121 And these 'are' the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua; Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah; these 'are' heads of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua. 8 And the Levites 'are' Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, he 'is' over the thanksgiving, and his brethren, 9 and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, 'are' over-against them in charges. 10 And Jeshua hath begotten Joiakim, and Joiakim hath begotten Eliashib, and Eliashib hath begotten Joiada, 11 and Joiada hath begotten Jonathan, and Jonathan hath begotten Jaddua. 12 And in the days of Joiakim have been priests, heads of the fathers; of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin; of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel. 22 The Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, are written, heads of fathers, and of the priests, in the kingdom of Darius the Persian. 23 Sons of Levi, heads of the fathers, are written on the book of the Chronicles even till the days of Johanan son of Eliashib; 24 and heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brethren, 'are' over-against them, to give praise, to give thanks, by command of David the man of God, charge over-against charge. 25 Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, 'are' gatekeepers, keeping charge in the gatherings of the gates. 26 These 'are' in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.
27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them in to Jerusalem, to make the dedication even with gladness, and with thanksgivings, and with singing, 'with' cymbals, psalteries, and with harps; 28 and sons of the singers are gathered together even from the circuit round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi, 29 and from the house of Gilgal, and from fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for villages have the singers built for themselves round about Jerusalem; 30 and the priests and the Levites are cleansed, and they cleanse the people, and the gates, and the wall. 31 And I bring up the heads of Judah upon the wall, and appoint two great thanksgiving companies and processions. At the right, on the wall, to the dung-gate; 32 and after them goeth Hoshaiah, and half of the heads of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34 Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah; 35 and of the sons of the priests with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Michaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph, 36 and his brethren Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with instruments of song of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe 'is' before them; 37 and by the gate of the fountain and over-against them, they have gone up by the steps of the city of David, at the going up of the wall beyond the house of David, and unto the water-gate eastward. 38 And the second thanksgiving company that is going over-against, and I after it, and half of the people on the wall from beyond the tower of the furnaces and unto the broad wall, 39 and from beyond the gate of Ephraim, and by the old-gate, and by the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, and unto the sheep-gate—and they have stood at the prison-gate. 40 And the two thanksgiving companies stand in the house of God, and I and half of the prefects with me, 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets, 42 and Masseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer, and the singers sound, and Jezrahiah the inspector; 43 and they sacrifice on that day great sacrifices and rejoice, for God hath made them rejoice 'with' great joy, and also, the women and the children have rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem is heard—unto a distance.
44 And certain are appointed on that day over the chambers for treasures, for heave-offerings, for first-fruits, and for tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for priests, and for Levites, for the joy of Judah 'is' over the priests, and over the Levites, who are standing up. 45 And the singers and the gatekeepers keep the charge of their God, even the charge of the cleansing—according to the command of David 'and' Solomon his son, 46 for in the days of David and Asaph of old 'were' heads of the singers, and a song of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, are giving the portions of the singers, and of the gatekeepers, the matter of a day in its day, and are sanctifying to the Levites, and the Levites are sanctifying to the sons of Aaron.
131 On that day there was read in the book of Moses, in the ears of the people, and it hath been found written in it that an Ammonite and Moabite doth not come into the assembly of God—unto the age, 2 because they have not come before the sons of Israel with bread and with water, and hire against them Balaam to revile them, and our God turneth the reviling into a blessing. 3 And it cometh to pass, at their hearing the law, that they separate all the mixed people from Israel. 4 And before this Eliashib the priest, appointed over chambers of the house of our God, 'is' a relation of Tobiah, 5 and he maketh for him a great chamber, and there they were formerly putting the present, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithe of the corn, the new wine, and the oil—the commanded thing of the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers—and the heave-offering of the priests. 6 And during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty and second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon did I come unto the king, and at the end of days I have asked of the king, 7 and I come in to Jerusalem, and understand concerning the evil that Eliashib hath done for Tobiah, to make to him a chamber in the courts of the house of God, 8 and it is very displeasing to me, and I cast all the vessels of the house of Tobiah without, out of the chamber, 9 and I speak, and they cleanse the chambers, and I bring back thither the vessels of the house of God with the present and the frankincense.
10 And I know that the portions of the Levites have not been given, and they flee each to his field—the Levites and the singers, doing the work. 11 And I strive with the prefects, and say, 'Wherefore hath the house of God been forsaken?' and I gather them, and set them on their station; 12 and all Judah have brought in the tithe of the corn, and of the new wine, and of the oil, to the treasuries. 13 And I appoint treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites; and by their hand 'is' Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for stedfast they have been reckoned, and on them 'it is' to give a portion to their brethren. 14 Be mindful of me, O my God, for this, and do not blot out my kind acts that I have done, for the house of my God, and for its charges.
