The Priests and Levites who Returned

1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who went 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 leaders of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving songs, he and his brothers. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unno, their brothers, were close to them according to their offices.

The Succession of High Priests

10 Jeshua became the father of Joiakim,
and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib,
and Eliashib became the father of Joiada,
11 and Joiada became the father of Jonathan,
and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.

12 In the days of Joiakim these were the priests, the heads of families:

of Seraiah, Meraiah;
of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam;
of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of 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 and 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, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of families and also the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian.

23 The descendants of Levi, heads of families, were written in the book of the chronicles, until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, along with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and give thanks, section by section, according to the commandment of David the man of God.

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

Dedication of the Wall

27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with giving thanks and with singing, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and with harps. 28 The sons of the singers gathered together, both from the plain around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 also from Beth Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

31 Then I brought up the leaders of Judah on the wall and appointed two great choirs who gave thanks and went in procession. One went on the right side on the wall toward the dung gate, 32 and after them went Hoshaiah, with half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets: 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 brothers, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them. 37 By the spring gate and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David at the ascent of the wall, above David’s house, all the way to the water gate eastward.

38 The other choir of those who gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the half of the people, on the wall, above the tower of the furnaces, all the way to the wide wall, 39 and above the gate of Ephraim, and by the old gate, and by the fish gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, to the sheep gate; and they stood still at the gate of the guard.

40 So the two choirs of those who gave thanks in the house of God stood, and I, and the half of the rulers with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

43 They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had caused them to rejoice with great joy, and the women and the children also rejoiced so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from far away.

Provisions for Temple Worship

44 On that day, men were appointed over the rooms for the treasures, for the wave offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, according to the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who waited.

45 They performed the duty of their God and the duty of the purification and so did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and of Solomon his son. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were choir directors and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47 All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, as every day required, and they set apart that which was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

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