Study Desk

When all those who hated us heard about it, all the nations around us were afraid and troubled. For they saw that this work had been done with the help of our God.

I gave my brother Hanani, and Hanaiah the captain of the strong place, the work of watching over Jerusalem. For he was a faithful man and honored God with fear more than many.

Then my God put it into my heart to gather together the rulers, the leaders and the people to have their names written down by families. And I found the book of the family names of those who came up first. This is what I found written in it:

The servants of the house of God: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

All the servants in the house of God and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392.

Then Ezra gave honor and thanks to the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, "Let it be so!" while lifting up their hands. They bowed low with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord.

They read from the book of the Law of God, telling the meaning of it so that they understood what was read.

Then Nehemiah, who was the ruler, and Ezra the religious leader and writer, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all of them, "This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not cry or be filled with sorrow." For all the people were crying when they heard the words of the Law.

So the people went out and brought them and made tents for themselves, each on his roof. And they made tents in their open spaces, in the open spaces of the house of God, in the place by the Water Gate, and in the place by the Gate of Ephraim.

Every day Ezra read from the book of the Law of God, from the first day to the last day. They held the special supper seven days, and on the eighth day there was a special gathering, as it is written in the Law.

The children of Israel separated themselves from all those of other nations. They stood and told their sins and the sins of their fathers to God.

While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day. And for another fourth they told their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.

Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the Levites' raised floor. And they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, "Stand up and give honor and thanks to the Lord your God forever and ever! O may Your great name be praised!"

You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram and brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name Abraham.

They would not listen, and did not remember Your powerful works which You had done among them. So they became strong-willed and chose a leader to return to their hard work in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God. You are kind and loving, slow to anger, and full of loving-kindness. You did not leave them.

They even melted gold and made a calf, and said, ‘This is your God Who brought you up from Egypt.' They spoke sinful words against You.

But in Your great loving-kindness, You did not make an end of them or leave them for You are a kind and loving God.

"So now, our God, the great and powerful God, honored with fear, Who keeps His agreement and loving-kindness, do not let all this trouble look small in Your eyes which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our religious leaders, our men who tell what will happen, our fathers, and on all Your people since the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.

The rest of the people, the religious leaders, Levites, gate-keepers, singers, servants in the Lord's house, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, sons, and daughters, all those who had much learning and understanding,