15 In those days I have seen in Judah those treading wine-vats on sabbath, and bringing in the sheaves, and lading on the asses, and also, wine, grapes, and figs, and every burden, yea, they are bringing in to Jerusalem on the sabbath-day, and I testify in the day of their selling provision. 16 And the Tyrians have dwelt in it, bringing in fish, and every ware, and selling on sabbath to the sons of Judah and in Jerusalem. 17 And I strive with the freemen of Judah, and say to them, 'What 'is' this evil thing that ye are doing, and polluting the sabbath-day? 18 Thus did not your fathers do? and our God bringeth in on us all this evil, and on this city, and ye are adding fierceness on Israel, to pollute the sabbath.' 19 And it cometh to pass, when the gates of Jerusalem have been dark before the sabbath, that I speak, and the doors are shut, and I say, that they do not open them till after the sabbath; and of my servants I have stationed at the gates; there doth not come in a burden on the sabbath-day. 20 And they lodge—the merchants and sellers of all ware—at the outside of Jerusalem, once or twice, 21 and I testify against them, and say unto them, 'Wherefore are ye lodging over-against the wall? if ye repeat 'it', a hand I put forth upon you;' from that time they have not come in on the sabbath. 22 And I say to the Levites, that they be cleansed, and, coming in, keeping the gates, to sanctify the sabbath-day. Also, this, remember for me, O my God, and have pity on me, according to the abundance of Thy kindness.
23 Also, in those days, I have seen the Jews 'who' have settled women of Ashdod, of Ammon, of Moab. 24 And of their sons, half are speaking Ashdoditish—and are not knowing to speak Jewish—and according to the language of people and people. 25 And I strive with them, and declare them vile, and smite certain of them, and pluck off their hair, and cause them to swear by God, 'Ye do not give your daughters to their sons, nor do ye take of their daughters to your sons, and to yourselves. 26 'By these did not Solomon king of Israel sin? and among the many nations there was no king like him, and beloved by his God he was, and God maketh him king over all Israel—even him did the strange women cause to sin. 27 And to you do we hearken to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God, to settle strange women?' 28 And 'one' of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest, 'is' son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite, and I cause him to flee from off me. 29 Be mindful of them, O my God, for the redeemed of the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. 30 And I have cleansed them from every stranger, and appoint charges to priests and to Levites, each in his work, 31 and for the wood-offering at appointed times, and for first-fruits. Be mindful of me, O my God, for good.
23 And being let go, they went unto their own friends, and declared whatever the chief priests and the elders said unto them, 24 and they having heard, with one accord did lift up the voice unto God, and said, 'Lord, thou 'art' God, who didst make the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all that 'are' in them, 25 who, through the mouth of David thy servant, did say, Why did nations rage, and peoples meditate vain things? 26 the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ; 27 for gathered together of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, were both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with nations and peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy counsel did determine before to come to pass. 29 'And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and grant to Thy servants with all freedom to speak Thy word, 30 in the stretching forth of Thy hand, for healing, and signs, and wonders, to come to pass through the name of Thy holy child Jesus.' 31 And they having prayed, the place was shaken in which they were gathered together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and were speaking the word of God with freedom,
32 and of the multitude of those who did believe the heart and the soul was one, and not one was saying that anything of the things he had was his own, but all things were to them in common. 33 And with great power were the apostles giving the testimony to the rising again of the Lord Jesus, great grace also was on them all, 34 for there was not any one among them who did lack, for as many as were possessors of fields, or houses, selling 'them', were bringing the prices of the thing sold, 35 and were laying them at the feet of the apostles, and distribution was being made to each according as any one had need. 36 And Joses, who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas—which is, having been interpreted, Son of Comfort—a Levite, of Cyprus by birth, 37 a field being his, having sold 'it', brought the money and laid 'it' at the feet of the apostles.
(Read Acts 4:23-31)
Christ's followers do best in company, provided it is their own company. It encourages God's servants, both in doing work, and suffering work, that they serve the God who made all things, and therefore has the disposal of all events; and the Scriptures must be fulfilled. Jesus was anointed to be a Saviour, therefore it was determined he should be a sacrifice, to make atonement for sin. But sin is not the less evil for God's bringing good out of it. In threatening times, our care should not be so much that troubles may be prevented, as that we may go on with cheerfulness and courage in our work and duty. They do not pray, Lord let us go away from our work, now that it is become dangerous, but, Lord, give us thy grace to go on stedfastly in our work, and not to fear the face of man. Those who desire Divine aid and encouragement, may depend upon having them, and they ought to go forth, and go on, in the strength of the Lord God. God gave a sign of acceptance of their prayers. The place was shaken, that their faith might be established and unshaken. God gave them greater degrees of his Spirit; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, more than ever; by which they were not only encouraged, but enabled to speak the word of God with boldness. When they find the Lord God help them by his Spirit, they know they shall not be confounded, Isaiah 17.
(Read Acts 4:32-37)
The disciples loved one another. This was the blessed fruit of Christ's dying precept to his disciples, and his dying prayer for them. Thus it was then, and it will be so again, when the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on high. The doctrine preached was the resurrection of Christ; a matter of fact, which being duly explained, was a summary of all the duties, privileges, and comforts of Christians. There were evident fruits of Christ's grace in all they said and did. They were dead to this world. This was a great evidence of the grace of God in them. They did not take away others' property, but they were indifferent to it. They did not call it their own; because they had, in affection, forsaken all for Christ, and were expecting to be stripped of all for cleaving to him. No marvel that they were of one heart and soul, when they sat so loose to the wealth of this world. In effect, they had all things common; for there was not any among them who lacked, care was taken for their supply. The money was laid at the apostles' feet. Great care ought to be taken in the distribution of public charity, that it be given to such as have need, such as are not able to procure a maintenance for themselves; those who are reduced to want for well-doing, and for the testimony of a good conscience, ought to be provided for. Here is one in particular mentioned, remarkable for this generous charity; it was Barnabas. As one designed to be a preacher of the gospel, he disentangled himself from the affairs of this life. When such dispositions prevail, and are exercised according to the circumstances of the times, the testimony will have very great power upon others.
