11 So I told the officials that they were wrong. I asked them, “Why didn’t you take care of God’s temple {\cf2\super [84]} ?” Then I called all Levites together. I told them to go back to their places and duties in the temple.
11 Then I contended with the officials and said, Why is the house of God neglected and forsaken? I gathered the Levites and singers and set them in their stations.
11 And I brought the case before the magistrates, and I said, "Why have we forsaken the house of God?" And I gathered them together, and I caused them to stand at their stations.
11 And I pleaded the matter against the magistrates, and said: Why have we forsaken the house of God? And I gathered them together, and I made them to stand in their places.
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
I told the important people of Judah that they were wrong. I said to those important people, “You are doing a very bad thing. You are ruining the Sabbath. You are making the Sabbath day like it was any other day.
So I told those men that they were wrong. I said bad things to them. I hit some of those men, and I pulled out their hair. I forced them to make a promise in God’s name. I said to them, “You must not marry the daughters of those people. Don’t let the daughters of those foreign people marry your sons. And don’t let your daughters marry the sons of those foreign people.
I have never been afraid\par of what people might say.\par That fear never made me keep quiet.\par It never made me refuse to go outside.\par I am not afraid of people’s hate for me.\par