10
1 The following people sealed the agreement: Governor Nehemiah (son of Hacaliah), Zedekiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchiah,
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.
9 These were the Levites: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (of the sons of Henadad), Kadmiel,
10 and their relatives Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 These were the leaders of the people: 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 The rest of the people took an oath. These people included the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the inhabitants of the land for the sake of God’s Teachings. Their wives, sons, daughters, and everyone who is capable of understanding also took an oath.
29 They joined their relatives, the nobles, in binding themselves with a curse and an oath to follow God’s teachings given by Moses, God’s servant. They also bound themselves to follow all the commandments, rules, and regulations of the Lord our Lord.
30 We will not allow our daughters to marry the inhabitants of the land or allow their daughters to marry our sons.
31 If the inhabitants of the land bring merchandise or grain to sell on the day of rest—a holy day, we won’t buy anything from them on the day of rest or any other holy day. During the seventh year, we won’t plant the fields or collect any debts.
32 Also, we take upon ourselves the obligation to give an eighth of an ounce of silver every year for worship in our God’s temple:
33 for rows of the bread of the presence, and for the daily grain offerings and daily burnt offerings, on the weekly days of rest—holy days, and on the New Moon Festivals, and at the appointed annual festivals, for the holy gifts and offerings for sin that make peace with God for Israel, and for all the other work in the temple of our God.
34 We priests, Levites, and laypeople have drawn lots to decide the order in which the heads of our families should bring wood to our God’s temple to burn on the altar of the Lord our God at appointed times every year according to the directions in the Teachings.
35 We have drawn lots to decide who should bring the first produce harvested and the first fruit from every tree each year to the Lord’s temple.
36 Following the directions in the Teachings, we have drawn lots to decide who should bring the firstborn of our sons, our cattle, and our flocks to the priests serving in our God’s temple.
37 Also, we have drawn lots to decide who should bring the best of our coarse flour, contributions, fruit from every tree, new wine, and olive oil to the priests, to the storerooms. We will bring for the Levites one-tenth of the produce from our fields, because the Levites are the ones who collect one-tenth of the produce from all our farm communities.
38 A priest—one of Aaron’s descendants—should be with the Levites when they collect the tenth. Then the Levites should bring one-tenth of these tenths to our God’s temple, into the rooms of the storehouses there.
39 The Israelites and the Levites should bring into the storerooms their contributions of grain, new wine, and olive oil. They should bring these products to the place where the utensils of the holy place are and where the priests who serve and the gatekeepers and the singers are. We won’t neglect our God’s temple.