10:1“Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant in written form;1 our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names2 on the sealed document.”
10:2 On the sealed documents were the following names.
Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah,
10:3 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
10:4 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
10:5 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
10:6 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
10:7 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
10:8 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
10:9 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
10:10 The Levites were as follows: Jeshua3 the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel.
10:11 Their brethren were as follows: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
10:13 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
10:14 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
10:15 The leaders4 of the people were as follows: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
10:20 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
10:21 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
10:22 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
10:23 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
10:24 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
10:25 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
10:26 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
10:28 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
10:29 “Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gate-keepers, the singers, the temple-attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples5 because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand—10:30 hereby participate with their brethren the nobles and enter into a curse and an oath6 to adhere to7 the law of God which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to carefully keep all the commandments of the LORD our God, along with his judgments and his statutes.
10:31 “We will not give our daughters in marriage to the neighboring peoples, and we will not take their daughters in marriage for our sons. 10:32 We will not buy8 on the Sabbath or on a holy day from the neighboring peoples who bring their wares and grain on the Sabbath day. We will leave the fields fallow every seventh year, and we will cancel every loan.9 10:33 We accept responsibility for fulfilling10 the commands to give11 one third of a shekel each year for the work of the temple of our God, 10:34 for the loaves of presentation and for the regular grain offerings and regular burnt offerings, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the appointed meetings, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the temple of our God.
10:35 “We—the priests, the Levites, and the people—have cast lots concerning the wood offerings, as to bringing them to the temple of our God according to our families12 at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as is written in the law. 10:36 We also accept responsibility for13 bringing the first-fruits of our lands and the first-fruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the LORD. 10:37 We also accept responsibility, as is written in the law, for bringing to the temple of our God, to the priests who are ministering in the temple of our God, the firstborn of our sons and our cattle and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks. 10:38 We will also bring to the priests at the storerooms of the temple of our God the first of our coarse meal, of our contributions, of the fruit of every tree, of new wine and of oil, along with a tithe of the produce14 of our lands to the Levites. The Levites are they who collect the tithes in all the cities where we work.15 10:39 A priest of Aaron’s line16 will be with the Levites when the Levites collect the tithes, and the Levites will bring up a tithe of the tithes to the temple of our God to the storerooms of the treasury. 10:40 The Israelites and the Levites will bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the storerooms where the utensils of the sanctuary are kept, and where the priests who minister stay, along with the gate-keepers and the singers. We will not neglect the temple of our God.”