The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And he read in the booke of the Lawe of God euery day, from the first day vnto the last day. and they kept the feast seuen dayes, and on the eight day a solemne assemblie, according vnto the maner.

In the foure and twentieth day of this moneth the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackecloth, and earth vpon them.

(And they that were of the seede of Israel were separated from all the strangers) and they stoode and confessed their sinnes and the iniquities of their fathers.

And they stood vp in their place and read in the booke of the Lawe of the Lord their GOD foure times on the day, and they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God foure times.

Then stoode vp vpon the staires of the Leuites Ieshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cryed with a loud voyce vnto the Lord their God.

And the Leuites said, euen Ieshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodiiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, Stande vp, and praise the Lord your God for euer, and euer, and let them praise thy glorious Name, O God, which excelleth aboue all thankesgiuing and praise.

Thou art Lord alone: thou hast made heauen, and the heauen of all heauens, with all their hoste, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and al that are in them, and thou preseruest them all, and the host of the heauen worshippeth thee.

Thou art, O Lord, the God, that hast chosen Abram, and broughtest him out of Vr in Caldea, and madest his name Abraham,

And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a couenant with him, to giue vnto his seede the lande of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, and Perizzites, and Iebusites, and Girgashites, and hast performed thy wordes, because thou art iust.

Thou hast also considered the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the red Sea,

And shewed tokens and wonders vpon Pharaoh, and on all his seruants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudely against them: therefore thou madest thee a Name, as appeareth this day.

For thou didest breake vp the Sea before them, and they went through the middes of the Sea on dry lande: and those that pursued them, hast thou cast into the bottomes as a stone, in the mightie waters:

And leddest them in the day with a pillar of a cloude, and in the night with a pillar of fire to giue them light in the way that they went.

Thou camest downe also vpon mount Sinai, and spakest vnto them from heauen, and gauest them right iudgements, and true lawes, ordinances and good commandements,

And declaredst vnto them thine holy Sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, and ordinances, and lawes, by the hande of Moses thy seruant:

And gauest them bread from heauen for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rocke for their thirst: and promisedst them that they shoulde goe in, and take possession of the land: for the which thou haddest lift vp thine hand for to giue them.

But they and our fathers behaued them selues proudely, and hardened their neck, so that they hearkened not vnto thy commandements,

But refused to obey, and would not remember thy marueilous works that thou haddest done for them, but hardened their neckes, and had in their heads to returne to their bondage by their rebellion: but thou, O God of mercies, gratious and full of compassion, of long suffring and of great mercie, yet forsookest them not.

Moreouer, when they made them a molten calfe (and said, This is thy God that brought thee vp out of the land of Egypt) and committed great blasphemies,

Yet thou for thy great mercies forsookest them not in the wildernesse: the pillar of the cloude departed not from them by day to leade them the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way whereby they should goe.

Thou gauest also thy good Spirite to instruct them, and withheldest not thy MAN from their mouth, and gauest them water for their thirst.

Thou didest also feede them fourtie yeres in ye wildernes: they lacked nothing: their clothes waxed not old, and their feete swelled not.

And thou gauest them kingdomes and people, and scatteredst them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon and the land of ye King of Heshbon, and the land of Og King of Bashan.

And thou diddest multiplie their children, like the starres of the heauen, and broughtest them into the lande, whereof thou haddest spoken vnto their fathers, that they should goe, and possesse it.

So the children went in, and possessed the lande, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the lande, euen the Canaanites, and gauest them into their handes, with their Kings and the people of the lande, that they might do with them what they would.

And they tooke their strong cities and the fat lande, and possessed houses, full of all goods, cisternes digged out, vineyardes, and oliues, and trees for foode in abundance, and they did eate, and were filled, and became fat, and liued in pleasure through thy great goodnesse.

Yet they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy Lawe behinde their backes, and slewe thy Prophets (which protested among them to turne them vnto thee) and committed great blasphemies.

Therefore thou deliueredst them into the hande of their enemies that vexed them: yet in the time of their affliction, when they cryed vnto thee, thou heardest them from the heauen, and through thy great mercies thou gauest them sauiours, who saued them out of the hande of their aduersaries.

But when they had rest, they returned to doe euill before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hande of their enemies, so that they had the dominion ouer them, yet when they conuerted and cryed vnto thee, thou heardest them from heauen, and deliueredst them according to thy great mercies many times,

And protestedst among them that thou mightest bring them againe vnto thy Lawe: but they behaued them selues proudely, and hearkened not vnto thy commandements, but sinned against thy iudgements (which a man should doe and liue in them) and pulled away the shoulder, and were stiffenecked, and woulde not heare.

Yet thou diddest forbeare them many yeeres, and protestedst among them by thy Spirite, euen by the hande of thy Prophets, but they woulde not heare: therefore gauest thou them into the hande of the people of the lands.

