22 “Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into [a]districts.
So they took possession of the land of (A)Sihon,
[b]The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 You also multiplied (B)their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
24 So (C)the [c]people went in
And possessed the land;
(D)You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
25 And they took strong cities and a (E)rich land,
And possessed (F)houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And [d]fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and (G)grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great (H)goodness.

26 “Nevertheless they (I)were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
(J)Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your (K)prophets, who [e]testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
27 (L)Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You (M)heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
(N)You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.

28 “But after they had rest,
(O)They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And (P)many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
29 And [f]testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted [g]proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
(Q)‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
[h]Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And [i]testified (R)against them by Your Spirit (S)in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
(T)Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy
(U)You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

32 “Now therefore, our God,
The great, the (V)mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the [j]trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
(W)From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 However (X)You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But (Y)we have done wickedly.
34 Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
35 For they have (Z)not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

36 “Here (AA)we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
37 And (AB)it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have (AC)dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.

38 “And because of all this,
We (AD)make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests (AE)seal it.

The People Who Sealed the Covenant

10 Now those who placed their seal on the document were:

Nehemiah the [k]governor, (AF)the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, (AG)Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel.

10 Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The leaders of the people: (AH)Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodijah, 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 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The Covenant That Was Sealed

28 (AI)Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, (AJ)and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— 29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, (AK)and entered into a curse and an oath (AL)to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes: 30 We would not give (AM)our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 31 (AN)if the peoples of the land brought [l]wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the (AO)seventh year’s produce and the (AP)exacting[m] of every debt.

32 Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly (AQ)one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for (AR)the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the (AS)regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34 We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, (AT)for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God (AU)as it is written in the Law.

35 And we made ordinances (AV)to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the Lord; 36 to bring the (AW)firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37 (AX)to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the [n]house of our God; and to bring (AY)the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites (AZ)when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to (BA)the rooms of the storehouse.

39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi (BB)shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers (BC)and the singers are; and we will not (BD)neglect the house of our God.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:22 Lit. corners
  2. Nehemiah 9:22 So with MT, Vg.; LXX omits The land of
  3. Nehemiah 9:24 Lit. sons
  4. Nehemiah 9:25 Lit. trees for eating
  5. Nehemiah 9:26 admonished or warned them
  6. Nehemiah 9:29 admonished them
  7. Nehemiah 9:29 presumptuously
  8. Nehemiah 9:29 Became stubborn
  9. Nehemiah 9:30 admonished or warned them
  10. Nehemiah 9:32 hardship
  11. Nehemiah 10:1 Heb. Tirshatha
  12. Nehemiah 10:31 merchandise
  13. Nehemiah 10:31 collection
  14. Nehemiah 10:37 Temple

Serving All Men

19 For though I am (A)free from all men, (B)I have made myself a servant to all, (C)that I might win the more; 20 and (D)to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the [a]law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 (E)to (F)those who are without law, as without law (G)(not being without [b]law toward God, but under [c]law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 (H)to the weak I became [d]as weak, that I might win the weak. (I)I have become all things to all men, (J)that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Striving for a Crown

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? (K)Run in such a way that you may [e]obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize [f]is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for (L)an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: (M)not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 (N)But I discipline my body and (O)bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become (P)disqualified.

Old Testament Examples

10 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under (Q)the cloud, all passed through (R)the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same (S)spiritual food, and all drank the same (T)spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies (U)were scattered in the wilderness.

Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as (V)they also lusted. (W)And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, (X)“The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” (Y)Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as (Z)some of them did, and (AA)in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us [g]tempt Christ, as (AB)some of them also tempted, and (AC)were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as (AD)some of them also complained, and (AE)were destroyed by (AF)the destroyer. 11 Now [h]all these things happened to them as examples, and (AG)they were written for our [i]admonition, (AH)upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

12 Therefore (AI)let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but (AJ)God is faithful, (AK)who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to [j]bear it.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 9:20 NU adds though not being myself under the law
  2. 1 Corinthians 9:21 NU God’s law
  3. 1 Corinthians 9:21 NU Christ’s law
  4. 1 Corinthians 9:22 NU omits as
  5. 1 Corinthians 9:24 win
  6. 1 Corinthians 9:25 exercises self-control
  7. 1 Corinthians 10:9 test
  8. 1 Corinthians 10:11 NU omits all
  9. 1 Corinthians 10:11 instruction
  10. 1 Corinthians 10:13 endure

The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God

A Psalm of David (A)when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

34 I will (B)bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

I (C)sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
(D)The [a]angel of the Lord (E)encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

Oh, (F)taste and see that the Lord is good;
(G)Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no [b]want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
(H)But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 34:7 Or Angel
  2. Psalm 34:9 lack

13 (A)Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard.

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