Study Desk

The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God.

Each day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.

Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono." But they were planning to harm me.

For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, "Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished." But now, my God, strengthen my hands.

But I replied, "Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!"

I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.

The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:

These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.

They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, And You delivered them many times in Your compassion.

You admonished them to turn back to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he practices them. They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.

Yet You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets, but they would not listen; so You gave them into the hands of the people of the land.

But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.

These are the heads of the provinces who settled in Jerusalem (but in the villages of Judah each lived on his own property in their towns-the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants-

because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).

but I warned them, "Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath.

Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah.