Hello, and welcome
to His Words are Life.
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I'm Kelly Mowrer, and thank
you for joining with me today
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to read the word of God. Let's
pray together before we start.
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Our dear heavenly Father, thank
you that we can come again and
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sit quietly and hear the
word that you have brought to us
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down through the centuries, that
will give meaning and strength
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and faith, and wisdom,
and council to each of us
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in whatever we're facing.
Please send your Holy Spirit
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to open our hearts today and
learn the lesson that you have
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here for us. Thank you so much
for loving us and for hearing
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our prayer. We ask in
your son's name. Amen.
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We're reading in the
book of Nehemiah, chapter 5,
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and we're picking up as he's
giving an account of some people
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who have come to register
a complaint with him, against
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their brethren, the
Jews. Starting in verse 4,
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this is the King James Version.
There were also that said, we
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have borrowed money for the
king's tribute, and that upon
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our lands and vineyards. Yet now
our flesh is as the flesh of our
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brethren, our children as their
brethren: and, lo, we bring
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into bondage our sons and
our daughters to be servants,
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and some of our daughters are
brought unto bondage already:
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neither is it in our power
to redeem them; for other men
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have our lands and vineyards.
And I was very angry when I
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heard their cry and these words.
Then I consulted with myself,
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and I rebuked the nobles, and
the rulers, and said unto them,
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Ye exact usury, every one of
his brother. And I set a great
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assembly against them. And
I said unto them, We after our
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ability have redeemed our
brethren the Jews, which were
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sold unto the heathen; and
will ye even sell your brethren?
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or shall they be sold unto
us? Then held they their peace,
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and found nothing to answer.
Also I said, It is not good
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that ye do: ought ye not to walk
in the fear of our God because
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of the reproach of the heathen
our enemies? I likewise, and my
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brethren and my servants, might
exact of them money and corn:
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I pray you, let us leave off
this usury. Restore, I pray you,
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to them, even this day,
their lands, their vineyards,
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their oliveyards, and their
houses, also the hundredth part
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of the money, and of the corn,
the wine, and the oil, that ye
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exact of them. Then said they,
We will restore them, and will
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require nothing of them;
so will we do as thou sayest.
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Then I called the priests,
and took an oath of them,
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that they should do according
to this promise. Also I shook
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my lap, and said, So God shake
out every man from his house,
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and from his labor, that
performeth not this promise,
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even thus be he
shaken out, and emptied.
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And all the congregation said,
Amen, and praised the Lord.
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And the people did according to
this promise. Moreover from the
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time that I was appointed to
be their governor in the land of
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Judah, from the 20th year even
unto the two and thirtieth year
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of Artaxerxes the king, that is
twelve years, I and my brethren
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have not eaten the
bread of the governor.
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But the former governors
that had been before me
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were chargeable unto the people
and had taken of them bread and
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wine, beside 40 shekels of
silver; yea, even their servants
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bare rule over the people:
but so did not I, because of the
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fear of God. Yea, also
I continued in the work
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of this wall, neither bought
we any land: and all my servants
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were gathered thither unto the
work. Moreover there were at my
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table an hundred and
fifty of the Jews and rulers,
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beside those that came unto us
from among the heathen that are
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about us. Now that which
was prepared for me daily
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was one ox and six choice sheep;
also fowls were prepared for me,
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and once in ten days
store of all sorts of wine:
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Yet for all this required
not I the bread of the governor,
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because the bondage
was heavy upon this people.
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Think upon me, my God, for good,
according to all that I have
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done for this people. - We're
continuing Nehemiah's story
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in chapter 6, and this
is the King James Version.
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Now it came to pass, when
Sanballat, and Tobiah and Geshem
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the Arabian, and the rest of
our enemies, heard that I had
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builded the wall, and that there
was no breach left therein;
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though at that time I
had not set up the doors
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upon the gates; that Sanballat
and Geshem sent unto me, saying,
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Come, let us meet together
in some one of the villages
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in the plain of Ono. But
they thought to do me mischief.
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And I sent messengers unto them,
saying, I am doing a great work,
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so that I cannot come down: why
should the work cease, whilst I
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leave it and come down to you?
Yet they sent unto me 4 times
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after this sort; and I answered
them after the same manner.
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Then sent Sanballat his servant
unto me in like manner the 5th
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time with an open letter in
his hand; wherein was written,
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It is reported among the heathen
and Gashmu saith it, that thou
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and the Jews think to rebel: for
which cause thou buildest the
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wall, that thou mayest be their
king, according to these words.
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And thou hast also appointed
prophets to preach of thee at
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Jerusalem, saying, There is
a king in Judah: and now shall
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it be reported to the
king according to these words.
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Come now therefore, and
let us take counsel together.
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Then I sent unto him, saying,
There are no such things done
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as thou sayest, but thou
feignest them out of thine own
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heart. For they all made
us afraid, saying, Their hands
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shall be weakened from
the work, that it be not done.
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Now therefore, O God, strengthen
my hands. Afterward I came unto
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the house of Shemaiah the son of
Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel,
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who was shut up; and he said,
Let us meet together in the
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house of God, within the temple
and let us shut the doors of the
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temple: for they will come
to slay thee; yea, in the night
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will they come to slay thee. And
I said, Should such a man as I
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flee? and who is there, that,
being as I am, would go into the
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temple to save his life? I will
not go in. And, lo, I perceived
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that God had not sent him; but
that he pronounced this prophecy
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against me: for Tobiah
and Sanballat had hired him.
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Therefore was he hired, that
I should be afraid, and do so,
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and sin, and that they might
have matter for an evil report,
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that they might reproach me. My
God, think thou upon Tobiah and
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Sanballat according
to these their works,
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and on the prophetess Noadiah,
and the rest of the prophets,
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that would have put me in
fear. So the wall was finished
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in the twenty and fifth day
of the month Elul, in 52 days.
