Study Desk

Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and didst not withhold manna from their mouths, and gavest them water for their thirst.

Yea, for forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out, and their shoes had no holes in them.

Nevertheless because of thy great mercy thou didst not utterly destroy them nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

Nevertheless thou art righteous in all that has come upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly;

Therefore we are servants this day; and as for the land that thou gavest to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good things, behold, we are servants In it,

And that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land nor take their daughters for our sons;

We also confirmed upon ourselves the ordinances, to give the third part of a shekel on the sabbath for the work of the house of our God;

For the shewbread and for the continual meal offering and for the continual burnt offering of the sabbaths, the new moons, the feasts, and the holy things, and. for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel and for all the work of the house of our God.

And they cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of the LORD our God, as it is written in the book of law;

For the children of Israel and the descendants of Levi shall bring the offerings of the grain, of the wine, and the oil to the storehouses where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests, the Levites, the porters, and the guards shall not forsake the house of our God.

For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a decree concerning the singers daily.

Also from Beth-gilgal and out of the valley of Gibeah and Armoth; for the singers had built for themselves villages round about Jerusalem.

Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced; for the LORD had made them rejoice with great joy; the wives also and the children rejoiced; so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

And on that day certain men were appointed over the chambers of the kings storehouses to gather into them the offerings, the first fruits, and the tithes of the towns, as it is written in the book of the law, for the priests and Levites, since the Jews were rejoicing because the priests and the Levites had stood up keeping watch in the house of their God.

For Asaph was in charge in the day of David, and he stood up at the head of the singers and sang praises and gave thanks before the LORD God.

And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave gifts to the singers and to the porters, every day his portion; and they set aside holy things to the Levites; and the Levites set them aside for the descendants of Aaron.

ON that day, when the book of the law of Moses was being read in the audience of the people, therein was found written that the Ammonites and the Moabites should never enter the congregation of the LORD for ever,

And before this, Eliasbib the priest had come and built there for himself a large court,

Where they had formerly put the meal offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels containing the tithes of grain, the wine, and the oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and the singers and the porters, and the offerings for the priests.

But while these things took place I was not in Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artakhshist king of Babylon, I came to the king, and after certain days, I asked leave of the king;