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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Emily: welcome to immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.
Day 300 and 53
Sand Baat, Tobiah, Geshe, the Arab and
the rest of our enemies found out that
I had finished rebuilding the wall and
that no gaps remained, though we had
not yet set up the doors in the gates.
So sand baat and Gsem sent a message
asking me to meet them at one of the
villages in the plain of Ono, but I
realized they were plotting to harm me.
So I replied by sending
this message to them.
I'm engaged in a great
work, so I can't come.
Why should I stop working to come
and meet with you four times?
They sent the same message and
each time I gave the same reply.
The fifth time sand ballads servant
came with an open letter in his
hand, and this is what it said.
There is a rumor among the surrounding
nations, and Geshe tells me it
is true that you and the Jews are
planning to rebel, and that is
why you are building the wall.
According to his reports,
you plan to be their king.
He also reports that you
have appointed prophets in
Jerusalem to proclaim about you.
Look, there is a king in Judah.
You can be very sure that this
report will get back to the King.
I, so I suggest that you come
and talk it over with me.
I replied, there is no truth
in any part of your story.
You are making up the whole thing.
They were just trying to intimidate
us, imagining that they could
discourage us and stop the work.
So I continued the work with
even greater determination.
Later, I went to visit Shama son
of tle and grandson of Mabel,
who was confined to his home.
He said, let us meet together inside the
temple of God, and both the doors shut.
Your enemies are coming
to kill you tonight.
But I replied, should someone
in my position run from danger?
Should someone in my position
enter the temple to save his life?
No, I won't do it.
I realized that God had not spoken
to him, but that he had uttered
this prophecy against me because
Tobiah and San Ballad had hired him.
They were hoping to
intimidate me and make me sin.
Then they would be able to
accuse and discredit me.
Remember, oh my God.
All the evil things that Tobiah
and San Ballot have done.
And remember, Noah Diah, the prophet
and all the prophets like her
who have tried to intimidate me.
So on October 2nd, the wall was finished
just 52 days after we had begun.
When our enemies and the surrounding
nations heard about it, they
were frightened and humiliated.
They realized this work had been
done with the help of our God.
During those 52 days, many letters
went back and forth between
Tobiah and the Nobles of Judah.
For many in Judah had sworn allegiance
to him because his father-in-law was
Shanaya, son of Ara and his son Jijo.
Hanan, was married to the daughter of Ms.
Shula, son of Barak, Kaya.
They kept telling me about Tobiah's
good deeds, and then they told him
everything I said, and Tobiah kept sending
threatening letters to intimidate me.
After the wall was finished and
I had set up the doors in the
gates, the gatekeepers, singers
and Levites were appointed.
I gave the responsibility of governing
Jerusalem to my brother HeNe nai.
Along with Hananiah, the commander of
the fortress, for he was a faithful
man who feared God more than most.
I said to them, do not leave the gates
open during the hottest part of the day.
And even while the gatekeepers are on
duty, have them shut and bar the doors.
Appoint the residents of
Jerusalem to act as guards.
Everyone on a regular watch.
Some will serve at century posts and
some in front of their own homes.
At that time, the city was large and
spacious, but the population was small
and none of the houses had been rebuilt.
So my God gave me the idea to
call together all the nobles and
leaders of the city, along with the
ordinary citizens for registration.
I had found the genealogical record of
those who had first returned to Judah.
This is what was written there.
Here is the list of the Jewish
exiles of the provinces who
returned from their captivity.
King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them
to Babylon, but now they returned
to Jerusalem and the other towns in
Judah where they originally lived,
their leaders were Sable Je Nehemiah
Serayah, AYA Ne Mordecai, bill Han, Ms.
Par, big vii.
Re.
This is the number of the men of Israel
who returned from exile, the family
of PRA 2,172, the family of Chef Atta
372, the family of ARA 652, the family
of payoff, Moab, descendants of JE and
Joab 2,818, the family of Elam 1,254.
The family of Ztu 845, the family
of Zac High 760, the family of BE
NAI 648, the family of Beba 628.
The family of as GAD 2,322, the family
of Nycu 667, the family of Big VI 2067.
The family of Aiden 655.
The family of aor, descendants of
Hezekiah 98, the family of Hasham 328,
the family of Beza 324, the family of
Jora 112, the family of Gibbard 95, the
people of Bethlehem and Na Tofa 188.
The people of Anth 128, the people
of Beth Asthma, Beth 42, the people
of Keath, JIRA, Keira and Biro.
743, the people of RMA and GIBA
621, the people of Mik Mash 122,
the people of Bethel and ai 123.
The people of West Nebo 52, the citizens
of West Elam 1,254, the citizens of
Harem 320, the citizens of Jericho
345, the citizens of lad, hayed and
Ono 721, the citizens of Aya 3,930.
These are the priests
who returned from exile.
The family of Judea through the
line of JE 973, the family of Immer
1052, the family of Pash, her 1,247,
the family of Haram, the 1017.
