra does not appear among the signatories of the covenant, despite the fact that he was present and was one of the initiators of this assembly. It is therefore possible that Ezra is a shortened, Aramaic version of the Hebrew name Azarya, similar to the way the name Ovadya becomes Avda. When officially signing the new covenant of the Judean state, Ezra used his formal Hebrew name.

Pashhur, Amarya, Malkiya,

Hatush, Shevanya, Malukh,

Harim, Meremot, Ovadya,

Daniyel, Gineton, Barukh,

Meshulam, Aviya, Miyamin,

Maazya, Bilgai, a well-known priestly watch from later generations as well, and Shemaya. These were the priests.

The Levites: Yeshua son of Azanya, Binui from the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel. Some understand this verse as follows: Yeshua son of Azanya, and Binui; and of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel signed;

and their brethren, Shevanya, Hodiya, Kelita, Pelaya, Hanan,

Mikha, Rehov, Hashavya,

Zakur, Sherevya, Shevanya, a Levite who had the same name as one of the priests who signed the covenant (verse 5) and one of the other Levites (verse 11),

a second Hodiya (see verse 11), Bani, Beninu. Some of these names are familiar from the list of Levites who spoke at the gathering, while many others appear in various lists recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The heads of the people who signed: Parosh, Pahat Moav, Eilam, Zatu, Bani,

Buni, Azgad, Bevai,

Adoniya, Bigvai, Adin,

Ater, Hizkiya, Azur,

Hodiya, Hashum, Betzai,

Harif, Anatot, Nebai,

Magpiash, Meshulam, Hezir,

Meshezavel, Tzadok, Yadua,

Pelatya, Hanan, Anaya,

Hoshe’a, Hananya, Hashuv,

Halohesh, Pilha, Shovek,

Rehum, Hashavna, Maaseya,

and Ahiya, Hanan, Anan,

Malukh, Harim, Baana. Presumably, the signatories were all family heads or firstborn sons. In effect, these were the leaders of the people in that generation. The Tirshata signed first because he was the governor and most important political leader. He was followed by the most important priests, the distinguished Levites, and finally the heads of the people. It seems that they signed together as a single body. Some claim this list was the kernel of a High Court that later became known as the Great Assembly.

With regard to the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Netinim, and everyone who had separated from the peoples of the lands and had come to the Torah of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone knowledgeable and understanding of the Torah,

they all join with and support their brethren, their nobles, the highest leaders, and enter into a curse, and into an oath. Not everyone signed the covenant, but they all agreed with, and accepted, the content of the scroll that was signed by the leaders, committing to follow in the Torah of God that was given by means of Moses the servant of God, and to observe and perform all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes. They accepted this upon themselves as the law of the land.

The chapter now lays out the various clauses of the covenant, some of which are general obligations while others are more specific: And that we shall not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, and their daughters we will not take for our sons.

The peoples of the land, the gentiles, who bring merchandise for purchase, or any provision on the Sabbath day to sell, we shall not purchase from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day, a festival. And we shall forgo working the land in the seventh year, the Sabbatical Year, and refrain from the exaction of every debt. The remittal of debts is one of the obligations of the seventh year.

We set upon ourselves commandments; we accepted additional obligations upon ourselves. Each of us agreed to impose upon us one-third shekel for the requirements of the service of the House of our God. The exact sum of the fixed yearly donation to the Temple changed slightly over the generations.

These shekels were required for the showbread, and for the continual meal offering, and for the continual burnt offering, the burnt offering that is brought each day, in the morning and afternoon, with its accompanying meal offering; and the offerings on the Sabbaths, the New Moons, for the appointed times, and for the sacraments, and for the sin offerings, which are brought to atone for Israel, and for all the other items needed for the labor of the House of our God.

