15. At that time I saw people in Judah pressing juice from grapes on the Sabbath. Others were loading corn, wine, grapes, figs, and other things on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem; I warned them not to sell anything on the Sabbath.
16. Some people from the city of Tyre were living in Jerusalem, and they brought fish and all kinds of goods into the city to sell to our people on the Sabbath.
17. I reprimanded the Jewish leaders and said, “Look at the evil you're doing! You're making the Sabbath unholy.
18. This is exactly why God punished your ancestors when he brought destruction on this city. And yet you insist on bringing more of God's anger down on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19. So I gave orders for the city gates to be shut at the beginning of every Sabbath, as soon as evening began to fall, and not to be opened again until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my men at the gates to make sure that nothing was brought into the city on the Sabbath.
20. Once or twice merchants who sold all kinds of goods spent Friday night outside the city walls.
21. I warned them, “It's no use waiting out there for morning to come. If you try this again, I'll use force against you.” From then on they did not come back on the Sabbath.
22. I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to go and guard the gates to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy.Remember me, O God, for this also, and spare me because of your great love.
23. At that time I also discovered that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24. Half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or some other language and didn't know how to speak our language.
25. I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners.
26. I said, “It was foreign women that made King Solomon sin. He was a man who was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him and made him king over all Israel, and yet he fell into this sin.
27. Are we then to follow your example and disobey our God by marrying foreign women?”
28. Joiada was the son of Eliashib the High Priest, but one of Joiada's sons married the daughter of Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, so I made Joiada leave Jerusalem.
29. Remember, O God, how those people defiled both the office of priest and the covenant you made with the priests and the Levites.
30. I purified the people from everything foreign; I prepared regulations for the priests and the Levites so that each one would know his duty;
31. I arranged for the wood used for burning the offerings to be brought at the proper times, and for the people to bring their offerings of the first corn and the first fruits that ripened.Remember all this, O God, and give me credit for it.