Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

v1

These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

v2

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

v3

Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

v4

Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

v5

Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

v6

Shemaiah, Jehoiarib, Jedaiah,

v7

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These are the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

v8

And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah and his brothers who were in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.

v9

And Bakbukiah, Unno, their brothers stood opposite them during service.

v10

Jeshua fathered Jehoiakim; Jehoiakim fathered Eliashib; Eliashib fathered Jehoiada;

v11

Jehoiada fathered Jehonathan; Jehonathan fathered Jaddua.

v12

Now in the days of Jehoiakim the priests and the heads of the families ^[Literally “fathers”] were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

v13

of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

v14

of Melichu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

v15

of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

v16

of Adaia, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

v17

of Abijah, Zicri; of Miniamin; of Moadiah, Piltai;

v18

of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

v19

of Jehoiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

v20

of Sallu, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

v21

of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

v22

In the days of Eliashib, Jehoiada, Jehohanan, and Jaddua the Levites were recorded as heads of the families. ^[Literally “fathers”] So these were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.

v23

The descendants ^[Or “sons”] of Levi and the heads of the families ^[Literally “fathers”] were recorded in the scroll of the Annals until the days of Jehohanan son of Eliashib.

v24

And the heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to praise and to give thanks by the command of David the man of God, section alongside section.

v25

Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storerooms of the gates.

v26

These were in the days of Jehoiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

v27

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites from all of their places in order to bring them to Jerusalem to do the dedication with joy, thanksgivings, song and cymbals, stringed instruments and lyres.

v28

The singers ^[Literally “sons of the singers”] were gathered from the circuit all around Jerusalem and from the villages of Netophathite,

v29

from Beth Gilgal, from the field of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers built for themselves villages all around Jerusalem.

v30

And the priests and the Levites purified themselves and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

v31

Then I brought the commanders of Judah up on to the wall. I appointed two great choirs; one went in a procession to the right on the wall to the Dung Gate.

v32

After them went Hoshaiah, half of the commanders of Judah,

v33

Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

v34

Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

v35

and the priests ^[Literally “sons of the priests”] with trumpets; Zechariah son of Jehonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph;

v36

and his brothers Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani with the instruments of the songs of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe went before them.

v37

At the Fountain Gate opposite them they went up the steps of the city of David, at the assent to the wall, over the house of David, and up to the Water Gate to the east.

v38

Then the second choir went the opposite way. I followed after them with half of the people on the wall, from over the Tower of the Ovens up to the Wide Wall

v39

and over the Gate of Ephraim, at the Old Gate, at the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, and to the Sheep Gate. And they stopped and stood at the Gate of the Guard.

v40

So the two choirs stood in the house of God, and I and half of the prefects with me;

v41

and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah with the trumpets;

v42

Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jizrahiah the chief officer.

v43

They offered on that day great sacrifices and rejoiced because God brought great joy to them. And the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

v44

On that day men were appointed for the storehouse rooms, the offerings, the first fruits, and the tithes, in order to gather in them from the fields of the cities the requirements of the law ^[Hebrew torah] for the priests and Levites; for the joy of Judah was upon the priests and Levites standing there.

v45

They kept the responsibility of their God and the responsibility of cleansing, and the singers and gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon.

v46

For in the days of David and Asaph from ancient times there was the head of the singers and a song of praise and thanksgiving to God.

v47

So all of Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily food portions of the singers and gatekeepers. And they set apart that which was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart that which was for the descendants ^[Or “sons”] of Aaron.