We cast lots concerning the wood offering, which included the priests, the Levites, and the people, to bring the wood to the House of our God, according to our patrilineal houses, at times appointed, on fixed dates, year by year, in order to burn the fire on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Torah. Since the fire had to burn continuously, a large amount of wood was required. Therefore, lots were cast among the people to determine their turns for supplying the wood.

We also committed to bring the first fruits of our land, and the first fruits of every fruit from every tree, year by year, to the House of the Lord, as stated several times in the Torah,

and the money for the redemption of the firstborn of our sons, and the firstborn of our animals, as it is written in the Torah, and the firstborn of our cattle and our flocks, to bring to the House of our God, to the priests who serve in the House of our God,

and the first portion of dough of our kneading baskets, the portion separated from the dough when it is kneaded, known as ĥalla, and our gifts from produce, and the fruit of every tree, wine and oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the House of our God, and the tithes of our land, called the first tithe, which is given to the Levites, and they, the Levites who tithe, who receive tithes, in all the cities of our cultivation.

The priest, son of Aaron, shall be present with the Levites when the Levites tithe, and the Levites shall raise, separate, the tithe of the tithe, teruma of the tithe as explained above, to the House of our God, to the chambers, to the treasure house. It shall be given to the priests, as stated in the Torah.

For it is to the chambers that the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the gifts of the grain, of the wine, and of the oil; both the donations given directly by the children of Israel to the priests, as well as the teruma of the tithe, which is the donation the Levites separate from their tithe for the priests. There, in the chambers, are the vessels of the Sanctuary, and the priests who serve, and the gatekeepers, and the singers; in this manner we will not forsake, neglect, the House of our God (see 13:10–12).

Although the princes of the people settled in Jerusalem, nevertheless, once the walls were built it became clear that they enclosed a relatively large area, and that the city was sparsely inhabited. And therefore, the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one in ten to settle in Jerusalem the holy city, and the other nine parts would live in the various other cities. It was decided that one-tenth of the population should move to Jerusalem, as determined by lot.

The people blessed all the people who volunteered to settle in Jerusalem. Since one had to be dedicated to live in Jerusalem, the people encouraged and blessed those who agreed to move there.

These people detailed below are the heads of the province of Judah who settled in Jerusalem. In the other cities of Judah each man settled in his ancestral portion in their cities: Israelites, the priests, and the Levites, and the Netinim, and the children of Solomon’s servants.

In Jerusalem, it was mainly some of the children of Judah and some of the children of Benjamin who settled. From the children of Judah: Ataya, son of Uziya, son of Zekharya, son of Amarya, son of Shefatya, son of Mahalalel, from the children of Peretz son of Judah,

and Maaseya, son of Barukh, son of Kol Hozeh, a personal name or a nickname, son of Hazaya, son of Adaya, son of Yoyariv, son of Zekharya, son of the Shilonite, Shela son of Judah.

All the sons, descendants, of Peretz who resided in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.

These are the sons of Benjamin who lived in Jerusalem: Their leader was Salu, son of Meshulam, son of Yoed, son of Pedaya, son of Kolaya, son of Maaseya, son of Itiel, son of Yeshaya.

After him in rank were Gabai and Salai. The sum total of all members of the tribe of Benjamin in Jerusalem was nine hundred and twenty-eight.

Yoel son of Zikhri was the official in charge of them, those leaders; and Judah son of Hasenua was appointed deputy over the city, second-in-command to Yoel son of Zikhri.

From the priests in Jerusalem were Yedaya son of Yoyariv, Yakhin,

Seraya, son of Hilkiya, son of Meshulam, son of Tzadok, son of Merayot, son of Ahituv; who was the chief official in charge of the House of God, the High Priest,

and their brethren, all craftsmen of the House, inside the Temple, were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaya, son of Yeroham, son of Pelalya, son of Amtzi, son of Zekharya, son of Pashhur, son of Malkiya,

and his brethren, heads of the patrilineal houses, heads of families, two hundred and forty-two; and Amashsai, son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshilemot, son of Imer,

and their brethren, mighty warriors, numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; the official in charge of them was Zavdiel son of Hagedolim, either a personal name or a nickname, as gedolim means great ones, the mighty.

