Study Desk

I shook out the front of my clothing and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from all he has worked for, who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and made empty." And all the people said, "Let it be so!" and praised the Lord. Then they did as they had promised.

The rulers who were before me made the people work very hard. They took bread and wine from them, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their servants ruled over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.

So Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they were planning to hurt or kill me.

So I sent men with word to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"

You have also chosen men who tell what will happen to speak to the people in Jerusalem about you, saying, ‘A king is in Judah!' Now this will be told to the king. So come now, let us meet to speak with each other."

He had been paid to try to make me afraid and to do as he said and sin, so they would have sinful things to say about me and put me to shame.

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.

These men looked for their names among the names of all the families, but could not find them. So they were thought of as being unclean, and were not allowed to work as religious leaders.

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.

So the Levites made all the people quiet, saying, "Be quiet, for this is a holy day. Do not be sad."

So they made it known in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other trees with leaves, to make tents, as it is written."

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.

All the people who had returned from Babylon made tents and lived in them. The sons of Israel had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun. And there was much joy.

You divided the sea in front of them, so they passed through the sea on dry ground. And You threw those who went after them into the deep sea, like a stone into troubled waters.

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.

So their sons went into the land and took it. You gave them power over the people of the land, the Canaanites. You gave these people into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, to do with them as they would.

They took strong cities and a rich land. They took houses full of every good thing. They took wells that had been dug, grape-vines, olive trees, and many fruit trees. So they ate and were filled and became fat. They were glad because You were so good to them.

So You gave them into the hand of those who made it hard for them. But when they cried to You in the time of their trouble, You heard from heaven. And by Your great loving-kindness You sent men to save them from those who made it hard for them.

But as soon as they had rest, they sinned against You again. So You left them in the hand of those who hated them, so that they ruled over them. When they cried again to You, You heard from heaven. And many times You took them away from trouble because of Your loving-kindness.