Then I gave instructions that the storerooms should be purified, and I brought back the equipment<n id="1" /> of the temple of God, along with the grain offering and the incense.p>

So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking &#8220;Why is the temple of God neglected?&#8221; Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When the evening shadows<n id="1" /> began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered<n id="2" /> the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned<n id="3" /> some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.

<p class="bodytext">But I replied, &#8220;Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life?<n id="1" /> I will not go!&#8221;

So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, &#8220;What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

I considered these things carefully<n id="1" /> and then registered a complaint with the wealthy<n id="2" /> and the officials. I said to them, &#8220;Each one of you is seizing the collateral<n id="3" /> from your own countrymen!&#8221;<n id="4" /> Because of them I called for<n id="5" /> a great public assembly.

I said to them, &#8220;To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews<n id="1" /> who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen,<n id="2" /> so that we can then buy them back!&#8221; They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.p>

But I warned them and said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!&#8221;<n id="2" /> From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath.<n id="3" />

Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.p> <p class="bodytext">For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love.p>

I also shook out my garment,<n id="1" /> and I said, &#8220;In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out<n id="2" /> this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!&#8221; All the assembly replied, &#8220;So be it!&#8221; and they praised the <sc>LORDsc>. Then the people did as they had promised.<n id="3" />p>