From the Levites, Shemaya, son of Hashuv, son of Azrikam, son of Hashavya, son of Buni.

Shabetai and Yozavad were in charge of the labor of outside the House of God, they were from the heads of the Levites, for example, officers and those in charge of the treasuries;

Matanya, son of Mikha, son of Zavdi, son of Asaf, was the head, who would commence giving thanks in the prayer; he was the man appointed to start the prayer, as Matanya headed the Levites who sang the psalms of praise to God; and Bakbukya was deputy to Matanya among his brethren, and Avda, son of Shamua, son of Galal, son of Yedutun.

All the Levites who resided in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.

The gatekeepers, who were also Levites but who fulfilled a special role, were Akuv, Talmon, and their brethren who would guard at the gates; they were one hundred and seventy-two.

As stated, the rest of Israel, the priests, the Levites, dwelled in all the cities of Judah, each was in his inheritance.

The Netinim lived in the Ofel, a raised compound or fortress in the city (see commentary on 3:26), and Tziha and Gishpa were Givonites, or Netinim, who were the leaders in charge of the Netinim.

The officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzi, son of Bani, son of Hashavya, son of Matanya, son of Mikha, from the sons of Asaf the singers; he was appointed in charge of the labor of the House of God. Uzi was the supervisor responsible for the work and for the various assignments.

For the commandment of the king was upon them. Part of the service in the Temple was performed at the directive of the king of Persia, and in this regard their service was the fulfillment of a royal command. And an obligation was imposed upon the singers, to sing the matter, the song, of each day on its day.

Petahya son of Meshezavel, from the children of Zerah son of Judah, was at the hand of the king, he was the king’s appointee, in all matters for the people, for all the people’s needs.

In the villages, the settlements that were not surrounded by a wall, with their fields, some of the children of Judah settled in Kiryat Arba, Hebron, and its environs, the nearby settlements, and in Divon and its environs, and in Yekavtze’el and its villages, semi-permanent residential areas;

and in Yeshua, and in Molada, and in Beit Pelet,

and in Hatzar Shual, and in Beersheba and its environs. These cities were initially located in the portion of the tribe of Simeon, but it seems that at this stage Simeon was no longer a clearly-defined tribe in its own right.

And in Tziklag, which had belonged to the house of David, and in Mekhona and in its environs,

and in Ein Rimon, and in Tzora, and in Yarmut,

Zanoah, Adulam, and their villages, Lakhish and its fields, Azeka and its environs. They encamped from Beersheba up to the Valley of Hinom, which is adjacent to Jerusalem.

The children of Benjamin were from Geva, Mikhmas, Aya, Beit El and its environs,

Anatot, Nov, Ananya,

Hatzor, Rama, Gitayim,

Hadid, Tzvo’im, Nevalat,

Lod, Ono, and Gei Harashim. Some of these are known to have been cities of the tribe of Benjamin from ancient times.

From the Levites, there were divisions, groups, that came to the land of Judah and also to Benjamin.

These are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubavel son of She’altiel, and Yeshua, the High Priest: Seraya, Yirmeya, Ezra,

Amarya, Malukh, Hatush,

Shekhanya, Rehum, Meremot,

Ido, Ginetoi, Aviya,

Miyamin, Maadya, Bilga,

Shemaya, Yoyariv, Yedaya,

Salu, Amok, Hilkiya, Yedaya. These were the heads of the priests and their brethren in the days of Yeshua.

The Levites were Yeshua, Binui, Kadmiel, Sherevya, Yehuda, and Matanya, who was in charge of the psalms of thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

Bakbukya and Uni, their brethren, were divided into groups opposite them, corresponding to them, in the watches.

