Page 788 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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JULY 30
prepared for him a large room, where previ- that they must not be opened till after the
ously they had stored the grain offerings, the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at
frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the gates, so that no burdens would be
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the new wine and oil, which were commanded brought in on the Sabbath day. Now the mer-
to be given to the Levites and singers and gate- chants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged
keepers, and the offerings for the priests. But outside Jerusalem once or twice.
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during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the 21 Then I warned them, and said to them,
thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Bab- “Why do you spend the night around the wall?
ylon I had returned to the king. Then after cer- If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!”
tain days I obtained leave from the king, and I From that time on they came no more on the
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came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that
Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a they should cleanse themselves, and that they
room for him in the courts of the house of God. should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the
8 And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw Sabbath day.
all the household goods of Tobiah out of the Remember me, O my God, concerning this
room. Then I commanded them to cleanse the also, and spare me according to the greatness
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rooms; and I brought back into them the arti- of Your mercy!
cles of the house of God, with the grain offer- 23 In those days I also saw Jews who had mar-
ing and the frankincense. ried women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
10 I also realized that the portions for the 24 And half of their children spoke the language
Levites had not been given them; for each of of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of
the Levites and the singers who did the work Judah, but spoke according to the language of
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had gone back to his field. So I contended one or the other people.
with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of 25 So I contended with them and cursed them,
God forsaken?” And I gathered them together struck some of them and pulled out their hair,
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and set them in their place. Then all Judah and made them swear by God, saying, “You
brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine shall not give your daughters as wives to their
and the oil to the storehouse. And I appointed sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or
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as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel
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the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the sin by these things? Yet among many nations
Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan there was no king like him, who was beloved of
the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for his God; and God made him king over all Is-
they were considered faithful, and their task rael. Nevertheless pagan women caused even
was to distribute to their brethren. him to sin. Should we then hear of your doing
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14 Remember me, O my God, concerning all this great evil, transgressing against our
this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that God by marrying pagan women?”
I have done for the house of my God, and for 28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of
its services! Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of
15 In those days I saw people in Judah tread- Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him
ing wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing from me.
in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, 29 Remember them, O my God, because they
grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which have defiled the priesthood and the covenant
they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath of the priesthood and the Levites.
day. And I warned them about the day on which 30 Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I
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they were selling provisions. Men of Tyre also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites,
dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all each to his service, and to bringing the wood
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kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.
to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Remember me, O my God, for good!
17 Then I contended with the nobles of Ju-
dah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this Psalm 89:30–37
that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath 30 “If his sons forsake My law
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day? Did not your fathers do thus, and did And do not walk in My judgments,
not our God bring all this disaster on us and 31 If they break My statutes
on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Is- And do not keep My
rael by profaning the Sabbath.” commandments,
19 So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it 32 Then I will punish their transgression
began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I with the rod,
commanded the gates to be shut, and charged And their iniquity with stripes.

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