1These are the men who sealed the agreement: Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,
2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,
4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9And the Levites were: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel;
10and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.
14The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani,
15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,
18Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,
19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,
24Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek,
25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
27Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28The rest of the people joined them: the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinims, and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to follow the law of God. Their wives, their sons and their daughters joined too, everyone who had knowledge and understanding.
29They held fast to their brothers, their nobles, and bound themselves with a curse and an oath. They promised to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to keep and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his laws.
30We promised that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons.
31If the peoples of the land brought goods or any food to sell on the sabbath day, we would not buy from them on the sabbath or on a holy day. We would also let the land rest in the seventh year, and we would give up the collecting of every debt.
32We also made rules for ourselves: each year we would give a third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;
33for the showbread, for the regular food offering, and for the regular burnt offering; for the sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts; for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the work of the house of our God.
34We cast lots among the priests, the Levites and the people, for the wood offering. This was to decide which family should bring wood into the house of our God at set times, year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law.
35We also promised to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all the fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD;
36and to bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God;
37and to bring the first of our dough, our offerings, the fruit of every kind of tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God. And we would bring the tithes of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites themselves receive the tithes in all the towns where we farm.
38The priest, a son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites take the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the treasure house.
39For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, the new wine and the oil to those rooms, where the vessels of the sanctuary are kept, and where the priests who serve, the gatekeepers and the singers are. So we will not forsake the house of our God.