Nehemiah 7:64

New International Reader's Version

The priests looked for their family records. But they couldn’t find them. So they weren’t able to serve as priests. They weren’t “clean.”

Cross References

1 Chronicles 9:1

The whole community of Israel was listed in their family histories. They were written down in the records of the kings of Israel and Judah. The people of Judah were taken away from their own land. They were taken as prisoners to Babylon. That’s because they weren’t faithful to the Lord.

Nehemiah 13:29

You are my God. Remember what those priests have done. They have brought shame to their own work. They have also brought shame to the covenant that God made with the priests and Levites long ago.

Nehemiah 7:5

So my God gave me the idea and encouraged me to gather the people together. He also encouraged me to gather the nobles and officials together with them. He wanted me to list them by families. I found the family history of those who had been the first to return. Here is what I found written in it.

Nehemiah 7:63

Here is a list of the members of the family lines of the priests. They were Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. Barzillai had married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead. So he was also called Barzillai.

Nehemiah 7:65

The governor gave them an order. He told them not to eat any of the most sacred food. They had to wait until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim. The priest would use them to get decisions from the Lord.

Leviticus 4:3

“ ‘Suppose it is the anointed priest who sins. And suppose he brings guilt on the people. Then he must bring a young bull to the Lord. It must not have any flaws. He must bring it as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.