Nehemiah 10

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10 <1> These are the names on the sealed agreement: Nehemiah the governor. Nehemiah was the son of Hacaliah. Zedekiah, <2> Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, <3> Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah, <4> Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, <5> Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, <6> Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, <7> Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, <8> Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests who put their names on the sealed agreement.

<9> And these are the Levites who put their names on the sealed agreement: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui from the family of Henadad, Kadmiel, <10> and their brothers: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, <11> Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, <12> Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, <13> Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

<14> And these are the names of the leaders who put their names on the sealed agreement: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, <15> Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, <16> Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, <17> Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, <18> Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, <19> Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, <20> Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, <21> Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, <22> Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, <23> Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, <24> Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, <25> Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, <26> Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, <27> Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

<28-29> So all these people now make this special promise to God. And they all ask for bad things to happen if they don't keep their promise. All these people promise to follow the Law of God. That Law of God was given to us through Moses his servant. These people promise to carefully obey all the commands, rules, and teachings of the Lord our God. Now, these are the people who are making this promise: The rest of the people-the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple[44] servants, and all the Israelites who separated themselves from the people living around them. They have separated themselves to obey God's law. Their wives, sons, and daughters who are able to listen and understand also did this. All these people joined their brothers and the important people to accept for themselves the promise to obey God's Law. And they accepted the curse that asks for bad things to happen to them if they don't obey God's Law.

<30> "We promise not to let our daughters marry the people living around us. And we promise not to let our sons marry their daughters.

<31> "We promise not to work on the Sabbath[45] day. If the people living around us bring grain or other things to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy them on that special day or on any other festival. Every seventh year,[46] we will not plant or work the land. And every seventh year, we will cancel every debt that other people owe to us.

<32> "We will accept the responsibility for obeying the commands to take care of God's Temple. We will give 1/3 shekel[47] of silver each year to support the Temple service to honor our God. <33> This money will pay for the special bread that the priests put on the table in the Temple. It will pay for the daily grain offerings and burnt offerings.[48] It will pay for the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon[49] celebrations, and other special meeting days. It will pay for the holy offerings and for the sin offerings[50] that make the Israelites pure.[51] It will pay for any work needed on the Temple of our God.

<34> "We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have thrown lots[52] to decide when each of our families is to bring a gift of wood to the Temple of our God at certain times each year. The wood is to burn on the altar of the Lord our God. We must do that just as it is written in the Law.

<35> "We also accept the responsibility of bringing the first part of our harvest, whether from the grain in our fields or the fruit from our trees. We will bring them to the Lord's Temple each year.

<36> "Just as it is also written in the Law, this is what we will do: We will bring our firstborn[53] sons, and the firstborn cows, sheep, and goats. We will bring the firstborn to the Temple of our God. We will bring them to the priests who are serving there.

<37> "And we will also bring the first part of our harvest to priests to put in the storage rooms of the Lord's Temple. We will bring the first of our ground meal, the first of our grain offerings, the first fruit from our trees, and the first of our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tenth of our crops to the Levites, because they are the ones who collect these things in all the towns where we work. <38> A priest from the family of Aaron must be with the Levites when they receive the crops. Then the Levites must bring the crops to the Temple of our God and put them in the storerooms of the Temple treasury. <39> The Israelites and the Levites must bring their gifts to the storerooms. They are to bring their gifts of grain, new wine, and oil. All the things for the Temple are kept in the storerooms, and that is where the priests who are on duty stay. The singers and gatekeepers also stay there.

"We all promise that we will take care of the Temple of our God."