Priests and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel
12 Now these are (A)the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their [a]kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was [b]in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them (B)in their service divisions. 10 Jeshua [c]became the father of Joiakim, and Joiakim [d]became the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib [e]became the father of Joiada, 11 and Joiada became the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.
12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of [f]Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
The Chief Levites
22 As for the Levites, the heads of fathers’ households were registered in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan and Jaddua; so were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were registered in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24 The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, (C)to praise and give thanks, [g]as prescribed by David the man of God, (D)division corresponding to division. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at (E)the storehouses of the gates. 26 These served in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of (F)Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
Dedication of the Wall
27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs (G)to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from (H)the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites (I)purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall.
Procedures for the Temple
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great [h]choirs, [i](J)the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward (K)the Refuse Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his [j]kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, (L)with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 At (M)the Fountain Gate they went directly up (N)the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to (O)the Water Gate on the east.
38 (P)The second [k]choir proceeded to the [l]left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, (Q)above the Tower of Furnaces, to (R)the Broad Wall, 39 and above (S)the Gate of Ephraim, by (T)the Old Gate, by the (U)Fish Gate, (V)the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at (W)the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers [m]sang, with Jezrahiah their leader, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because (X)God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day (Y)men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who [n]served. 45 For they performed the [o]worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers (Z)in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and (AA)Asaph, in ancient times, there were [p](AB)leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers (AC)as each day required, and (AD)set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 12:7 Lit brothers
- Nehemiah 12:8 Lit over
- Nehemiah 12:10 Lit begot, and so in vv 11, 12
- Nehemiah 12:10 Lit begot, and so in vv 11, 12
- Nehemiah 12:10 Lit begot, and so in vv 11, 12
- Nehemiah 12:14 In Neh 12:2, Malluch
- Nehemiah 12:24 Lit in the commandment of
- Nehemiah 12:31 Lit thanksgiving choirs
- Nehemiah 12:31 Heb and processions to the right
- Nehemiah 12:36 Lit brothers
- Nehemiah 12:38 Lit thanksgiving choir
- Nehemiah 12:38 Lit front
- Nehemiah 12:42 Lit caused their voices to be heard
- Nehemiah 12:44 Lit stood
- Nehemiah 12:45 Lit service
- Nehemiah 12:46 Lit heads
Cross references
- Nehemiah 12:1 : Ezra 2:1; 7:7
- Nehemiah 12:9 : Neh 12:24
- Nehemiah 12:24 : Neh 11:17
- Nehemiah 12:24 : Neh 12:9
- Nehemiah 12:25 : 1 Chr 26:15
- Nehemiah 12:26 : Neh 8:9
- Nehemiah 12:27 : 1 Chr 15:16, 28
- Nehemiah 12:28 : 1 Chr 9:16
- Nehemiah 12:30 : Neh 13:22, 30
- Nehemiah 12:31 : Neh 12:38
- Nehemiah 12:31 : Neh 2:13
- Nehemiah 12:36 : Neh 12:24
- Nehemiah 12:37 : Neh 2:14
- Nehemiah 12:37 : Neh 3:15
- Nehemiah 12:37 : Neh 3:26
- Nehemiah 12:38 : Neh 12:31
- Nehemiah 12:38 : Neh 3:11
- Nehemiah 12:38 : Neh 3:8
- Nehemiah 12:39 : Neh 8:16
- Nehemiah 12:39 : Neh 3:6
- Nehemiah 12:39 : Neh 3:3
- Nehemiah 12:39 : Neh 3:1
- Nehemiah 12:39 : Neh 3:25
- Nehemiah 12:43 : Ps 9:2; 92:4
- Nehemiah 12:44 : Neh 13:4, 5, 12, 13
- Nehemiah 12:45 : 1 Chr 25:1
- Nehemiah 12:46 : 2 Chr 29:30
- Nehemiah 12:46 : 1 Chr 9:33
- Nehemiah 12:47 : Neh 11:23
- Nehemiah 12:47 : Num 18:21