17. So I scolded the officials of Judah: "What is this evil thing that you are doing?" I asked. "You are making the Sabbath impure!
18. This is just what your ancestors did, and God brought all this evil upon us and upon this city. And now you are bringing more wrath upon Israel by making the Sabbath impure!"
19. So when it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the doors should be shut. I also ordered that they shouldn’t be reopened until after the Sabbath. To make sure that no load would come into the city on the Sabbath, I stationed some of my own men at the gates.
20. Once or twice the traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem.
21. But I warned them: "Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do that again, I will lay hands on you!" At that point, they stopped coming on the Sabbath.
22. I also commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.Remember this also in my favor, my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy.
23. Also in those days I saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of various peoples; they couldn’t speak the language of Judah.
25. So I scolded them and cursed them, and beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I also made them swear a solemn pledge in the name of God, saying, "You won’t give your daughters to their sons in marriage, or take their daughters in marriage for your sons or yourselves.
26. Didn’t Israel’s King Solomon sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was well loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Yet foreign wives led even him into sin!