Nehemiah 13:18-20

EasyEnglish Bible

¹⁸ Your ancestors did the same thing. That is why God punished them and he brought trouble on this city. Now you will make God even more angry with us, Israel's people. You are insulting God's Sabbath day.’

¹⁹ So I gave a command to the guards at the city's gates. I told them, ‘You must close the gates in the evening before each Sabbath day begins. Do not open the gates again until the Sabbath day has finished.’ I told some of my own men to stand at the gates. They would watch carefully so that no traders would bring things into Jerusalem on any Sabbath day.

²⁰ A few times, some traders stayed outside Jerusalem all night, with the things that they wanted to sell.