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Nehemiah 7:1-73

Let Not the Gates Be Opened until the Sun Be Hot

Lyrics · Nehemiah

Let Not the Gates Be Opened until the Sun Be Hot

Nehemiah 7:1-73

[Verse 1] After the wall is built, doors are set in the gates. Hanani and Hananiah are placed over Jerusalem. The gates must remain shut until the sun is hot. Jerusalem residents receive watches opposite their own houses. [Pre-Chorus] The crown looked bright, the burden lay beneath, A throne could shelter life or summon grief. [Chorus] Let Not the Gates Be Opened until the Sun Be Hot, every crown is weighed, Thrones are raised and royal vows are made. A kingdom stands only where the word remains, For pride can break what wisdom once sustains. [Verse 2] A genealogical reckoning is planned. Nehemiah finds the register of the first return under Zerubbabel. Israelite families are listed by ancestral name and number. Levites, singers, and gatekeepers appear in their service groups. [Bridge] Some returnees cannot prove descent from Israel. Unverified priests are excluded from holy food until priestly judgment by Urim and Thummim. The congregation, servants, singers, and animals are totaled. Leaders and people give toward the work and settle in their cities by the seventh month. [Final Chorus] Let Not the Gates Be Opened until the Sun Be Hot, every crown is weighed, Thrones are raised and royal vows are made. A kingdom stands only where the word remains, For pride can break what wisdom must sustain. [Outro] The crown passed on, the record kept the cost. No throne could hold what disobedience lost.