13:15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day that they sold these provisions. 13:16 The people from Tyre 1 who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of merchandise and were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah – and in Jerusalem, of all places! 2 13:17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 13:18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors 3 acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”
13:19 When the evening shadows 4 began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered 5 the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned 6 some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day. 13:20 The traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice.
13:23 Also in those days I saw the men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 13:24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod (or the language of one of the other peoples mentioned 7 ) and were unable to speak the language of Judah. 13:25 So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, “You will not marry off 8 your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
1 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
2 tn The words “of all places” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to indicate the emphasis on Jerusalem.
3 tn Heb “your fathers.”
4 tn Heb “the gates of Jerusalem grew dark.”
5 tn Heb “said” (so also in v. 22).
6 tn Heb “caused to stand.”
7 tn Heb “people and people.”
8 tn Heb “give.”