This state of things might have been prevented had the rulers exercised their authority; but a desire to advance their own interests had led them to favor the ungodly. Nehemiah fearlessly rebuked them for their neglect of duty. "What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day?" he sternly demanded. "Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath." He then gave command that "when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath," they should be shut, and not opened again till the Sabbath was past; and having more confidence in his own servants 672 than in those that the magistrates of Jerusalem might appoint, he stationed them at the gates to see that his orders were enforced.

Dette kunne have været undgået, hvis folkets øverster havde udøvet deres myndighed, men de begunstigede de gudløse af hensyn til deres egne interesser. Nehemias irettesatte dem uforfærdet for deres pligtforsømmelse. "Hvor kan I handle så ilde og vanhellige sabbatsdagen?" spurgte han strengt. "Har ikke vor Gud bragt al denne ulykke over os og over denne by, fordi eders fædre handlede således? Og I bringer endnu mere vrede over Israel ved at vanhellige sabbatten!" Derpå gav han befaling til, at portene skulle lukkes, "så snart mørket faldt på i Jerusalems porte", og at de ikke skulle åbnes igen, før sabbatten var omme. Da han nærede mere tillid til sine egne tjenere end til dem, som myndighederne i Jerusalem udpegede, lod han dem tage opstilling ved portene for at sørge for, at hans ordrer blev efterkommet.