When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble -- burned as they are?...  Read More

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD;Look to the Rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth.When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many."The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins;He will make her deserts like E...  Read More

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.". . . Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of ...  Read More

    Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.The [Ten] Commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."Love does no harm to a neighb...  Read More

I said to myself, "I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me."But as I stood there in silence -- not even speaking of good things -- the turmoil within me grew worse.The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words:"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.Remind me that my days on earth are numbered -- h...  Read More

LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?Who may live on your holy mountain?The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind...  Read More

. . . Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles . . . But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem . . .  I had returned to the king.Some time later, I asked his permission and came back to Je...  Read More

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought out to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.The musicians were also brought together from the region around Jerusalem . . .  I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large c...  Read More

In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.". . . We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God . . . Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of...  Read More

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of t...  Read More

They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of th...  Read More

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women a...  Read More