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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 55
Here is the list of the priests
and Levites who returned with Abel,
son of Shi and Je the high priest.
Re.
Jeremiah Ezra.
Amiah.
Maek.
Ishaya Haram.
Meath.
Ido Han Aja Minya
Mobil.
She Joya, Judea, slu, ak, AYA, and Judea.
These were the leaders of the priests
and their associates in the days of je.
The Levis who returned with them
were Jesu ua, CAEL, abaya, Judah, and
Matia, who with his associates was in
charge of the songs of Thanksgiving.
Their associates, BAK, Bacha, and Anai
stood opposite them during the service.
Jehu, the high priest
was the father of Joki.
Joki was the father of Eliashib.
Eliashib was the father of Joah.
Jota was the father of Johannan.
Johannan was the father of Jaa.
Now, when Joya Kim was high
priest, the family leaders of
the priests were as follows.
Mariah was leader of the family of Seray.
Hananiah was leader of
the family of Jeremiah.
Ms.
Shula was leader of the
family of Ezra Jijo.
Hanan was leader of the family of Amiah.
Jonathan was leader of
the family of Maluk.
Joseph was leader of the family of
Shena, was leader of the family of Harem.
Hel Chi was leader of
the family of Marath.
Zechariah was leader of the family of Ito.
Machu was leader of the family of Guhan.
Zaria was leader of the family of Aja.
There was also a leader
of the family of Minan.
Pil was leader of the family of Moad.
Shaa was leader of the family of Bil Ga
Johanan was leader of the family of Shama.
Matt and I was leader of
the family of Joya Rib.
Aai was leader of the family of Judea.
Kalai was leader of the family of Slu
Eber was leader of the family of Amoc.
Hasha Baah was leader
of the family of Alka.
Neel was leader of the family of Jaa.
A record of the Levite family was kept
during the years when Eliashib, Joda,
Johannan, and Jaa served as high priests.
Another record of the priests was
kept during the reign of Arias, the
Persian, a record of the heads of
the Levite families was kept in the
book of history down to the days of
Johannan, the grandson of Eliashib.
These were the family leaders
of the Levites, has Shabiah,
Shi Abaya, Joshua Nui, CAEL.
And other associates who stood
opposite them during the ceremonies
of Praise and Thanksgiving.
One section responding to the other,
as commanded by David the man of God.
This included Matt Aniah,
vak, Bacha, and Obadiah.
Ms.
Shula.
Talman and ACA were the gatekeepers in
charge of the store rooms at the gates.
These all served in the days of Joya
Kim, son of Je, son of Jeh, Zak.
And in the days of Nehemiah, the governor
and of Ezra, the priest and scribe
for the dedication of the new wall
of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout
the land were asked to come to
Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies.
They were to take part in the
joyous occasion with their songs
of Thanksgiving and with the music
of symbols, harps, and liars.
The singers were brought together
from the region around Jerusalem
and from the villages of the nites.
They also came from Beth Gilgal and
the rural areas near Giba and asthma.
Beth, for the singers had built their
own settlements around Jerusalem.
The priests and Levites
first purified themselves.
Then they purified the people,
the gates and the wall.
I led the leaders of Judah to
the top of the wall and organized
two large choirs to give thanks.
One of the choirs proceeded
southward along the top of
the wall to the dung gate.
Hohaia and half the leaders of
Judah followed them along with
Azariah, Ezra, Chulo, Judah,
Benjamin, Shama, and Jeremiah.
Then came some priests who played
trumpets, including Zechariah,
son of Jonathan, son of Shama,
son of Matia, son of McKay, son of
Zachary, a descendant of ASAP and
Zachariah's colleagues were Shema Elle.
Milly, Gilli, Mayi, Nathaniel
Judah, and Hane nai.
They used the musical instruments
prescribed by David the man of God.
Ezra the scribe led this
procession at the Fountain Gate.
They went straight up the
steps on the ascent of the city
wall toward the city of David.
They passed the house of David and then
proceeded to the Watergate on the east.
The second choir giving
thanks went northward around
the other way to meet them.
I followed them together with the other
half of the people along the top of the
wall, passed the tower of the ovens to
the broad wall, then passed the Efram
gate to the old city gate, passed the
fish gate and the Tower of Hannanel,
and onto the tower of the hundred.
Then we continued on to the sheep
gate and stopped at the guard gate.
The two choirs that were giving thanks.
Then proceeded to the Temple of
God where they took their places.
So did I.
Together with the group of
leaders who were with me.
We went together with the trumpet
playing priests, Eliakim, Maia,
Yemen, McKay, EAI, Zacharia, and
Hananiah, and the singers Meia.
She Zer.
Aai, Jijo, Hanan, mal Caja, ELAM, and Zer.
They played and sang loudly under the
direction of Jez Haya, the choir director.
Many sacrifices were
offered on that joyous day.
For God had given the
people cause for great joy.
The women and children also
participated in the celebration
and the joy of the people of
Jerusalem could be heard far away.
On that day, men were appointed
to be in charge of the store
rooms for the offerings.
The first part of the
harvest and the tithes.
