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Today's Bible Reading :: Nehemiah 12 - 13 (ESV)

Nehemiah 12Listen to the passage

Nehemiah 13Listen to the passage

Nehemiah 12

Priests and Levites

(cf. Ezr 2:36–40 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:1

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:1 - These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:2

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:2 - Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:3

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:3 - Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:4

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:4 - Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:5

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:5 - Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:6

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:6 - Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:7

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:7 - Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:8

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:8 - And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:9

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:9 - And Bakbukiah and Unni and their brothers stood opposite them in the service.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:10

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:10 - And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:11

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:11 - Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:12

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:12 - And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers’ houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:13

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:13 - of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:14

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:14 - of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:15

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:15 - of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:16

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:16 - of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:17

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:17 - of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:18

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:18 - of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:19

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:19 - of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:20

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:20 - of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:21

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:21 - of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:22

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:22 - In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers’ houses; so too were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:23

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:23 - As for the sons of Levi, their heads of fathers’ houses were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:24

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:24 - And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:25

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:25 - Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:26

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:26 - These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra, the priest and scribe.

Dedication of the Wall

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:27

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:27 - And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:28

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:28 - And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:29

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:29 - also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:30

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:30 - And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:31

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:31 - Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:32

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:32 - And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:33

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:33 - and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:34

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:34 - Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:35

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:35 - and certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:36

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:36 - and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:37

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:37 - At the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:38

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:38 - The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:39

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:39 - and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Gate of Yeshanah,[fn] and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:40

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:40 - So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:41

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:41 - and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:42

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:42 - and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:43

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:43 - And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

Service at the Temple

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:44

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:44 - On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:45

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:45 - And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:46

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:46 - For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs[fn] of praise and thanksgiving to God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 12:47

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 12:47 - And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.
ESV Footnotes
Or of the old city
Or leaders

Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah’s Final Reforms

(Num 22:1—24:25 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:1

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:1 - On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:2

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:2 - for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:3

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:3 - As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:4

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:4 - Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah,

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:5

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:5 - prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:6

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:6 - While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:7

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:7 - and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:8

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:8 - And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:9

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:9 - Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:10

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:10 - I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:11

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:11 - So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:12

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:12 - Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:13

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:13 - And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:14

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:14 - Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:15

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:15 - In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:16

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:16 - Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:17

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:17 - Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:18

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:18 - Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster[fn] on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:19

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:19 - As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:20

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:20 - Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:21

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:21 - But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:22

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:22 - Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:23

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:23 - In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:24

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:24 - And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:25

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:25 - And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:26

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:26 - Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:27

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:27 - Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:28

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:28 - And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:29

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:29 - Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:30

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:30 - Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work;

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Unchecked Copy Box Neh 13:31

Unchecked Copy BoxNeh 13:31 - and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
See the ESV Preface
ESV Footnotes
The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context
ESV

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2025 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

See detailed copyright information.

For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.

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