A   And what tyme as the boke of Moses was read in the eares of the people there was fo&ubar;d wryten therein, ^note that the Ammonytes and Moabites shulde neuer come into the congregacyn of God, because they met not the chyldr&ebar; of Israel with bread and water, ^note and hyred Balaam agaynste them, that he shulde curse them: neuerthelesse oure GOD turned the curse into a

blessynge. Nowe when they hearde the lawe, they separated from Israell euerye one þt; had myxte hym selfe therein. And before this had the prieste Eliasib delyuered the cheste of the house of oure God vnto hys kynsman Tobiah: for he had made hym a greate cheste, and there had they afore tyme layed the meatofferynges, frankencense vessel, and the tythes of corne, wyne and oyle (accordynge to the commaundement geuen to the Leuytes, syngers ∧ porters) and the heaueofferynges of the priestes.

But in all thys was not I at Ierusalem: for in the two and thyrthyeth year of Arthaxerses kynge of Babilon, came I vnto þe; king, and after certayne dayes obtayned I lycence of the king to come to Ierusalem. And I gat B   knowledge of the euyll that Eliasib byd vnto Tobiah, in that he had made hym a chest in þe; courte of the house of God, and it greued me sore, and I cast forthe all the vessels of þe; house of Tobiah out of the chest, and commaunded them to clense the cheste. And thyther broughte I agayn the vessels of the house of God, the meateofferynge and the incense.

And I perceyued, that the porcyons of the Leuites were not geuen them, for the whiche cause the Leuytes ∧ syngers were fled, euerye one to hys lande for to worke. Then reproued I the rulers, and sayde: why forsake we the house of God. But I gathered them together ∧ set them in theyr place. Then brought al Iuda the thythes of corne, wyne and oyle vnto þe; treasure. And I made treasures ouer the treasure, euen Selemiah the prieste, and Zadoc þe; scrybe, and of the Leuytes Phadaiah ∧ vnder theyr hande Hanan the sonne of Zacur þe; s&obar;ne of Mathaniah: for they were counted faythfull, and theyr offyce was to dystrybute vnto theyr brethren. ^noteThyncke vpon me O my God herein, and wype not oute my mercye, that I haue shewed on the house of my God, and on the offycers thereof.

At the same tyme sawe I some tredynge wynepresses on the Saboth, and bryngynge in clusters, and asses laden wyth wyne, grapes, fygges, and bryngynge al maner of burthens vnto Ierusalem, vpon the Saboth day. C   And I rebuked them earnestlye the same daye that they solde the vytayles. There dwelt m&ebar; of Tyre also therein, whiche brought fyshe ∧ all maner of ware, and solde on the Sabboth vnto the chyldren of Iuda, and Ierusal&ebar;. Th&ebar; reproued I the rulers in Iuda, and sayd vnto them: what euyll thynge is thys that ye do, ∧ breake the Saboth day? Dyd not our fathers euen thus, and oure GOD brought all thys plage vpon vs ∧ vpon thys cytye? And ye make the wrathe more yet vpon Israel, in that ye breake the Saboth.

And it fortuned, that when ^note the porters of Ierusal&ebar; made shadowe before the Saboth, I commaunded to shut the gathes, ∧ charged, þt; they shulde not be opened tyl after þe; Saboth ∧ some of my seruauntes set I at the gates, þt; here shulde no burthen be broughte in on the Saboth daye. Then remayned the chapmen and marchauntes ones or twyce ouer nyghte wythoute Ierusalem wyth all maner of wares. Then reproued I them sore, and sayd vnto them: why tarye ye all nyghte aboute the wall? If ye do it ones agayne, I wyll lay h&abar;des vpon you. From that tyme forthe came they no more on the Saboth. And I sayde vnto the Leuytes whiche were cleane, that they shulde come and kepe the gates, to halowe the Saboth daye. Thynke vpon me (O my God concernynge this also, and spare me accord&ibar;g to thy greate mercy.

And at the same tyme sawe I Iewes, that maryed wyues of Asdod, Amm&obar; ∧ of Moab, D   and theyr chyldren spake halfe in the speache of Asdod, and could not speake in the Iewes language, but by the tonge myghte a m&abar; perceyue euerye people. And I reproued them, ∧ cursed them, and smote certaine men of them, and pluckte them vp, and toke an othe of th&ebar; by God: Ye shall not gene youre doughters vnto theyr sonnes, neyther shal ye take theyr doughters vnto youre sonnes, or for your selues. Dyd not Salom&obar; þe; king of Israel synne there in? ∧ yet am&obar;g many Heythen was there no kynge lyke hym, and he was deare vnto hys God, and God made hym kynge ouer al Israel, and yet neuertheles outlandyshe wemen caused hym to synne? And shall we then obeye vnto you, to do all thys greate euyll, ∧ to transgresse agaynst oure God, and marye straunge wyues?

And one of the chyldren of Iehoiada the sonne of Eliasib the hye prieste, had made a c&obar;tracte wyth Sanabalat the Horonite: but I chaced him from me. O my God, thinke thou vpon them that are quyte of the priesthode, ∧ haue defyled the couenaunte of the priesthode and of the Leuites. Thus clensed I them fr&obar; all suche as were outlandyshe, and appointed the courses of the priestes and Leuites, euerye one to hys offyce, and to offre the wood at times appoynted, ∧ the fyrste frutes. Thinke. thou vpon me (O my God) for the beste. The ende of the seconde boke of Esdras, otherwise called the boke of Nehemiah.

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