1Here are the names of the people whose names and seals were on the list:
The governor Nehemiah, son of Hakaliah, and Zedekiah. 2The other priests were Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah, 4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk, 5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah.
9The Levites were Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui, Henadad, and Kadmiel, 10and the other Levites were Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12Zakkur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.
14The leaders of the people were Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27Malluk, Harim and Baanah.
28-29The other people and their leaders promised that they would do what it said in the laws of God, the laws that Moses, the servant of God had given the people. They said that God could cause them to die if they do not listen to all the commandments of the Lord, and if they do not listen to what He had decided and said. These people were the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the people who sang in the temple, the temple-servants, all the people who had gone away from the Gentiles and the other people in the land. They had gone away so that they could do what the laws of God said. Their wives, their children and everyone who could understand also went with them.
30They said: ‘We will not let our children marry the children of Gentiles or other people in the land. 31If people bring wheat or things that they want to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy them, not on the Sabbath day or on any other holy day. In the 7th year we will not plough our fields or sow and we will tell people that they do not have to pay the money they owe us.
32We have decided that each one of us will give one 3rd of a shekel of gold for the work in the temple of our God, every year. 33This money is to pay for the sacrificial bread, the wheat-offering and the burnt-offering every day and for the offerings on the Sabbath day, the New-moon-feasts and other feasts and for the holy_gifts and sin-offerings to take away the sins of our people. It is also for all the other work in the temple of God.
34Our priests, our Levites and other people have drawn_lots to see which family will have to bring the wood for the fire on the altar of the Lord our God each year, as the laws say.’ They also said: 35‘Each year we will bring the first wheat and barley that we cut to the temple and the first fruit that we pick. 36We will bring our oldest sons and the first calves and lambs of our animals, our cattle, our sheep and goats, to the priests who work in the temple. We will do as the laws say.
37After we have cut the wheat, we will bring the first dough that we mix to the priests, and our gifts, and fruit from every tree, and wine and olive oil. We will bring it to the rooms at the temple of our God and we will give one 10th of all our wheat to the Levites. The Levites will get all the 10th offerings from the people in all the other towns where people work. 38A priest who is a descendant of Aaron will go with the Levites when they go and get all the 10th offerings. The Levites will take one 10th of the 10th offerings to the house of our God and put it in the store rooms. 39Yes, the Israelites and the Levites will bring the gifts of wheat, wine and olive oil to the store rooms, where the priests keep the tools for the temple and the tools for the work of the gatekeepers and the people who have to sing. We will do everything that we have to do for the temple of our God.’
