Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Christian ministers » Instances of » Priests and levites
After these things occurred, certain officials approached me and said "The people of Israel, the priests, and the descendants of Levi have not separated themselves from the people of the lands or from the detestable behavior of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites, because they and their sons have married foreign women. As a result, the holy people have mingled themselves among the nations of these lands. As a matter of fact, the senior officials and the rulers have been foremost in this sin."
Descendants of the Priests: Descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who married one of the daughters of Barzillai from Gilead and took that name. These people searched for their ancestral registrations but they couldn't be located. Accordingly, they were assigned an "unclean" status and couldn't be priests.
Here is a list of priestly descendants who were found to have married foreign women. From Jeshua's descendants: Jozadak's son and his brothers Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. Pleading guilty, they promised to divorce their wives. Then they offered a ram from their flocks for their offense. From Immer's descendants: Hanani and Zebadiah. read more.
From Harim's descendants: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. From Pashhur's descendants: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. From the descendants of Levi: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
From Harim's descendants: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. From Pashhur's descendants: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. From the descendants of Levi: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who supervised the store rooms of the Temple of our God and who was related to Tobiah, had prepared a great chamber for him, in the place where they used to place the grain offerings, incense, and vessels, along with the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil that was mandated for the descendants of Levi, the singers, the gate keepers, and the priests' offerings. During all of this time, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to the king in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon. After a while I obtained permission from the king read more.
to return to Jerusalem. I learned of the evil thing that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in furnishing him with a room in the courts of the Temple of God. I was greatly upset, so I threw out all of Tobiah's property from the room. I ordered them to purify the chambers, and then they brought back the vessels from the Temple of God, along with the grain offerings and incense. I also learned that the allotments for the descendants of Levi had not been distributed. As a result, the descendants of Levi and singers who were responsible for the service had each left to go back to their fields. So I confronted the officials and asked, "Why is the Temple of God neglected?" Then I gathered them together and put them back in their places. Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil into the storerooms. I appointed over the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the descendants of Levi; and next to them Zaccur's son Hanan, the grandson of Mattaniah, because they had been considered faithful. Their duties were to distribute to their associates.
to return to Jerusalem. I learned of the evil thing that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in furnishing him with a room in the courts of the Temple of God. I was greatly upset, so I threw out all of Tobiah's property from the room. I ordered them to purify the chambers, and then they brought back the vessels from the Temple of God, along with the grain offerings and incense. I also learned that the allotments for the descendants of Levi had not been distributed. As a result, the descendants of Levi and singers who were responsible for the service had each left to go back to their fields. So I confronted the officials and asked, "Why is the Temple of God neglected?" Then I gathered them together and put them back in their places. Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil into the storerooms. I appointed over the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the descendants of Levi; and next to them Zaccur's son Hanan, the grandson of Mattaniah, because they had been considered faithful. Their duties were to distribute to their associates.
One of the sons of Eliashib the high priest's son Joiada was a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me. Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the descendants of Levi.
"Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, "When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me? And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you?
Selfishness » Different forms of » Total disregard of the rights of others
Is it such an insignificant thing to you that you're feeding in good pastures but trampling down the other pastures with your feet? Or that as you're drinking from the clear streams you're muddying the rest with your feet?
"Israel, the overgrown vine, bears fruit like itself; the more fruitful they become, the more altars they build. The better the land, the more ornate the stone idols.
"Will not all of these ridicule him with mocking scorn? They will say, "Woe to the one who hordes for himself what isn't his. How long will you enrich yourself by extortion?'
And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you?
Selfishness » Exemplified » Jews
And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you?
Social selfishness » Different forms of » Total disregard of the rights of others
Is it such an insignificant thing to you that you're feeding in good pastures but trampling down the other pastures with your feet? Or that as you're drinking from the clear streams you're muddying the rest with your feet?
"Israel, the overgrown vine, bears fruit like itself; the more fruitful they become, the more altars they build. The better the land, the more ornate the stone idols.
"Will not all of these ridicule him with mocking scorn? They will say, "Woe to the one who hordes for himself what isn't his. How long will you enrich yourself by extortion?'
And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you?