They were responsible to collect
from the fields outside the towns.
The portions required by the law
for the priests and Levites for all
the people of Judah took joy in the
priests and Levites and their work.
They performed the service of their
God and the service of purification as
commanded by David and his son Solomon.
And so did the singers
and the gatekeepers.
The custom of having choir directors
to lead the choirs in hymns of praise
and Thanksgiving to God began long
ago in the days of David and asap.
So now in the days of Zabul and of
Nehemiah, all is Israel brought a
daily supply of food for the singers,
the gatekeepers, and the Levites.
The Levites, in turn, gave a
portion of what they received to the
priests, the descendants of Aaron.
On that same day as the book of Moses
was being read to the people, the
passage was found that said, no Amite
or Moabite should ever be permitted
to enter the assembly of God for they
had not provided the Israelites with
food and water in the wilderness.
Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them.
Though our God turned the curse into a
blessing when this passage of the law
was read, all those of foreign descent.
Were immediately excluded
from the assembly.
Before this had happened, Eliashib
the priest who had been appointed
as supervisor of the store rooms
of the temple of our God and who
was also a relative of Tobiah, had
converted a large storage room and
placed it at Tobiah's disposal.
The room had previously been used
for storing the grain offerings,
the frankincense, various articles
for the temple and the tithes of
grain, new wine, and olive oil.
Which were prescribed for the Levites,
the singers, and the gatekeepers, as
well as the offerings for the priests.
I was not in Jerusalem at that time for
I had returned to King Arteris of Babylon
in the 32nd year of his reign, though
I later asked his permission to return.
When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I
learned about Eliashib's evil deed
in providing Tobiah with a room in
the courtyards of the temple of God.
I became very upset and threw all of
Tobiah's belongings out of the room.
Then I demanded that the rooms be
purified and I brought back the
articles for God's temple, the grain
offerings, and the frankincense.
I also discovered that the Levites had
not been given their prescribed portions
of food, so they, and the singers who
were to conduct the worship services
had all returned to work their fields.
I immediately confronted the leaders.
And demanded, why has the
temple of God been neglected?
Then I called all the levies back again
and restored them to their proper duties.
And once more, all the people of
Judah began bringing their tithes
of grain, new wine, and olive
oil to the temple store rooms.
I assigned supervisors for the store
rooms, shamiah the priest, Zadok the
scribe, and Padea one of the Levites.
And I appointed Hanan son of Zacker and
grandson of Mat Aniah as their assistant.
These men had an excellent reputation,
and it was their job to make honest
distributions to their fellow levies.
Remember this good deed, oh my God.
And do not forget all that I have
faithfully done for the temple
of my God and its services.
In those days, I saw men of Judah treading
out their wine presses on the Sabbath.
They were also bringing in grain, loading
it on donkeys, and bringing their wine,
grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce
to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath.
So I rebuked them for selling
their produce on that day.
Some men from tire who lived in
Jerusalem were bringing in fish
and all kinds of merchandise.
They were selling it on the Sabbath to the
people of Judah and in Jerusalem at that.
So I confronted the nobles of
Judah, why are you profaning
the Sabbath in this evil way?
I asked, wasn't it just this sort
of thing that your ancestors did
that caused our God to bring all
this trouble upon us and our city?
Now you are bringing even more
wrath upon Israel by permitting the
Sabbath to be desecrated in this way.
Then I commanded that the gates of
Jerusalem should be shut as darkness
fell every Friday evening, not to
be opened until the Sabbath ended.
I sent some of my own servants to
guard the gates so that no merchandise
could be brought in on the Sabbath day.
The merchants and tradesmen with
a variety of wares camped outside
Jerusalem once or twice, but I spoke
sharply to them and said, what are you
doing out here camping around the wall?
If you do this again, I will arrest you.
That was the last time
they came on the Sabbath.
Then I commanded the Levites to purify
themselves and to guard the gates in order
to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath.
Remember this good deed also, oh my
God, have compassion on me according
to your great and unfailing love.
About the same time I realized that
some of the men of Judah had married
women from Ashdod, Amon, and Moab.
Furthermore, half their children
spoke the language of Ash Dodd or
of some other people and could not
speak the language of Judah at all.
So I confronted them and
called down curses on them.
I beat some of them and
pulled out their hair.
I made them swear in the name
of God that they would not let
their children intermarry with
the pagan people of the land.
Wasn't this exactly what led
King Solomon of Israel into sin?
I demanded.
There was no king from any
nation who could compare to him.
And God loved him and made him king
over all Israel, but even he was
led into sin by his foreign wives.
How could you even think of committing
this sinful deed and acting unfaithful
toward God by marrying foreign women?
One of the sons of Jota, son of
Eliashib, the high priest, had married
a daughter of San Ballad the Ho Night.
So I banished him from my presence.
Remember them, oh my God, for they
have defiled the priesthood and the
solemn vows of the priests and levies.
So I purged out everything, foreign and
assigned tasks to the priests and levies,
making certain that each knew his work.
I also made sure that the supply
of wood for the altar and the
first portions of the harvest
were brought at the proper times.
Remember this in my favor.
Oh my God.