Yet for thy great mercies thou hast not consumed them, neither forsaken them: for thou art a gracious and mercifull God.

Nowe therefore our God, thou great God, mightie and terrible, that keepest couenant and mercie, let not all the affliction that hath come vnto vs, seeme a litle before thee, that is, to our Kings, to our princes, and to our Priests, and to our Prophets, and to our fathers, and to all thy people since the time of the Kings of Asshur vnto this day.

Surely thou art iust in all that is come vpon vs: for thou hast dealt truely, but we haue done wickedly.

And our kings and our princes, our Priests and our fathers haue not done thy Lawe, nor regarded thy commandements nor thy protestations, wherewith thou hast protested among them.

And they haue not serued thee in their kingdome, and in thy great goodnesse that thou shewedst vnto them, and in the large and fat lande which thou diddest set before them, and haue not conuerted from their euill workes.

Beholde, we are seruants this day, and the lande that thou gauest vnto our fathers, to eate the fruite thereof, and the goodnesse thereof, beholde, we are seruants therein.

And it yeeldeth much fruit vnto the kings whom thou hast set ouer vs, because of our sinnes: and they haue dominion ouer our bodyes and ouer our cattell at their pleasure, and we are in great affliction.

Now because of all this we make a sure couenant, and write it, and our princes, our Leuites and our Priestes seale vnto it.

Now they that sealed were Nehemiah the Tirshatha the sonne of Hachaliah, and Zidkiiah,

Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these are the Priestes.

And the Leuites: Ieshua the sonne of Azaniah, Binnui, of the sonnes of Henadad, Kadmiel.

And their brethren Shebaniah, Hodiiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanun,

The chiefe of the people were Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

And Ahiiah, Hanan, Anan,

And the rest of the people, the Priestes, the Leuites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all that were separated from the people of the landes vnto the Lawe of God, their wiues, their sonnes, and their daughters, all that coulde vnderstande.

The chiefe of them receiued it for their brethren, and they came to the curse and to the othe to walke in Gods Law, which was giuen by Moses the seruant of God, to obserue and doe all the commandements of the Lord our God, and his iudgements and his statutes:

And that we would not giue our daughters to the people of the lande, neither take their daughters for our sonnes.

And if the people of the lande brought ware on the Sabbath, or any vitailes to sell, that we would not take it of them on the Sabbath and on the holy dayes: and that we would let the seuenth yeere be free, and the debtes of euery person.

And we made statutes for our selues to giue by the yeere the thirde part of a shekel for the seruice of the house of our God,

For the shewbread, and for the daily offring, and for the daily burnt offring, the Sabbaths, the newe moones, for the solemne feastes, and for the thinges that were sanctified, and for the sinne offrings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the worke of the house of our God.

We cast also lottes for the offering of the wood, euen the Priestes, the Leuites and the people to bring it into the house of our God, by the house of our fathers, yeerely at the times appointed, to burne it vpon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Lawe,

And to bring the first fruites of our land, and the first of all the fruites of all trees, yeere by yeere, into the house of the Lord,

And the first borne of our sonnes, and of our cattel, as it is written in the Lawe, and the first borne of our bullockes and of our sheepe, to bring it into the house of our God, vnto ye Priests that minister in the house of our God,

And that we should bring the first fruite of our dough, and our offrings, and the fruite of euery tree, of wine and of oyle, vnto the Priests, to the chambers of the house of our God: and the tithes of our lande vnto the Leuites, that the Leuites might haue the tithes in all the cities of our trauaile.

And the Priest, the sonne of Aaron shall be with the Leuites, when ye Leuites take tithes, and the Leuites shall bring vp the tenth parte of the tithes vnto the house of our God, vnto the chambers of the treasure house.

For the children of Israel, and the children of Leui shall bring vp the offerings of the corne, of the wine, and of the oyle, vnto the chabers: and there shalbe the vessels of the Sanctuarie, and the Priestes that minister, and the porters, and the fingers, and we will not forsake the house of our God.

And the rulers of the people dwelt in Ierusalem: the other people also cast lottes, to bring one out of ten to dwel in Ierusalem the holy citie, and nine partes to be in the cities.

And the people thanked all the men that were willing to dwell in Ierusalem.

These now are the chiefe of the prouince, that dwelt in Ierusalem, but in the cities of Iudah, euery one dwelt in his owne possession in their cities of Israel, the Priestes and the Leuites, and the Nethinims, and the sonnes of Salomons seruants.

And in Ierusalem dwelt certaine of the children of Iudah, and of the children of Beniamin. Of the sonnes of Iudah, Athaiah, the sonne of Vziiah, the sonne of Zechariah, the sonne of Amariah, the sonne of Shephatiah, the sonne of Mahaleel, of the sonnes of Perez,

And Maaseiah the sonne of Baruch, the sonne of Col Hozeh, the sonne of Hazaiah, the sonne of Adaiah, the sonne of Ioiarib, the sonne of Zechariah, the sonne of Shiloni.

