Nehemiah 10 - Easy To Read Version

¹ These are the names on the sealed agreement: Nehemiah the governor. Nehemiah was the son of Hacaliah. Zedekiah,

² Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

³ Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,

⁴ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁶ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁷ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁸ Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the names of the priests that put their names on the sealed agreement.\par

⁹ And these are the Levites that put their names on the sealed agreement: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui from the family of Henadad, Kadmiel,

¹⁰ and their brothers: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹¹ Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹² Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹³ Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.\par

¹⁴ And these are the names of the leaders that put their names on the sealed agreement: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

¹⁵ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁷ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁸ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

¹⁹ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²⁰ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

²¹ Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²² Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²³ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

²⁴ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁵ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁶ Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

^27-29 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.\par

³⁰ “We promise not to let our daughters marry the people living around us. And we promise not to let our sons marry their daughters.\par

³¹ “We promise not to work on the Sabbath day. If the people living around us bring grain or other things to sell on the Sabbath, we won’t buy those things on that special day or on any other holiday. Every seventh year, {\cf2\super [60]} we won’t plant or work the land. And every seventh year, we will cancel every debt that other people owe to us.\par

³² “We will accept the responsibility for obeying the commands to take care of God’s temple. {\cf2\super [61]} We will give 1/3 shekel {\cf2\super [62]} \{of silver\} each year to support the temple service to honor our God.

³³ This money will pay for the special bread that the priests put on the table in the temple. It will pay for the daily grain offerings and burnt offerings. It will pay for the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon {\cf2\super [63]} festivals, and other special meetings. It will pay for the holy offerings and for the sin offerings that make the people of Israel pure. {\cf2\super [64]} It will pay for any work needed on the temple of our God.\par

³⁴ “We—the priests, the Levites, and the people—have thrown lots. {\cf2\super [65]} Why? To decide when each of our families is to bring a gift of wood to the temple of our God at certain times each year. The wood is to burn on the altar of the Lord our God. We must do that just as it is written in the Law.\par

³⁵ “We also accept the responsibility of bringing the firstfruits from our crops and from every fruit tree. We will bring that fruit to the Lord’s temple {\cf2\super [66]} each year.\par

³⁶ “Just as it is also written in the Law, this is what we will do: We will bring our firstborn sons, and the firstborn cows, sheep, and goats. We will bring those firstborn to the temple of our God. We will bring them to the priests that are serving there.\par

³⁷ “And we will also bring to the storage rooms of the Lord’s temple, {\cf2\super [67]} to the priests, these things: The first of our ground meal, the first of our grain offerings, the firstfruit from all our trees, and first part from our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tenth of our crops to the Levites. Why? Because the Levites collect these things in all the towns where we work.

³⁸ A priest from the family of Aaron must be with the Levites when they receive those crops. And then the Levites must bring those crops to the temple of our God. Then they will put them in the storerooms of the temple treasury.

³⁹ The people of Israel and the Levites must bring their gifts to the storerooms. They are to bring their gifts of grain, new wine, and oil. All the things for the temple are kept in those storerooms. And that is where the priests that are on duty stay. And also the singers and gatekeepers stay there.\par