22nd November

¹ Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,² Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,³ Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,⁴ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,⁶ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,⁷ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,⁸ Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.⁹ And the Levites: both Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;¹⁰ And their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,¹¹ Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,¹² Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,¹³ Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.¹⁴ The chief of the people; Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani,¹⁵ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,¹⁷ Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,¹⁸ Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,¹⁹ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,²⁰ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,²¹ Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,²² Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,²³ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,²⁴ Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek,²⁵ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,²⁶ And Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,²⁷ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.²⁸ And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;²⁹ They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;³⁰ And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, not take their daughters for our sons:³¹ And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.³² Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;³³ For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.³⁴ And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law:³⁵ And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:³⁶ Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God:³⁷ And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.³⁸ And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.³⁹ For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

¹ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:² But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:³ And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.⁴ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:⁵ But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.⁶ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;⁷ That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:⁸ And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.⁹ Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.¹⁰ Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.¹¹ And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.¹² But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.¹³ Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.¹⁴ Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:¹⁵ Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.¹⁶ And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.

¹ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;² Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;³ Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:⁵ For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.⁶ If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.⁷ But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.⁸ For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.⁹ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.¹⁰ For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.¹¹ These things command and teach.¹² Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.¹⁴ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

¹ Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;² The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.³ Honour widows that are widows indeed.⁴ But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.⁵ Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.⁶ But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.⁷ And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.⁸ But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.⁹ Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man.¹⁰ Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.¹¹ But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;¹² Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.¹³ And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.¹⁴ I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.¹⁵ For some are already turned aside after Satan.¹⁶ If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.¹⁷ Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.¹⁸ For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.¹⁹ Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.²⁰ Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.²¹ I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.²² Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.²³ Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.²⁴ Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.²⁵ Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.