Nehemiah 13:1-3·~1 min
Foreigners Excluded
The Book of Moses is read publicly, and the people discover the command excluding Ammonites and Moabites because of their treatment of Israel and their use of Balaam, though God turned the curse into blessing. Once they hear the law, they exclude those of foreign descent from Israel.
A1t that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). 3As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
Section summaryWhen the Book of Moses is read aloud, the people find the command that Ammonites and Moabites are not to enter God's assembly because of their old hostility toward Israel. Hearing the law leads directly to separation, so the chapter opens with reform growing out of remembered scripture.
Role in the chapterThis opening section reintroduces the chapter's pattern: the community hears the law, then measures itself against it. It sets the tone for the reforms that follow by making obedience begin with reading and response.