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¹ And what tyme as the boke of Moses was red in ye eares of the people, there was founde wrytten therin, yt the Ammonites and Moabites shulde neuer come in to the congregacion of God,² because they mett not the children of Israel wt bred and water, and hyred Balaam against the, that he shulde curse them: neuertheles oure God turned ye curse in to a blessynge.³ Now whan they herde the lawe, they separated from Israel euery one that had myxte him selfe therin.⁴ And before this had the prest Eliasib delyuered the chest of ye house of oure God vnto his kynsman Tobia:⁵ for he had made him a greate chest, and there had they aforetyme layed the meatofferynges, frankencense, vessell, and the tithes of corne, wyne and oyle (acordinge to the commaundement geuen to the Leuites, syngers and porters) and the Heueofferynges of the prestes.⁶ But in all this was not I at Ierusalem: for in ye two and thirtieth yeare of Artaxerses kynge of Babilon, came I vnto the kynge, and after certayne dayes optayned I lycence of the kynge⁷ to come to Ierusale. And I gat knowlege of ye euell that Eliasib dyd vnto Tobia, in that he had made him a chest in the courte of the house of God,⁸ and it greued me sore, and I cast forth all the vessels of Tobias house out of the chest,⁹ and commauded them to clense the chest. And thither broughte I agayne the vessels of the house of God, the meatofferynge and the incense.

¹⁰ And I perceaued, that the porcions of ye Leuites were not geuen them, for the which cause the Leuites and syngers were fled, euery one to his londe for to worke.¹¹ Then reproued I the rulers, and sayde: Why forsake we the house of God? But I gathered them together, and set them in their place.¹² Then brought all Iuda the tithes of corne, wyne and oyle vnto the treasure.¹³ And I made treasurers ouer ye treasure, euen Selemia ye prest, and Sadoc the scrybe, & of the Leuites Pedaia, and vnder their hande Hanan the sonne of Sachur the sonne of Mathania: for they were counted faithfull, and their office was, to destribute vnto their brethren.¹⁴ Thynke vpon me O my God here in, & wype not out my mercy, that I haue shewed on ye house of my God, & on the offices therof.

¹⁵ At the same tyme sawe I some tredinge wyne presses on the Sabbath, and brynginge in clusters, and asses laden wyth wyne, grapes, fygges, and brynginge all maner of burthens vnto Ierusalem, vpon the Sabbath daye. And I rebuked them earnestly ye same daye that they solde ye vytayles.¹⁶ There dwelt me of Tyre also therin, which broughte fysh and all maner of ware, and solde on the Sabbath vnto the childre of Iuda and Ierusalem.¹⁷ Then reproued I the rulers in Iuda, and saide vnto them: What euell thinge is this that ye do, and breake the Sabbath daye?¹⁸ Dyd not oure fathers euen thus, and oure God broughte all this plage vpon vs & vpon this cite? And ye make the wrath more yet vpon Israel, in that ye breake the Sabbath.¹⁹ And whan the portes of Ierusalem were drawen vp before the Sabbath, I commauded to shutt the gates, and charged that they shulde not be opened tyll after the Sabbath: and some of my seruauntes set I at the gates, yt there shulde no burthe be broughte in on the Sabbath daye.²⁰ Then remayned the chapmen and marchauntes once or twyce ouer nighte without Ierusalem with all maner of wares.²¹ Then reproued I them sore, & sayde vnto them: Why tary ye all night aboute the wall? Yf ye do it once agayne, I wil laye handes vpon you. From that tyme forth came they nomore on the Sabbath.²² And I sayde vnto the Leuites which were cleane, that they shulde come and kepe the gates, to halowe the Sabbath daye. Thynke vpo me (O my God) cocernynge this also, & spare me acordynge to thy greate mercy.

²³ And at the same tyme sawe I Iewes, that maried wyues of Asdod, Ammon and of Moab,²⁴ and their children spake halfe in the speache of Asdod, and coulde not speake in ye Iewish language, but by ye tonge mighte a ma perceaue euery people.²⁵ And I reproued them, and cursed them, & smote certayne men of the, and plucte them vp, and toke an ooth of them by God: Ye shal not geue youre daughters vnto their sonnes, nether shal ye take their daughters vnto youre sonnes, or for youre selues.²⁶ Dyd not Salomon ye kynge of Israel synne ther in? & yet amonge many Heythen was there no kynge like him, & he was deare vnto his God, and God made him kynge ouer all Israel, and the outlandish wemen.²⁸ And one of the children of Ioiada the sonne of Eliasib ye hye prest, had made a cotracte wyth Saneballath the Horonite: but I chaced him fro me.²⁹ O my God, thynke thou vpon them that are quyte of the presthode, and haue desyled the couenaunt of the presthode and of the Leuites.³⁰ Thus clensed I them from all soch as were outlandish, and appoynted the courses of the prestes and Leuites, euery one to his office,³¹ and to offre the wod at tymes appoynted, and the first frutes. Thynke thou vpon me (O my God) for the best.