Nehemia 5:12-13

5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, ¹  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials ²  swear to do what had been promised. ³  5:13 I also shook out my garment, ⁴  and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out ⁵  this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. ⁶ 

Nehemia 9:38

The People Pledge to be Faithful

9:38 (10:1) ⁷  “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant ⁸  in written form; ⁹  our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names ¹⁰  on the sealed document.”

Nehemia 10:28-29

10:28 “Now the rest of the people – the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples ¹¹  because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand – 10:29 hereby participate with their colleagues the town leaders ¹²  and enter into a curse and an oath ¹³  to adhere to ¹⁴  the law of God which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to obey ¹⁵  carefully all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, ¹⁶  along with his ordinances and his statutes.

[5:12]  ¹ tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ² tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ³ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[5:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “my bosom.”

[5:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “cause to stand.”

[5:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[9:38]  ⁷ sn Beginning with 9:38, the verse numbers through 10:39 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:38 ET = 10:1 HT, 10:1 ET = 10:2 HT, 10:2 ET = 10:3 HT, etc., through 10:39 ET = 10:40 HT. Beginning with 11:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[9:38]  ⁸ tn Heb “we are cutting.”

[9:38]  ⁹ tn Heb “and writing.”

[9:38]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “our leaders, our Levites, and our priests on the sealed document.” The Hebrew text is elliptical here; the words “have affixed their names” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. Cf. v. 2.

[10:28]  ¹¹ tn Heb “from the peoples of the lands.” Cf. vv. 30, 31.

[10:29]  ¹² tn Heb “the nobles.”

[10:29]  ¹³ tn The expression “a curse and an oath” may be a hendiadys, meaning “an oath with penalties.”

[10:29]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[10:29]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[10:29]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).