1 Priests and Levites Come Up with Zerubbabel Now these are 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 12:7 Lit brothers relatives in the days of Jeshua.
8 The LeviteswereJeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah,andMattaniahwho wasover of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.
9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them inkeeping theirresponsibilities.
10 Jeshua 12:10Lit begot, so through v 12 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 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’householdswere:of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of 12:14In Neh 12:2,Malluch 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 Heads of the Levites
22 As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan and Jaddua, the heads of fathers’householdswere written down; the priestswerealso in the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’households, were written down in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
24 The heads of the LeviteswereHashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to praiseandgive thanks, by the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon,andAkkubweregatekeepers keeping watch at the storerooms of the gates.
26 Theseservedin the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priestandscribe.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 songsto the accompanimentof cymbals, harps and lyres.
28 So the sons of the singers were gathered from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,
29 from Beth-gilgal and fromtheirfields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem.
30 The priests and the Levites cleansed themselves; they also cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.The Choirs in the House of God
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I had two great choirs of thanksgiving stand, 12:31Heb and processions to the right the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Dung 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;andZechariah 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 12:36Lit brothers relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah,andHanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribewentbefore them.
37 At the Spring Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second 12:38Lit thanksgiving choir choir proceeded to the 12:38Lit front left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall,
39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at 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 madetheir voicesheard, with Jezrahiahtheiroverseer,
43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and were glad because God had given them great gladness, even the women and children were glad, so that the gladness of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day 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 was glad over the priests and Levites who stoodto minister.
45 And they kepttheirresponsibilitygiven bytheir God and the responsibility of cleansing, together with the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of Davidandhis son Solomon.
46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times,there were 12:46 Lit heads chiefs of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.
47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were giving the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the holyportionfor the Levites, and the Levites set apart the holyportionfor the sons of Aaron.