8 I was furious. So I threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.
9 Then I told them to cleanse the rooms, and I put back in there the utensils from God’s temple, the offerings, and the incense.
10 I learned that the Levites had not been given their portions. So each of the Levites and singers, who conducted the worship ⌊in the temple⌋, had left for their own fields.
11 I reprimanded the leaders. “Why is God’s temple being neglected?” I asked. So I brought the Levites back together and put them back in their places of service.
12 Then all Judah brought a tenth of all the grain harvested, new wine, and olive oil to the storerooms.
13 I appointed the following men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah the Levite, and I appointed Hanan, son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah to help them. Since they could be trusted, I made them responsible for distributing ⌊the portions⌋ to their relatives.
14 ⌊Nehemiah prayed,⌋ “Remember me for what I have done, my God, and don’t wipe out the good things that I have done for your temple and for the worship that is held there.”