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And it came to pass, that when
all our enemies heard thereof,
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and all the heathen that
were about us saw these things,
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they were much cast
down in their own eyes:
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for they perceived that this
work was wrought of our God.
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Moreover in those days
the nobles of Judah sent many
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letters unto Tobiah, and
the letters of Tobiah came unto
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them. For there were many in
Judah sworn unto him, because
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he was the son in law of
Shechaniah the son of Arah;
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and his son Johanan had
taken the daughter of Meshullam
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the son of Berechiah. Also they
reported his good deeds before
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me and uttered my words to him.
And Tobiah sent letters to put
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me in fear. - Continuing with
Nehemiah's story in chapter 7.
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And this is the
King James Version.
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Now it came to pass, when the
wall was built, and I had set up
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the doors, and the porters and
the singers and the Levites were
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appointed, that I gave my
brother Hanani, and Hananiah
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the ruler of the palace, charge
over Jerusalem: for he was a
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faithful man, and
feared God above many.
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And I said unto them, Let not
the gates of Jerusalem be opened
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until the sun be hot; and while
they stand by, let them shut the
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doors, and bar
them: and appoint watches
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of the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
every one in his watch,
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and every one to be
over against his house.
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Now the city was large and great
but the people were few therein,
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and the houses were not builded.
And my God put into mine heart
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to gather together the nobles,
and the rulers, and the people,
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that they might be
reckoned by genealogy.
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And I found a register of the
genealogy of them which came up
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at the first, and found written
therein, These are the children
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of the province, that
went up out of the captivity,
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and of those that had been
carried away whom Nebuchadnezzar
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the king of Babylon had
carried away, and came again to
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Jerusalem and to Judah,
every one unto his city;
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And again as we do with the
genealogies, we'll skip over
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those listing of names - that
listing of names to verse 64.
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Nehemiah, chapter 7,
picking up in verse 64.
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These sought their register
among those that were reckoned
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by genealogy, but it was
not found: therefore were they,
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as polluted, put
from the priesthood.
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And the Tirshatha said unto
them, that they should not eat
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of the most holy things, till
there stood up a priest with
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Urim and Thummim. The
whole congregation together was
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forty and two thousand
three hundred and threescore,
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Beside their manservants
and their maidservants,
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of whom there were seven
thousand three hundred thirty
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and seven: and they had two
hundred forty and five singing
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men and singing women. Their
horses, seven hundred thirty
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and six: their mules
two hundred forty and five:
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Their camels, four
hundred thirty and five:
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six thousand seven
hundred and twenty asses.
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And some of the chief of
the fathers gave unto the work.
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The Tirshatha gave to
the treasure a thousand drams
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of gold, fifty basins,
five hundred and thirty priests'
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garments. And some of the
chief of the fathers gave to the
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treasure of the work
20,000 drams of gold,
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and 2,200 pounds of silver.
And that which the rest of the
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People gave was 20,000 drams of
gold, and 2,000 pound of silver,
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and threescore and
seven priest's garments.
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So the priests and the Levites
and the porters, and the singers
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and some of the people, and the
Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt
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in their cities; and when
the 7th month came, the children
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of Israel were in their cities.
We're continuing with Nehemiah,
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chapter 8. This is
the King James Version.
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And all the people gathered
themselves together as one man
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into the street that
was before the water gate;
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and they spake unto Ezra the
scribe to bring the book of the
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law of Moses which the
Lord had commanded to Israel.
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And Ezra the priest brought
the law before the congregation
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both of men and women,
and all that could hear with
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understanding, upon the
first day of the seventh month.
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And he read therein before the
street that was before the water
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gate from the morning until
midday, before the men and the
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women, and those
that could understand;
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and the ears of all the people
were attentive unto the book of
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the law. And Ezra the scribe
stood upon a pulpit of wood,
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which they had made for the
purpose; and beside him stood
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Mattithiah, and Shema, and
Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah,
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and Maaseiah, on his right hand
and on his left hand, Pedaiah,
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and Mishael, and Malchiah,
and Hashum, and Hashbadana,
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Zechariah, and Meshullam.
And Ezra opened the book
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in the sight of all the people;
for he was above all the people;
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and when he opened it,
all the people stood up:
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And Ezra blessed the Lord, the
great God. And all the people
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answered, Amen, Amen,
with lifting up their hands:
00:13:08.68\00:13:12.20
and they bowed their heads and
worshipped the Lord with their
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faces to the ground. Also
Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah,
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Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai,
Hodiajah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
00:13:22.42\00:13:28.65
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan...
Pelaiah, and the Levites,
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caused the people to understand
the law: and the people stood
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in their place. So they read
in the book in the law of God
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distinctly, and gave the sense,
and caused them to understand
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the reading. And Nehemiah, which
is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the
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priest the scribe, and the
Levites that taught the people,
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said unto all the people,
This day is holy unto the Lord
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your God; mourn not, nor
weep. For all the people wept,
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when they heard
the words of the law.
00:14:06.62\00:14:08.10
Then he said unto them, Go
your way, eat the fat, and drink
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the sweet, and send portions
unto them for whom nothing
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is prepared: for this
day is holy unto our Lord:
00:14:15.00\00:14:18.78
neither be ye sorry; for the joy
of the Lord is your strength.
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So the Levites stilled all the
people, saying, Hold your peace
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for the day is holy;
neither be ye grieved.
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Thank you for joining with
me today. Until we come together
00:14:32.28\00:14:35.69
again, may the joy of the Lord
be our strength, too. Goodbye.
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