All the sonnes of Perez that dwelt at Ierusalem, were foure hundreth, three score and eight valiant men.

These also are the sonnes of Beniamin, Sallu, the sonne of Meshullam, the sonne of Ioed, the sonne of Pedaiah, the sonne of Kolaiah, the sonne of Maaseiah, the sonne of Ithiel, the sonne of Ieshaiah.

And after him Gabai, Sallai, nine hundreth and twentie and eight.

And Ioel the sonne of Zichri was gouernour ouer them: and Iudah, the sonne of Senuah was the second ouer the citie:

Of the Priestes, Iedaiah, the sonne of Ioiarib, Iachin.

Seraiah, the sonne of Hilkiah, the sonne of Meshullam, the sonne of Zadok, the sonne of Meraioth, the sonne of Ahitub was chiefe of the house of God.

And their brethren that did the worke in the Temple, were eight hundreth, twenty and two: and Adaiah, the sonne of Ieroham, the sonne of Pelaliah, the sonne of Amzi, the sonne of Zechariah, the sonne of Pashur, the sonne of Malchiah:

And his brethren, chiefe of the fathers, two hundreth and two and fourtie: and Amashsai the sonne of Azareel, the sonne of Ahazai, the sonne of Meshilemoth, the sonne of Immer:

And their brethren valiant men, an hundreth and eight and twentie: and their ouerseer was Zabdiel the sonne of Hagedolim.

And of the Leuites, Shemaiah, the sonne of Hashub, the sonne of Azrikam, the sonne of Hashabiah, the sonne of Bunni.

And Shabbethai, and Iozabad of the chiefe of the Leuites were ouer the workes of the house of God without.

And Mattaniah, the sonne of Micha, the sonne of Zabdi, the sonne of Asaph was the chiefe to begin the thankesgiuing and prayer: and Bakbukiah the second of his brethren, and Abda, the sonne of Shammua, the sonne of Galal, the sonne of Ieduthun.

All the Leuites in the holy citie were two hundreth foure score and foure.

And the porters Akkub, Talmon and their brethren that kept the gates, were an hundreth twentie and two.

And the residue of Israel, of the Priests, and of the Leuites dwelt in al the cities of Iudah, euery one in his inheritance.

And the Nethinims dwelt in the fortresse, and Ziha, and Gispa was ouer the Nethinims.

And the ouerseer of the Leuites in Ierusalem was Vzzi the sonne of Bani, the sonne of Ashabiah, the sonne of Mattaniah, the sonne of Micha: of the sonnes of Asaph singers were ouer the worke of the house of God.

For it was the Kings commandement cocerning them, that faithfull prouision shoulde bee for the singers euery day.

And Pethahiah the sonne of Meshezabeel, of the sonnes of Zerah, the sonne of Iudah was at the Kings hand in all matters concerning the people.

And in the villages in their landes, some of the children of Iudah dwelt in Kiriath-arba, and in the villages thereof, and in Dibon, and in the villages thereof, and in Iekabzeel. and in the villages thereof,

And in Ieshua, and in Moladah, and in Beth palet,

And in Hazer-shual, and in Beer-sheba, and in the villages thereof,

And in Ziklag, and in Mechonah, and in the villages thereof,

And in En-rimmon, and in Zareah, and in Iarmuth,

Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, in Lachish, and in the fieldes thereof, at Azekah, and in the villages thereof: and they dwelt from Beer-sheba, vnto the valley of Hinnom.

And the sonnes of Beniamin from Geba, in Michmash, and Aiia, and Beth-el, and in the villages thereof,

Lod and Ono, in the carpenters valley.

And of the Leuites were diuisions in Iudah and in Beniamin.

These also are the Priestes and the Leuites that went vp with Zerubbabel, the sonne of Shealtiel, and Ieshua: to wit, Seraiah, Ieremiah, Ezra,

Shemaiah, and Ioiarib, Iedaiah,

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiiah, Iedaiah: these were the chiefe of the Priests, and of their brethren in the dayes of Ieshua.

And the Leuites, Ieshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Iudah, Mattaniah were ouer the thankesgiuings, he, and his brethren.

And Bakbukiah and Vnni, and their brethren were about them in the watches.

And Ieshua begate Ioiakim: Ioiakim also begate Eliashib, and Eliashib begate Ioiada.

And Ioiada begate Ionathan, and Ionathan begate Iaddua,

And in the daies of Ioiakim were these, the chiefe fathers of the Priests: vnder Seraiah was Meraiah, vnder Ieremiah, Hananiah,

Vnder Ezra, Meshullam, vnder Amariah, Iehohanan,

Vnder Melicu, Ionathan, vnder Shebaniah, Ioseph,