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.