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Now the man who prepared food brought to the servants who did the cooking, daily one ox and six fat sheep; also yearling goats were prepared for us, and once in ten days wine in abundance; yet for all this I did not ask for the provisions which were due the governorship, because the work was heavy upon this people.

O my God, remember me for good, because of all that I have done for this people.

For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work; and they say to us, Do not do the work. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Then I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel who used to hinder me from work; and he said to me, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they are coming to slay you; yea, in the night they are coming to slay you.

And, lo, I perceive that God had not sent him against me; neither has it been said to me by a prophet that he will slay me, for Tobiah and Sanballet and their companions had hired him and sent him to kill me.

Now when all our enemies heard of it, they were afraid, and all the nations that were round about us trembled exceedingly from our presence; for they perceived that this work was wrought of God.

For there were many in Judah who had sworn to him that they would not harm him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

I gave orders to my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the palace and of Jerusalem, for he was an upright man and feared God and turned away from evil;

And some of the chiefs of the fathers gave to the treasury for the work twenty thousand drams of gold and two thousand and two hundred pounds of silver.

And Ezra opened the book of the law in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it all the people stood up;

And Nehemiah the high priest and Ezra the priest the scribe and the Levites who ministered to the people said to all the people, This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Then he said to them, Go your way, eat and drink and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to the LORD; and do not be sad, for this is a day of joy of the LORD, and he will be your strength.

So the Levites stilled all the people, saying. Hold your peace, for the day is holy; and do not weep.

And all the people of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was a very great gladness.

Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, they read in the book of the law of the LORD. And they celebrated the feast for seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to that which is written.

Then the Levites, Joshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Heshabiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever, and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all creations and praises.

And didst find his heart pure before thee, and didst make a covenant with him to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it to his descendants, and thou hast performed thy words with him, for thou art righteous;

And didst show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants and on all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt wrongly with thy people. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.

And didst give them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promised them that they should go in to possess the land which thy hand hadst sworn to give them.

Yea, when they had made for themselves a molten calf, and said, This is your God, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and they wrought great wickedness;