Nehemiah 10

Those Who Sealed the Agreement

1Those who sealed it were Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah; 2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah; 3Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah; 4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch; 5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah; 6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch; 7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin; 8Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

The Levites and Leaders

9The Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui from the descendants of Henadad, and Kadmiel; 10and their relatives Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan; 11Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah; 12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah; 13Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu. 14The heads of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani; 15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai; 16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin; 17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur; 18Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai; 19Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai; 20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir; 21Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua; 22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah; 23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub; 24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek; 25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah; 26Ahiah, Hanan, Anan; 27Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The People Bind Themselves to the Torah

28The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Torah of God, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone with knowledge and understanding— 29joined with their relatives, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in the Torah of God given through Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, along with his judgments and statutes. 30We would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31If the peoples of the land bring merchandise or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. We will also let the seventh year rest and release every debt.

Provision for the House of God

32We also placed ourselves under an obligation to give one-third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: 33for the bread of the Presence, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, new moons, appointed festivals, holy things, sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34We—the priests, Levites, and people—cast lots concerning the wood offering, to bring it to the house of our God by ancestral houses at appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as written in the Torah. 35We will bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of every kind of fruit tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36also the firstborn of our sons and livestock, as written in the Torah, and the firstborn of our herds and flocks, to bring them to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.

37We will bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every kind of tree, the new wine, and the oil to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and we will bring the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are the ones who receive the tithes in all our agricultural towns. 38A priest, a descendant of Aaron, will be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes, and the Levites will bring up a tenth of the tithe to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39For the Israelites and the descendants of Levi will bring the contribution of grain, new wine, and oil to the chambers where the vessels of the sanctuary are, and where the priests who minister, the gatekeepers, and the singers are. We will not forsake the house of our God.