These are the Levites who returned
from exile, the families of JE
and cao, descendants of HO DVA 74.
The singers of the family of Asaf 148,
the gatekeepers of the families of Shalom,
AER Talman, ACA Hatta, and Chaba 138.
The descendants of the following temple
servants returned from Exile Zha hafa.
Tab Kiro Payden, Lena Haba.
Hanan.
Gidel Gahar,
Kota
Za
hafa ba meida harsha barass
cura Tema niah and hat.
The descendants of these servants
of King Solomon returned from exile.
Sota has Pera Jayla, Dahan, Gidel,
Sheta hat, hazeem, and Amai in all the
temple servants and the descendants
of Solomon servants numbered 392.
Another group returned at this
time from the towns of Tila, tell
Harsha, Krab, Adden, and Immer.
However, they could not prove that they or
their families were descendants of Israel.
This group included the families
of Deleah, Tobiah, and Nakota.
A total of 642 people, three
families of priests, HOA, Haas,
and Barzilai also returned.
This Barzilai had married a woman who
was a descendant of Barzilai of Gilead,
and he had taken her family name.
They searched for their names
in the genealogical records, but
they were not found so they were
disqualified from serving as priests.
The governor told them not to eat
the priest's share of food from the
sacrifices until a priest could consult
the Lord about the matter by using
the rum and th him the sacred lots.
So a total of 42,360 people returned
to Judah in addition to 7,337 servants
and 245 singers, both men and women.
They took with them 736 horses, 245
mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Some of the family leaders
gave gifts for the work.
The governor gave to the treasury
1000 gold coins, 50 gold basins,
and 530 robes for the priests the
other leaders gave to the treasury.
A total of 20,000 gold coins and some
2,750 pounds of silver for the work.
The rest of the people gave 20,000
gold coins, about 2,500 pounds of
silver and 67 robes for the priests.
So the priests, the Levites, the
gatekeepers, the singers, the temple
servants, and some of the common
people settled near Jerusalem.
The rest of the people returned to
their own towns throughout Israel.
In October when the Israelites had
settled in their towns, all the people
assembled with a unified purpose at
the square, just inside the Watergate.
They asked Ezra, the scribe to bring
out the book of the law of Moses, which
the Lord had given for Israel to obey.
So on October 8th, Ezra, the
priest brought the book of the law
before the assembly, which included
the men and women and all the
children old enough to understand.
He faced the square just inside
the Watergate from early morning
until noon and read aloud to
everyone who could understand.
All the people listened
closely to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe, stood on a high
wooden platform that had been
made for the occasion to his right
stood Matia Shima, Anaya, Uriah,
and Meia to his left stood pad.
Michel Malka Haitham, hash Batina.
Zacharia, and Ms.
Ezra stood on the platform in
full view of all the people.
When they saw him open the book,
they all rose to their feet.
Then Ezra praised the Lord the great
God, and all the people chanted.
Amen.
Amen.
As they lifted their hands, then
they bowed down and worshiped the
Lord with their faces to the ground.
The Levites Joshua, be Nai Shi.
Jamon, ACA, Saathi, Hoda meia, kata,
azariah, Zeba, Hanan, and paella.
Then instructed the people in the law
while everyone remained in their places.
They read from the book of the Law of
God and clearly explained the meaning
of what was being read, helping
the people understand each passage.
Then Nehemiah the governor.
Ezra, the priest and scribe and
the Levites who were interpreting
for the people, said to them, don't
mourn or weep on such a day as this.
For today is a sacred day before the
Lord your God, for the people had all
been weeping as they listened to the
words of the law, and Nehemiah continued.
Go and celebrate with a feast
of rich foods and sweet drinks,
and share gifts of food with
people who have nothing prepared.
This is a sacred day before our Lord.
Don't be dejected and sad for the
joy of the Lord is your strength.
And the Levites too quieted the
people telling them, hush, don't
weep for this is a sacred day.
So the people went away to eat and
drink at a festive meal, to share
gifts of food and to celebrate with
great joy because they had heard
God's words and understood them.
On October 9th, the family leaders of
all the people together with the priests
and Levites met with Ezra, the scribe,
to go over the law in greater detail.
As they studied the law, they discovered
that the Lord had commanded through Moses.
That the Israelites should
live in shelters during the
festival to be held that month.
He had said that a proclamation
should be made throughout their
towns and in Jerusalem, telling the
people to go to the hills to get
branches from olive, wild olive,
myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees.
They were to use these branches to make
shelters in which they would live during
the festival as prescribed in the law.
So the people went out and cut branches.
And use them to build shelters on
the roofs of their houses in their
courtyards, in the courtyards of God's
temple, or in the squares just inside
the Watergate and the Raim gate.
So everyone who had returned from
captivity lived in these shelters
during the festival, and they
were all filled with great joy.
The Israelites had not celebrated like
this since the days of Joshua son of none.
Ezra read from the book of the Law of God
on each of the seven days of the festival.
Then on the eighth day, they held a
solemn assembly as was required by law.