The following is a genealogical list of priests, possibly High Priests: Yeshua begot Yoyakim, and Yoyakim begot Elyashiv, and Elyashiv begot Yoyada,

and Yoyada begot Yonatan, and Yonatan begot Yadua.

In the days of Yoyakim, the son of Yehoshua the High Priest, these were priests, heads of the patrilineal houses: For the family of Seraya, who lived in the generation of the first immigrants, the head of the fathers’ house was Meraya; for Yirmeya, the head of the fathers’ house was Hananya;

for Ezra, Meshulam; for Amarya, Yehohanan;

for Melikhu, Yonatan; for Shevanya, Yosef;

for Harim, Adna; for Merayot, Helkai;

for Ido, Zekharya, perhaps the well-known prophet Zekharya son of Ido, who was active in the days of Darius; for Gineton, Meshulam;

for Aviya, Zikhri; for Minyamin and for Moadya, Piltai;

for Bilga, Shamua; for Shemaya, Yehonatan;

and for Yoyariv, Matenai; for Yedaya, Uzi;

for Salai, Kalai; for Amok, Ever;

for Hilkiya, Hashavya; for Yedaya, Netanel.

The Levites in the days of Elyashiv the priest, son of Yoyakim: Yoyada and Yohanan and Yadua were recorded as the heads of the patrilineal houses and so too the priests were likewise inscribed in a book during the reign of Darius the Persian. This is no longer referring to the days of the first immigration to Israel, but to a later period.

The sons of Levi, heads of the patrilineal houses, are written in a book of chronicles, up to the days of Yohanan son of Elyashiv.

The heads of the Levites were Hashavya, Sherevya, and Yeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brethren opposite them, to praise and give thanks, according to the command of David the man of God, watch opposite watch. Long before, King David had divided the Levites into watches of singers.

In addition to the Levites who served as singers, there were Levites who served as gatekeepers: Matanya and Bakbukya, Ovadya, Meshulam, Talmon, and Akuv were guards, gatekeepers of the watch at the thresholds of the gates.

These were in the days of Yoyakim, son of Yeshua, son of Yotzadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought, invited, the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, in order to perform the dedication and rejoicing, with thanks, with song, cymbals, lyres, and with harps.

The sons of the singers gathered from all the places; from the plain surrounding Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netofatites, which were camps of sorts for the patrilineal houses, located near Netofa;

from Beit Gilgal, and from the fields of Geva and Azmavet, as the Levite singers did not live within Jerusalem itself, but had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem (see 13:10).

The priests and the Levites purified themselves and purified the people, the gates, and the wall. They ensured that there was nothing ritually impure in the city.

Nehemiah describes in detail the inauguration ceremony of the city walls: I took the princes of Judah up upon the wall, and set two great thanks offerings, with processions to the right upon the wall to the Dung Gate.

Hoshaya and half of the princes of Judah followed them,

with Azarya, Ezra, Meshulam,

Yehuda, Binyamin, Shemaya, Yirmeya,

and some of the sons of the priests who were blowing with trumpets: Zekharya, son of Yonatan, son of Shemaya, son of Matanya, son of Mikhaya, son of Zakur, son of Asaf,

and his brethren, Shemaya, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Netanel, Yehuda, and Hanani, with the musical instruments, or songs, of David, the man of God; Ezra the scribe was marching before them.

They were continuing to march at the Gate of the Spring, and opposite them, there were those, other people, who ascended the stairs of the City of David, at the stairs to the wall, above the house of David, up to the Water Gate on the east.

The second thanks offering proceeded opposite it, the first company, with me, Nehemiah, walking after it, and half the people next to the wall, from above the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

and above the Ephraim Gate, and near the Old Gate, the gate of the old wall, and near the Fish Gate, and the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, until the Sheep Gate; they stopped, the procession with the thanks offering loaves halted, at the Gate of the Internment.

The two thanks offerings stopped at the House of God, with me and half of the senior prefects who were with me.

