5,903 verses contain “fro” (in the KJV: 3,747, in the BSB: 4,623) — showing 2,401–2,500
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Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great
trespass unto this day; and for our
iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a
spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our
iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity, to
pillage and
humiliation, as we are this day.
And now for a little space grace hath been shewed
from the LORD our God, to leave us a
remnant to escape, and to give us a
nail in his holy place, that our God may
lighten our eyes, and give us a little
reviving in our
bondage.
But now, for a brief moment, grace has come
from the LORD our God to preserve for us a
remnant and to give us a
stake in His holy place. Even in our
bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.
Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the
filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it
from one end to another with their uncleanness.
that You gave through Your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land
polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it
from end to end.
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of
Elam, answered and said unto
Ezra, We have
trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an
Elamite, said to
Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women
from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
Then
Ezra rose up
from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he
mourned because of the
transgression of them that had been carried away.
Then
Ezra withdrew
from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he
ate no food and
drank no water, because he was
mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
And that
whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be
forfeited, and himself separated
from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
Whoever failed to appear within three days would
forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled
from the assembly of the exiles.
Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate
yourselves from the people of the land, and
from the strange wives.
Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate
yourselves from the people of the land and
from your foreign wives.”
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let
everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away
from us.”
And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their
trespass.
Maaseiah,
Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They
pledged to send their wives away, and for their guilt they presented a ram
from the flock as a guilt offering.
And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
From the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and
Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
From the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah,
Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah,
Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah,
Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the
porters; Shallum, and Telem, and
Uri.
From the singers: Eliashib.
From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and
Uri.
Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and
Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
And among the other Israelites,
from the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin,
Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
And of the sons of
Elam; Mattaniah,
Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
From the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and
Sheal, and
Ramoth.
From the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub,
Sheal, and Jeremoth.
And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and
Manasseh.
From the descendants of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and
Manasseh.
And of the sons of Harim;
Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
From the descendants of Harim:
Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai,
Manasseh, and Shimei.
From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai,
Manasseh, and Shimei.
Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
From the descendants of Bani:
And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
From the descendants of Binnui:
Of the sons of
Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and
Joel, Benaiah.
And
from the descendants of
Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai,
Joel, and Benaiah.
That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men
from Judah. So I questioned them about the
remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the
uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them
from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the
farthest horizon, I will gather them
from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’
And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.
next to him, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house; and next to him, Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of
Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of
Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the
pool of
Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down
from the city of David.
The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of
Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of
Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and
installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the
Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend
from the City of David.
After him
Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece,
from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
Next to him,
Baruch son of Zabbai
diligently repaired another section,
from the angle to the
doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.
Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section,
from the
doorway of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house.
And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.
And next to him, the priests from the surrounding area made repairs.
After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired
Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house.
Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in
front of their house, and next to them,
Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece,
from the house of
Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.
After him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section,
from the house of
Azariah to the angle and the corner,
Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.
and Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the angle and the tower that juts out
from the upper palace of the king near the
courtyard of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh
After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.
And next to them, the Tekoites repaired another section, from a point opposite the great tower that juts out to the wall of Ophel.
From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.
Above the Horse Gate, each of the priests made repairs in front of his own house.
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they
fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the
rubbish which are burned?
before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life
from the mounds of
rubble?”
And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be
blotted out
from before thee: for they have
provoked thee to anger before the builders.
Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be
blotted out
from Your sight, for they have
provoked the builders.
And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
At that time the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
And
from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and
armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah
And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the wall.
So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
So we continued the work, while half of the men held spears
from the break of
dawn until the stars came out.
And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
Then I consulted with myself, and I
rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact
usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
and after serious thought I
rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting
usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.
Also I
shook my
lap, and said, So God
shake out every man
from his house, and
from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he
shaken out, and
emptied. And all the congregation said,
Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
I also
shook out the folds of my
robe and said, “May God likewise
shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be
shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “
Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
Moreover
from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah,
from the
twentieth year even unto the two and
thirtieth year of
Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
Furthermore,
from the day King
Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah,
from his
twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers
ate the food
allotted to the governor.
But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver;
yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
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.
Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.
There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be
weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God,
strengthen my hands.
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.
These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;
These are the people of the province who came up
from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by
Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
And these were they which went up also
from Telmelah, Telharesha,
Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not
shew their father’s house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.
The following came up
from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha,
Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but could not prove that their families were descended
from Israel:
And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.
And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
These sought their register among those that were reckoned by
genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as
polluted, put
from the priesthood.
These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate
from the morning until
midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were
attentive unto the book of the law.
So
Ezra read it
aloud from daybreak until
noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in
front of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the people
listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of
Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great
gladness.
The whole assembly who had returned
from exile made booths and lived in them.
