Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



In those days I also saw Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;

Then Shechaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have rebelled against our God and have taken strange women of the peoples of the land, but there is yet hope for Israel concerning this thing. Now, therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to send away all the women and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of the Lord and of those that fear the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise; for this matter belongs unto thee; we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. read more.
Then Ezra arose and made the princes of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, swear that they should do according to this word. And they swore. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Johanan, the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread, nor drank water; for he mourned because of the transgression of those that had been carried away. And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the sons of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and of the elders, all his substance should be forfeited and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. Thus were all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the plaza of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the rains. And Ezra, the priest, stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed because ye have taken strange women, thus increasing the guiltiness of Israel. Now, therefore, make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers and do his will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the lands and from the strange women. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, Let it be done according to thy word. But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and there is no strength to stand in the street; neither is this a work of one day or two; for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. Let our rulers of all the congregation now stand, and let all those who have taken strange women in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter is turned from us. Jonathan, the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah, the son of Tikvah, were placed over this matter; and Meshullam and Shabbethai, the Levites, helped them. And the sons of the captivity did so. And Ezra, the priest, and the men who were the heads of the fathers in the house of their fathers were separated, all of them by their names, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to inquire into the matter. And they finished, with all the men that had taken strange women by the first day of the first month.

Thus I cleansed them from all strangers and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, each one in his work,


And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, regarding the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law.

Thus I cleansed them from all strangers and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, each one in his work, and for the wood offering, at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.


In those days I saw in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath and bringing in sheaves and lading asses with wine, grapes, figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I protested unto them the day in which they sold the food. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish and all manner of merchandise, and sold on the sabbath to the sons of Judah in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do and profane thus the sabbath day? read more.
Did not your fathers do this, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. And it came to pass, that when shadow came to the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut and charged that they should not be opened until after the sabbath; and I set some of my servants at the gates, that no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified and protested against them and said unto them, Why do ye lodge about the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came no more on the sabbath. And I told the Levites that they should cleanse themselves and that they should come and guard the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. In those days I also saw Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab; and their sons spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and according to the language of each people; for they could not speak in the Jews' language. And I contended with them and cursed them and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless, strange women caused even him to offend. Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange women? And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib, the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore, I chased him from me. Remember them, O my God because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. Thus I cleansed them from all strangers and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, each one in his work, and for the wood offering, at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.


And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, each thing in its day; the porters also by their courses at each gate, for so had David, the man of God, commanded.

Thus I cleansed them from all strangers and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, each one in his work,

The sons of Aaron also had their courses. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children; therefore, Eleazar and Ithamar had the priesthood. And David distributed them, Zadok being of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their turns in their ministry. read more.
And there were more men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar, there were sixteen chief men of the houses of their fathers and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the houses of their fathers. They divided them, therefore, by lot, one with another for of the sons of Eleazar and of the sons of Ithamar there were princes of the sanctuary and princes of God. And Shemaiah, the scribe, the son of Nethaneel, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king and the princes and before Zadok, the priest, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers of the priests and Levites; one paternal house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar. Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Aphses, the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel, the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. These were their orderings in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their right, in the ministry of Aaron, their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. The sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two. The sons of Pashur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven. read more.
The sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the ministry of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of ministry of the house of the LORD.

Behold the courses of the priests and the Levites, in all the ministry of the house of God; they shall be with thee in all the work; all of them voluntarily, with wisdom in all ministry; likewise, the princes and all the people to execute all thy commands.

And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD.

and prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David, king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon, his son. And stand in the sanctuary according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren, the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.