7 And now the wall had been rebuilt, the gates had all been put in place, and the Temple guards, the members of the sacred choir, and the other Levites had been assigned their work. 2 I put two men in charge of governing the city of Jerusalem: my brother Hanani and Hananiah, commanding officer of the fortress. Hananiah was a reliable and God-fearing man without equal. 3 I told them not to have the gates of Jerusalem opened in the morning until well after sunrise and to have them closed and barred before the guards went off duty at sunset. I also told them to appoint guards from among the people who lived in Jerusalem and to assign some of them to specific posts and others to patrol the area around their own houses.
The List of Those Who Returned from Exile(A)
4 Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people were living in it, and not many houses had been built yet. 5 God inspired me to assemble the people and their leaders and officials and to check their family records. I located the records of those who had first returned from captivity, and this is the information I found:
6 Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own hometown. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners. 7 Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
8-25 This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:
- Parosh - 2,172
- Shephatiah - 372
- Arah - 652
- Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,818
- Elam - 1,254
- Zattu - 845
- Zaccai - 760
- Binnui - 648
- Bebai - 628
- Azgad - 2,322
- Adonikam - 667
- Bigvai - 2,067
- Adin - 655
- Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
- Hashum - 328
- Bezai - 324
- Hariph - 112
- Gibeon - 95
26-38 People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:
- Bethlehem and Netophah - 188
- Anathoth - 128
- Beth Azmaveth - 42
- Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
- Ramah and Geba - 621
- Michmash - 122
- Bethel and Ai - 123
- The other Nebo - 52
- The other Elam - 1,254
- Harim - 320
- Jericho - 345
- Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 721
- Senaah - 3,930
39-42 This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:
- Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973
- Immer - 1,052
- Pashhur - 1,247
- Harim - 1,017
43-45 Clans of Levites who returned from exile:
- Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
- Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 148
- Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 138
46-56 Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:
- Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
- Keros, Sia, Padon,
- Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
- Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
- Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
- Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
- Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim,
- Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
- Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,
- Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
- Neziah, and Hatipha.
57-59 Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:
- Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
- Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
- Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.
60 The total number of descendants of the Temple workers and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.
61-62 There were 642 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.
63-64 The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. 65 (B)The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.[a]
66-69 Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360.
- Their male and female servants - 7,337
- Male and female musicians - 245
- Horses - 736
- Mules - 245
- Camels - 435
- Donkeys - 6,720
70-72 Many of the people contributed to help pay the cost of restoring the Temple:
| The governor | 270 | ounces of gold |
| 50 | ceremonial bowls | |
| 530 | robes for priests | |
| Heads of clans | 337 | pounds of gold |
| 3,215 | pounds of silver | |
| The rest of the people | 337 | pounds of gold |
| 2,923 | pounds of silver | |
| 67 | robes for priests |
73 (C)The priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the musicians, many of the ordinary people, the Temple workers—all the people of Israel—settled in the towns and cities of Judah.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 7:65 Two objects used by the priest to determine God's will; it is not known precisely how they were used.