Nehemiah 7 - International Standard Version (ISV)

Nehemiah Appoints Administrators

7 After the wall had been completed and its doors installed, then the gatekeepers, singers, and descendants of Levi were appointed. ² I appointed my brother Hanani and fortress commander Hananiah to be over Jerusalem, since he was a faithful person who revered God more than many others did. ³ I charged them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until mid-day.^[a] Until then, let everyone stand watch, keeping the gates shut and locked. Appoint security watches from those who live in Jerusalem. Everyone should maintain his own watch near his house.” ⁴ Even though the city was large and spread out, not many people were living there and not many houses had been built. ⁵ So my God gave me the idea to gather together the nobles, the officials, and the people so they could be registered according to their genealogies.

A List of Those who Returned^(A)

I found a register of the original inhabitants in which there was recorded ⁶ a list of descendants^[b] of the province of Judah^[c] who returned from captivity, from those who had been exiled by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They had come back to Jerusalem and to Judah, each one to his town. ⁷ They were coming with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani,^[d] Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth,^[e] Bigvai, Nehum,^[f] and Baanah. Here is the enumeration of:

The Men of Israel:

⁸ Parosh’s descendants:^[g] 2,172

⁹ Shephatiah’s descendants: 372

¹⁰ Arah’s descendants: 652^[h]

¹¹ Pahath-moab’s descendants; that is, through Jeshua and Joab: 2,818^[i]

¹² Elam’s descendants: 1,254

¹³ Zattu’s descendants: 845^[j]

¹⁴ Zaccai’s descendants: 760

¹⁵ Binnui’s descendants:^[k] 648^[l]

¹⁶ Bebai’s descendants: 628^[m]

¹⁷ Azgad’s descendants: 2,322^[n]

¹⁸ Adonikam’s descendants: 667^[o]

¹⁹ Bigvai’s descendants: 2,067^[p]

²⁰ Adin’s descendants: 655^[q]

²¹ Ater’s descendants through Hezekiah: 98

²² Hashum’s descendants: 328^[r]

²³ Bezai’s descendants: 324^[s]

²⁴ Hariph’s descendants:^[t] 112

²⁵ Gibeon’s descendants:^[u] 95

²⁶ People from Bethlehem and Netophah: 188^[v]

²⁷ People from Anathoth: 128

²⁸ People from Beth-azmaveth:^[w] 42

²⁹ People from Kiriath-jearim,^[x] Chephirah, and Beeroth: 743

³⁰ People from Ramah and Geba: 621

³¹ People from Michmas: 122

³² People from Bethel and Ai: 123^[y]

³³ People from the other Nebo: 52

³⁴ The other Elam’s descendants: 1,254

³⁵ Harim’s descendants: 320

³⁶ Jericho’s descendants: 345

³⁷ Descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 721^[z]

³⁸ Senaah’s descendants: 3,930^[aa]

³⁹ The Priests:

Jedaiah’s descendants from the household of Jeshua: 973

⁴⁰ Immer’s descendants: 1,052

⁴¹ Pashhur’s descendants: 1,247

⁴² Harim’s descendants: 1,017

⁴³ The Descendants of Levi:

Jeshua of Kadmiel’s descendants: that is, Hodevah’s descendants:^[ab] 74

⁴⁴ The Singers:

Asaph’s descendants: 148^[ac]

⁴⁵ The Gatekeepers:

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants: 138^[ad]

⁴⁶ The Temple Servants:

Descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, and Tabbaoth.

⁴⁷ Descendants of Keros, Sia,^[ae] and Padon.

⁴⁸ Descendants of Lebanah, Hagabah, and Shalmai.^[af]

⁴⁹ Descendants of Hanan, Giddel, and Gahar.

⁵⁰ Descendants of Reaiah, Rezin, and Nekoda.

⁵¹ Descendants of Gazzam, Uzza, and Paseah.

⁵² Descendants of Besai,^[ag] Meunim, and Nephushesim,^[ah]

⁵³ Descendants of Bakbuk, Hakupha, and Harhur.

⁵⁴ Descendants of Bazlith,^[ai] Mehida, and Harsha.

⁵⁵ Descendants of Barkos, Sisera, and Temah.

⁵⁶ Descendants of Neziah and Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The Descendants of Solomon’s Servants:

Descendants of Sotai, Sophereth,^[aj] and Perida,^[ak]

⁵⁸ Descendants of Jaala, Darkon, and Giddel,

⁵⁹ Descendants of Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Ammon;^[al]

⁶⁰ All of the Temple Servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392.

Non-Documented Persons^(B)

⁶¹ Here is a list of returnees from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, who could not prove their ancestry and lineage from Israel:

⁶² Descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda: 642^[am]

⁶³ Of the Priests:

Descendants of Habaiah, Koz,^[an] and Barzillai, who married one of the daughters of Barzillai from Gilead and took that name.