From the days of Joshua son of
Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated like this. And there was great
rejoicing.
Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
Day after day,
from the first day to the last,
Ezra read
from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the
ordinance.
And the seed of Israel separated themselves
from all strangers, and stood and
confessed their sins, and the
iniquities of their fathers.
Those of
Israelite descent separated themselves
from all the foreigners, and they stood and
confessed their sins and the
iniquities of their fathers.
And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they
confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and
bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is
exalted above all blessing and praise.
Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and
bless the LORD your God
from everlasting to
everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be
exalted above all blessing and praise.
Thou camest down also upon mount
Sinai, and spakest with them
from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
You came down on Mount
Sinai and spoke with them
from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.
And gavest them bread
from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their
thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst
sworn to give them.
In their hunger You gave them bread
from heaven; in their
thirst You brought them water
from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had
sworn to give them.
Yet thou in thy
manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the
pillar of the cloud departed not
from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the
pillar of fire by night, to
shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
You in Your great
compassion did not
forsake them in the wilderness. By day the
pillar of cloud never turned away
from guiding them on their path; and by the night the
pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to
instruct them, and withheldest not thy
manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their
thirst.
You gave Your good Spirit to
instruct them. You did not
withhold Your
manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their
thirst.
Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who
vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they
cried unto thee, thou heardest them
from heaven; and according to thy
manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who
oppressed them, and in their time of distress they
cried out to You.
From heaven You heard them, and in Your great
compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them
from the hands of their enemies.
But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and
cried unto thee, thou heardest them
from heaven; and many times
didst thou deliver them according to thy
mercies;
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.
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
So now, our God, the great and mighty and
awesome God who keeps His
gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the
hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people,
from the days of the kings of Assyria until
today.
For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
For even while they were in their kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and in the
spacious and fertile land that You had set before them, they would not serve You or turn
from their wicked ways.
And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the
porters, the singers, the
Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves
from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;
“The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand,
And if the people of the land bring ware or any
victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not
buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the
exaction of every debt.
When the people of the land bring
merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not
buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie
fallow, and will
cancel every debt.
And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of
Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of
Perez;
while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.)
From the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of
Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a
descendant of
Perez;
And these are the sons of Benjamin; Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jesaiah.
From the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah;
Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib,
Jachin.
From the priests:
Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
For it was the king’s commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every day.
For there was a command
from the king concerning the singers, an
ordinance regulating their daily
activities.
Zanoah,
Adullam, and in their villages, at
Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof. And they dwelt
from Beer-
sheba unto the valley of
Hinnom.
Zanoah,
Adullam, and their villages; in
Lachish and its fields; and in Azekah and its villages. So they settled
from Beersheba all the way to the Valley of
Hinnom.
The children also of Benjamin
from Geba dwelt at
Michmash, and Aija, and
Bethel, and in their villages,
The descendants of Benjamin
from Geba lived in
Michmash, Aija, and
Bethel with its villages;
Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them in the watches.
Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.
And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give
thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward.
The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their associates, who stood across
from them to give praise and
thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
And at the
dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the
dedication with
gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals,
psalteries, and with harps.
And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi;
The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,
Also
from the house of
Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem.
from Beth-
gilgal, and
from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
And the other company of them that gave
thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall,
from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;
The second
thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.
over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and
rejoiced: for God had made them
rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children
rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even
afar off.
On that day they offered great sacrifices,
rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also
rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard
from afar.
And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the
tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah
rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and
tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms
from the fields of the villages, because Judah
rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and
thirtieth year of
Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:
While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to
Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave
from the king
Then I
testified against them, and said unto them, Why
lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you.
From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
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.
In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of
Ashdod, of
Ammon, and of Moab:
In those days I also saw Jews who had married women
from Ashdod,
Ammon, and Moab.
And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to
Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I
chased him
from me.
Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to
Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away
from me.
Thus
cleansed I them
from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;
Thus I
purified the priests and Levites
from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites.
Now it came to pass in the days of
Ahasuerus, (this is
Ahasuerus which reigned,
from India even unto
Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)
This is what happened in the days of
Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces
from India to
Cush.
And when these days were
expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in
Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace;
At the end of this time, in the garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people in the citadel of
Susa,
from the least to the greatest.
And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being
diverse one
from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king.
Beverages were served in an
array of goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s
bounty.
If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment
from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king
Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
So if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be
repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King
Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she.
And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
The edict the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom—and so all women, from the least to the greatest, will honor their husbands.”
Now there was at the citadel of
Susa a Jewish man
from the tribe of Benjamin named
Mordecai son of
Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of
Kish.
Who had been carried away
from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
He had been carried into exile
from Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken
captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.