Nehemiah 10

¹ In view of al this we make a firm agreement, in writing. Our princes, our Levites, our priests and therest of the people have put their names to the document under seal.

² On the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah;

³ Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

⁴ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

⁵ Hattush, Shebaniah, Mal uch,

⁶ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁷ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁸ Meshul am, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁹ Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

¹⁰ The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

¹¹ and their kinsmen Shebaniah, Hodaviah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹² Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹³ Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹⁴ Hodiah, Bani, Chenani.

¹⁵ The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

¹⁶ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁷ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁸ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁹ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

²⁰ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²¹ Magpiash, Meshul am, Hezir,

²² Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²³ Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²⁴ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

²⁵ Hal ohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁶ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁷ Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

²⁸ Mal uch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁹ And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple slavesand all those who had severed relations with the people of the country to adhere to the law of God, as also theirwives, their sons, their daughters, that is, al those who had reached the age of discretion,

³⁰ have joined their esteemed brothers in a solemn oath to follow the law of God given through Moses,servant of God, and to observe and practise all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, with his rules and hisstatutes.

³¹ We will not give our daughters in marriage to the peoples of the country, nor allow their daughters tomarry our sons.

³² If the people of the country bring goods or foodstuff of any kind to sel on the Sabbath day, we wilbuy nothing from them on Sabbath or holy day. In the seventh year, we wil forgo the produce of the soil and theexaction of al debts.

³³ We recognise the fol owing obligations: to give one-third of a shekel yearly for the service of theTemple of our God:

³⁴ for the loaves of permanent offering, for the perpetual oblation, for the perpetual burnt offering, forthe sacrifices on Sabbaths, on New Moons and on festivals, for the consecrated gifts, the sin offerings to expiatefor Israel, in short, for the whole work of the Temple of our God;

³⁵ Furthermore, as regards deliveries of wood for burning on the altar of our God as the law prescribes,we have arranged, by drawing lots, how these deliveries are to be made at the Temple of our God by the priests,the Levites and the people by families, at stated times every year.We wil no longer neglect the Temple of ourGod.

³⁶ and further, to bring yearly to the Temple of our God the first-fruits of our soil and the first-fruits of alour orchards,

³⁷ also the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, as the law prescribes, the first-born of our herds andflocks should be taken to the Temple of our God for the priests officiating in the Temple of our God.

³⁸ Furthermore, we shall bring the best of our dough, of every kind of fruit, of the new wine and of the oilto the priests, to the storerooms of the Temple of our God, and the tithe on our soil to the Levites -- the Leviteswil themselves col ect the tithes from all the towns of our religion.

³⁹ An Aaronite priest wil accompany the Levites when they collect the tithes, and the Levites wil bringa tenth part

⁴⁰ a,b of the tithes to the Temple of our God, into the treasury storerooms; for these rooms are wherethe Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of corn, wine and oil, and where the vessels of thesanctuary are, and the officiating priests, the gatekeepers and the singers.