⁶⁴ These people searched for their ancestral records, but they couldn’t be located. Accordingly, they were considered disqualified^[ao] from the priesthood. ⁶⁵ The governor^[ap] ordered them not to eat anything holy until a priest would be installed with Urim and Thummim.^[aq]

⁶⁶ The entire assembly numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷ not including their 7,337 male and female servants. They had 245^[ar] men and women singers. ^{68 [as]}They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹ 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Gifts for the Temple^(C)

⁷⁰ Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor^[at] contributed 1,000 gold drachmas to the treasury, along with 50 basins, and 530 priestly garments. ⁷¹ Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver units^[au] for the work. ⁷² The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver units^[av], and 67 priestly garments.

⁷³ The priests, descendants of Levi, gatekeepers, singers, some of the people, the Temple Servants, and all the Israelis settled in their cities.

Ezra Reads the Law^(D)

⁷³ Seven months later,^[aw] the Israelis had settled in their own cities.

Footnotes

1. Nehemiah 7:3 Lit. until the sun is hot
2. Nehemiah 7:6 Lit. These are the descendants
3. Nehemiah 7:6 The Heb. lacks of Judah
4. Nehemiah 7:7 MT of Ezra 2:2 lacks Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani
5. Nehemiah 7:7 Cf. MT of Ezra 2:2 Mispar
6. Nehemiah 7:7 Cf. MT of Ezra 2:2 Rehum
7. Nehemiah 7:8 Lit. Sons of; and so throughout the chapter
8. Nehemiah 7:10 Cf. Ezra 2:3 775
9. Nehemiah 7:11 Cf. Ezra 2:6 2,812
10. Nehemiah 7:13 Cf. Ezra 2:8 945
11. Nehemiah 7:15 Cf. Ezra 2:10 Bani
12. Nehemiah 7:15 Cf. Ezra 2:10 642
13. Nehemiah 7:16 Cf. Ezra 2:11 623
14. Nehemiah 7:17 Cf. Ezra 2:12 1,222
15. Nehemiah 7:18 Cf. Ezra 2:13 666
16. Nehemiah 7:19 Cf. Ezra 2:14 2,056
17. Nehemiah 7:20 Cf. Ezra 2:15 454
18. Nehemiah 7:22 Cf. Ezra 2:19 223
19. Nehemiah 7:23 Cf. Ezra 2:17 323
20. Nehemiah 7:24 Cf. Ezra 2:18 Jorah
21. Nehemiah 7:25 Cf. Ezra 2:19 Gibbar
22. Nehemiah 7:26 Cf. Ezra 2:21-22 where the total is 179
23. Nehemiah 7:28 Cf. Ezra 2:24 Azmaveth
24. Nehemiah 7:29 Cf. Ezra 2:25 Kiriath-arim
25. Nehemiah 7:32 Cf. Ezra 2:28 223
26. Nehemiah 7:37 Cf. Ezra 2:33 725
27. Nehemiah 7:38 Cf. Ezra 2:35 3,630
28. Nehemiah 7:43 Cf. Ezra 2:40 Hodaviah
29. Nehemiah 7:44 Cf. Ezra 2:41 128
30. Nehemiah 7:45 Cf. Ezra 2:42 139
31. Nehemiah 7:47 Cf. Ezra 2:44 Siaha
32. Nehemiah 7:48 Cf. Ezra 2:45-46 and Akkub ⁴⁶ Descendants of Hagab, Shalmai
33. Nehemiah 7:52 Cf. Ezra 2:49-50 Besai. ⁵⁰ Descendants of Asnah,
34. Nehemiah 7:52 Cf. Ezra 2:50 Nephusim
35. Nehemiah 7:54 Cf. Ezra 2:52 Bazluth
36. Nehemiah 7:57 Cf. Ezra 2:55 Hassophereth
37. Nehemiah 7:57 Cf. Ezra 2:55 Peruda
38. Nehemiah 7:59 Cf. Ezra 2:47 Ami
39. Nehemiah 7:62 Cf. Ezra 2:60 652
40. Nehemiah 7:63 Cf. Ezra 7:61 Hakkoz
41. Nehemiah 7:64 Lit. unclean
42. Nehemiah 7:65 Lit. Tirshatha; i.e. a Persian title
43. Nehemiah 7:65 I.e. a high priest to whom God would reveal his will through the jewel-encrusted breastplate that he wore; cf. Exod 28:30, Ezra 2:63
44. Nehemiah 7:67 Cf. Ezra 2:65 200
45. Nehemiah 7:68 Some MT mss. lack this v.
46. Nehemiah 7:70 Lit. Tirshatha; i.e. a Persian title
47. Nehemiah 7:71 Lit. mina
48. Nehemiah 7:72 Lit. mina
49. Nehemiah 7:73 Lit. When the seventh month came; cf. Ezra 3:1

Cross references

1. Nehemiah 7:5 : Ezra 2:1-58
2. Nehemiah 7:61 : Ezra 2:59-67
3. Nehemiah 7:70 : Ezra 2:68-70
4. Nehemiah 7:73 : Ezra 3:1