The priests, Elyakim, Maaseya, Minyamin, Mikhaya, Elio’enai, Zekharya, and Hananya, were blowing on the trumpets

with Maaseya, Shemaya, Elazar, Uzi, Yehohanan, Malkiya, Eilam, and Ezer. The singers sang the song aloud, and Yizrahya was acting as the officer over them.

They slaughtered great feast offerings on that day, and rejoiced, for God had caused them to rejoice with great joy, as Jerusalem was rebuilt and finally surrounded by a wall; also the women and the children rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

On that day, men were appointed to their various tasks over the chambers for the treasures, for the gifts, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to collect in them, from the fields of the cities, portions according to the Torah for the priests and Levites; for the joy of Judah was upon the priests and for the Levites who were present.

They observed the charge of the service of their God, and the charge of the purity, to ensure that consecrated items did not become ritually impure, the singers and the gatekeepers began fulfilling their duties, in accordance with the command of David and Solomon his son.

For it was from the days of David and Asaf of old, the heads of the singers, and songs of praise and the thanksgiving to God. The practices of the singing had already been established in King David’s time, and now the ancient customs were fully restored.

All Israel in the days of Zerubavel and in the days of Nehemiah would give the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, each day’s matter on its day; they consecrated them for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated the tithe from their tithe for the sons of Aaron.

On that day, on one of those days, they read in, from, the scroll of Moses in the ears of the people, and it was found written in it that an Amonite and a Moavite may not enter into the assembly of God forever,

because they, the Amonites and Moavites, did not greet the children of Israel on their path through the wilderness with bread and with water, and instead Moav hired Bilam against them, Israel, to curse them, and our God transformed the curse into a blessing.

It was when they heard this section read from the Torah that they separated from Israel all the intermingled, all the foreigners from the nations of Amon and Moav.

Before this, Elyashiv the priest had been appointed over the chambers of the House of our God; he was close with Toviya the Amonite, an enemy of Judah,

and Elyashiv had made for him, Toviya, a great chamber on the Temple Mount, where earlier they would place the meal offerings, the frankincense, white pellets extracted from the resin of the frankincense tree, which is used for meal offerings, the showbread, and the incense, and the vessels, and the tithe of the grain, the wine, and the oil, that which was the commandment for the Levites, they were the Levites’ rightful dues, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the gifts for the priests.

During all this time, while all this was happening, I had not been in Jerusalem, as in the thirty-second year of Artahshasta king of Babylon, who was actually the king of Persia, but was also called the king of Babylon, I came to the king to fulfill my duties after spending twelve years in Jerusalem (see 2:1, 6, 5:14), and at the conclusion of a certain period of time, perhaps a year, I requested from the king to return to Jerusalem;

and I came to Jerusalem, and I understood, observed, the evil that Elyashiv had performed for Toviya, our enemy, to prepare a chamber for him in the courtyards of the House of God.

I was greatly displeased, and I cast all the vessels of Toviya’s household out of the chamber. Nehemiah did not sit back and wait for events to unfold. When he saw that this man had illicitly appropriated for himself a chamber in the House of God, he threw out all of his belongings.

I said, issued a command, and they purified the chambers, and I returned to there the vessels of the House of God, the meal offerings, and the frankincense.

Another act of Nehemiah: I knew that the portions of the Levites had not been given. The tithes that used to be brought to that chamber for the Levites had ceased to arrive, and each of the Levites and the singers, the craftsmen, had fled to his field. Those who were supposed to serve in the Temple had left because no one was providing them with sustenance. Instead, they had returned to work their fields for their livelihoods.

I quarreled with the prefects, and said: Why is the House of God forsaken? I gathered them, the Levites, together once again, and set them in their former place.

All Judah again brought the tithe of the grain and the wine and the oil to the treasuries.

I appointed treasurers over the treasuries; Shelemya the priest, and Tzadok the scribe, and Pedaya from the Levites, next to them, to assist them, was Hanan, son of Zakur, son of Matanya, as they were considered faithful, and it was incumbent upon them to distribute the tithe to their brethren.

