The Exiles Return
7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,(A) the gatekeepers,(B) singers, and Levites were appointed. 2 Then I put my brother Hanani(C) in charge of Jerusalem,(D) along with Hananiah,(E) commander of the fortress,(F) because he was a faithful man who feared God(G) more than most. 3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”(H)
4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.(I) 5 Then my God put it into my mind(J) to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:(K)
6 These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar(L) of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.(M) 7 They came with Zerubbabel,(N) Jeshua,(O) Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
The number of the Israelite men included[a]
8 Parosh’s descendants(P) | 2,172 |
9 Shephatiah’s descendants | 372 |
10 Arah’s descendants | 652 |
11 Pahath-moab’s descendants: | |
Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants | 2,818 |
12 Elam’s descendants | 1,254 |
13 Zattu’s descendants | 845 |
14 Zaccai’s descendants | 760 |
15 Binnui’s descendants | 648 |
16 Bebai’s descendants | 628 |
17 Azgad’s descendants | 2,322 |
18 Adonikam’s descendants(Q) | 667 |
19 Bigvai’s descendants | 2,067 |
20 Adin’s descendants(R) | 655 |
21 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah | 98 |
22 Hashum’s descendants | 328 |
23 Bezai’s descendants | 324 |
24 Hariph’s descendants | 112 |
25 Gibeon’s[b] descendants | 95 |
26 Bethlehem’s(S) and Netophah’s(T) men | 188 |
27 Anathoth’s(U) men | 128 |
28 Beth-azmaveth’s men | 42 |
29 Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men | 743 |
30 Ramah’s and Geba’s men | 621 |
31 Michmas’s men | 122 |
32 Bethel’s and Ai’s men(V) | 123 |
33 the other Nebo’s men | 52 |
34 the other Elam’s people | 1,254 |
35 Harim’s people | 320 |
36 Jericho’s people(W) | 345 |
37 Lod’s,(X) Hadid’s, and Ono’s people | 721 |
38 Senaah’s people | 3,930. |
39 The priests included
Jedaiah’s(Y) descendants of the house of Jeshua | 973 |
40 Immer’s descendants | 1,052 |
41 Pashhur’s descendants | 1,247 |
42 Harim’s descendants | 1,017. |
43 The Levites(Z) included
Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel | |
Hodevah’s descendants | 74. |
44 The singers(AA) included
Asaph’s descendants | 148. |
45 The gatekeepers(AB) included
Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, | |
Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, | |
Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants | 138. |
46 The temple servants(AC) included
Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,
Tabbaoth’s descendants, 47 Keros’s descendants,
Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,
48 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,
Shalmai’s descendants, 49 Hanan’s descendants,
Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,
50 Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,
Nekoda’s descendants, 51 Gazzam’s descendants,
Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,
52 Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,
Nephishesim’s[c] descendants, 53 Bakbuk’s descendants,
Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,
54 Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,
Harsha’s descendants, 55 Barkos’s descendants,
Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,
56 Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.
57 The descendants of Solomon’s servants(AD) included
Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,
Perida’s descendants, 58 Jaala’s descendants,
Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,
59 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,
Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.
60 All the temple servants | |
and the descendants of Solomon’s servants(AE) | 392. |
61 The following(AF) are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families[d] and their lineage were Israelite:
62 Delaiah’s descendants, | |
Tobiah’s descendants, | |
and Nekoda’s descendants | 642 |
63 and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. 64 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 65 The governor(AG) ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.(AH)
66 The whole combined assembly numbered | 42,360 |
67 not including their 7,337 male and female servants, | |
as well as their 245 male and female singers. | |
68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,[e] | |
69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.(AI) |
70 Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,[f] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. 71 Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. 72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. 73 The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.(AJ)
Public Reading of the Law
When the seventh month(AK) came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,
Footnotes
- 7:7 Lit the men of the people of Israel
- 7:25 = Gibbar’s in Ezr 2:20
- 7:52 Alt Hb tradition reads Nephushesim’s
- 7:61 Lit the house of their fathers
- 7:68 Some Hb mss, LXX; Ezr 2:66; other Hb mss omit v. 68
- 7:70 Or drachmas, or darics; also in vv. 71,72
Cross references
- 7:1 : Neh 6:1
- 7:1 : Ezr 2:40–42; Neh 7:43–45
- 7:2 : Neh 1:2
- 7:2 : Neh 3:9,12
- 7:2 : Neh 10:23
- 7:2 : Neh 2:8
- 7:2 : 1Kg 18:3; Neh 5:9,15
- 7:3 : Neh 4:13,16,22–23
- 7:4 : Neh 11:1
- 7:5 : Pr 2:6
- 7:5–73 : Ezr 2:1–70
- 7:6 : 2Ch 36:20
- 7:6 : Ezr 2:1
- 7:7 : Hg 1:1
- 7:7 : Ezr 2:2; 5:2; Zch 3:3,8
- 7:8 : Ezr 2:3; 8:3; 10:25; Neh 3:25
- 7:18 : Ezr 2:13; 8:13
- 7:20 : Ezr 2:15; 8:6
- 7:26 : Ezr 2:21; Mc 5:2
- 7:26 : 2Sm 23:28; 2Kg 25:23; Ezr 2:22
- 7:27 : Ezr 2:23; Neh 11:32; Jr 1:1
- 7:32 : Gn 12:8; Jos 7:2; Ezr 2:28
- 7:36 : Jos 6:1; Ezr 2:34; Neh 3:2
- 7:37 : 1Ch 8:12; Ezr 2:33; Ac 9:32
- 7:39 : 1Ch 24:7; Ezr 2:36
- 7:43 : Ezr 2:40; 7:7; 8:15; Neh 13:30
- 7:44 : 1Ch 15:16; Ezr 2:41–43
- 7:45 : 1Ch 9:17–27
- 7:46 : Neh 11:21
- 7:57 : 1Kg 9:21; Ezr 2:55
- 7:60 : Ezr 2:58
- 7:61–62 : Ezr 2:59–60
- 7:65 : Ezr 2:63; 5:14
- 7:65 : Ex 28:30; Lv 8:8; Ezr 2:63
- 7:69–72 : Ezr 2:64–70
- 7:73 : 1Ch 9:2; Ezr 2:70; Neh 7:6
- 7:73 : Lv 23:23–43; Ezr 3:1