The Priests and Levites Who Returned

1And these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua:

Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2Amariah, Malluch,† Hattush,

3Shechaniah, Rehum,† Meremoth,

Iddo, Ginnethon,† Abijah,

Mijamin,† Maadiah,† Bilgah,†

Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

8And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah—he over the songs of praise—and his brothers, 9and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, were opposite them in the services.

10And Jeshua begat Joiakim,

and Joiakim begat Eliashib,

and Eliashib begat Joiada,

11and Joiada begat Jonathan,†

and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

12And in the days of Joiakim were the priests, the heads of the fathers:

For Seraiah, Meraiah;

for Jeremiah, Hananiah;

13for Ezra, Meshullam;

for Amariah, Jehohanan;

14for Malluchi,† Jonathan;

for Shebaniah,† Joseph;

15for Harim, Adna;

for Meraioth,† Helkai;

16for Iddo, Zechariah;

for Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17for Abijah, Zichri;

for Minjamin, for Moadiah,† Piltai;

18for Bilgah, Shammua;

for Shemaiah, Jonathan;

19and for Joiarib, Mattenai;

for Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20for Sallai,† Kallai;

for Amok, Eber;

21for Hilkiah, Hashabiah;

for Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan,† and Jaddua, were recorded as heads of fathers and priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.

23The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers, were written in the book of the Words of the Days,† even until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. 24And the heads of the Levites were: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel,† and their brothers standing in front of them, to praise and to give thanks, by the command of David the man of God, watch beside watch.

25Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub, were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storehouses of the gates. 26These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak,† and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe.

The Dedication of the Wall

27And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to make the dedication with gladness, and with praises, and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and with lyres. 28And the sons of the singers gathered together from the circuit around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathite, 29and from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

31Then I brought up the leaders of Judah upon the wall, and I made stand two great thanksgiving groups, and one went to the south upon the wall† toward the Gate of the Dunghill. 32And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 33and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35and some from the sons of the priests with the trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah,† son of Zaccur, son of Asaph, 36and his brothers—Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani—with instruments of song of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them. 37And at the Gate of the Fountain and in front of them they went up on the stairs of the City of David, on the ascent to the wall, up above the house of David, and up to the Gate of the Water eastward.

38And the second thanksgiving group was proceeding opposite, and I was behind it, and half of the people on the wall above the Tower of the Ovens and up to the Broad Wall. 39And above the Gate of Ephraim, and above the Gate of Jeshanah,† and above the Gate of the Fish, and the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, and up to the Gate of the Sheep, and they stood by the Gate of the Guard.

40And the two thanksgiving groups stood in the house of God, and I, and half of the officials with me, 41and the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah—with the trumpets; 42and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang out, and Jezrahiah was the overseer.

43And they sacrificed on that day great sacrifices, and they rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. And also the women and the sons rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

Provisions for Temple Worship

44And there were appointed men on that day over the rooms for the treasures, for the contributions, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and for the Levites. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who were standing,

45and the singers and the gatekeepers, and they kept the service of their God and the service of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. 46For in the days of David and Asaph of old were heads of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah were giving the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, the matter of a day in its day, and they were consecrating for the Levites, and the Levites were consecrating for the sons of Aaron.

Footnotes:

2 Malluch is a variant of Malluchi; see verse 14.
3 Rehum is a variant of Harim; see verse 15, Nehemiah 7:42, and Ezra 2:39.
4 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 16); most MT manuscripts Ginnethoi
5 Mijamin is a variant of Miniamin; see verse 17.
5 Maadiah is a variant of Moadiah; see verse 17.
5 Bilgah is a variant of Bilgai; also in verse 18; see Nehemiah 10:8.
11 Jonathan is a variant of Johanan; see verse 22.
14 Malluchi is a variant of Malluch; see verse 2.
14 Shebaniah is a variant of Shecaniah; see verse 3; see also Syriac and some Hebrew and LXX manuscripts.
15 Meraioth is a variant of Meremoth; see verse 3 and also some LXX manuscripts.
17 Moadiah is a variant of Maadiah; see verse 5.
20 Sallai is a variant of Sallu; see verse 7.
22 Johanan is a variant of Jonathan; see verse 11.
23 Or the Book of the Annals or the Book of the Historical Events or the Book of the Chronicles
24 Or Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel
26 Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.
31 Or alongside the wall; also in verse 38
35 Micaiah is a variant of Mica; see Nehemiah 11:22.
39 Or the Old City Gate