Remember me, my God, for this, and do not expunge my kindnesses that I performed in the House of my God, and in its watches, by restoring the orders and watches to their proper places.

In those days I saw in Judah some people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and transporting heaps of produce, and loading on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, and figs, and all burdens, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; I warned them on the day that they sold provisions.

Tyrians, merchants from the maritime city of Tyre, were residing in it, the city and the surrounding area, bringing fish and all merchandise, and selling them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

I quarreled with the nobles of Judah, and said to them: What is this evil matter that you are doing, and desecrating the Sabbath day?

Didn’t your fathers do so, and our God brought all this evil upon us and upon this city because of such actions? Yet you exacerbate wrath upon Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.

It was when the gates of Jerusalem began to be shadowed before the Sabbath, when the sun was setting on Friday, I said, issued an order, and the doors were shut, and I said that they should not open them until after the Sabbath, so that no one should enter the city on the holy day; I positioned some of my lads, the military personnel at my disposal, at the gates, to ensure that no burden should come on the Sabbath day.

The peddlers and merchants of all merchandise stayed the night outside Jerusalem on Friday night, in order to sell to the residents of the city who would come out of the city early in the morning of the Sabbath. They did this once or twice.

I warned them and said to them: Why are you staying the night opposite the wall? If you do so again, I will send against you and harm you. Thus, from that time, they did not come on the Sabbath.

Also with regard to the Sabbath, I said to, commanded, the Levites that they should purify themselves beforehand, and come guard the gates, in order to sanctify the Sabbath day. Nehemiah instructed them to ritually purify themselves in honor of the Sabbath when they came to guard at the Temple gates. Remember this also for me, to my merit, my God, that I enhanced the sanctity of the Sabbath, and have mercy on me, in accordance with Your abounding mercy.

Also in those days I saw that the Judeans had married Ashdodite, Amonite, and Moavite women; they had taken for themselves foreign wives who were forbidden to them;

and half their children of mixed heritage spoke Ashdodite, like the residents of Ashdod, and did not know to speak the Judean language, even though they were children of Judeans, but rather, being the offspring of mothers from the various nations, they would speak each and every people according to its language.

I quarreled with them, and cursed them, and I struck some men from among them, and pulled out their hair. Nehemiah responded very differently from Ezra, who wept when faced with a similar situation. By contrast, Nehemiah acted in a most decisive, forceful manner. And I administered an oath to them by God: You shall not give your Judean daughters to their sons of the foreign nations, and you shall not marry their daughters to your sons, or to yourselves.

Wasn’t it over these, the foreign women whom he married, that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king wise and influential like him, and he was beloved to his God, and God set him king over all Israel; even him, the foreign women caused to sin.

Shall it be heard of you, performing all this great evil? Do you wish to repeat that same mistake, to trespass against our God to marry foreign women?

From the sons of Yoyada, son of Elyashiv the High Priest, there was a son-in-law of Sanbalat the Horonite. The leaders of the Samaritans married into the best families of Judah (see 6:18). And I drove him away from me; I banished him from my presence. Apparently, the descendants of this High Priest ultimately became priests for the Samaritans.

Remember it for them, my God, their defiling of the priesthood, and how they profaned the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

I purified them, the Judeans, from everything foreign, and appointed watches for the priests and for the Levites, each at his task.

And for the wood offering, I took pains that it should come at appointed times, on fixed dates, and did likewise for the first fruits. Remember me, my God, favorably. Nehemiah concludes his book with a description of all the deeds he performed to restore the proper functioning of the House of God and to reinforce the people’s observance of the commandments of the Torah. Unusually for a great leader, he explicitly asks God to remember his merits. As Nehemiah was one of those who molded the way of life in the Kingdom of Judah for future generations, he is worthy of being remembered for the good.