Number of Those Returning

2 Now these are ^[a]the people of the province [of Judah] who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. ² These came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, ^[b]Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, ^[c]Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³ the sons (descendants) of Parosh, 2,172; ⁴ the sons of Shephatiah, 372; ⁵ the sons of Arah, 775; ⁶ the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812; ⁷ the sons of Elam, 1,254; ⁸ the sons of Zattu, 945; ⁹ the sons of Zaccai, 760; ¹⁰ the sons of Bani, 642; ¹¹ the sons of Bebai, 623; ¹² the sons of Azgad, 1,222; ¹³ the sons of Adonikam, 666; ¹⁴ the sons of Bigvai, 2,056; ¹⁵ the sons of Adin, 454; ¹⁶ the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, 98; ¹⁷ the sons of Bezai, 323; ¹⁸ the sons of Jorah, 112; ¹⁹ the sons of Hashum, 223; ²⁰ the sons of Gibbar, 95; ²¹ the men of Bethlehem, 123; ²² the men of Netophah, 56; ²³ the men of Anathoth, 128; ²⁴ the sons of Azmaveth, 42; ²⁵ the sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743; ²⁶ the sons of Ramah and Geba, 621; ²⁷ the men of Michmas, 122; ²⁸ the men of Bethel and Ai, 223; ²⁹ the sons of Nebo, 52; ³⁰ the sons of Magbish, 156; ³¹ the sons of the other Elam, 1,254; ³² the sons of Harim, 320; ³³ the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 725; ³⁴ the men of Jericho, 345; ³⁵ the sons of Senaah, 3,630.

Priests Returning

³⁶ The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973; ³⁷ the sons of Immer, 1,052; ³⁸ the sons of Pashhur, 1,247; ³⁹ the sons of Harim, 1,017.

Levites Returning

⁴⁰ The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74. ⁴¹ The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128. ⁴² The sons of the gatekeepers: of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, in all 139.

⁴³ The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴ the sons of Keros, Siaha, Padon, ⁴⁵ the sons of Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, ⁴⁶ the sons of Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, ⁴⁷ the sons of Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, ⁴⁸ the sons of Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, ⁴⁹ the sons of Uzza, Paseah, Besai, ⁵⁰ the sons of Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim, ⁵¹ the sons of Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵² the sons of Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵³ the sons of Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁴ the sons of Neziah, Hatipha.

⁵⁵ The sons of [King] Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, Hassophereth (Sophereth), Peruda, ⁵⁶ the sons of Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁷ the sons of Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, Ami.

⁵⁸ All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants totaled 392.

⁵⁹ Now these are the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they could not provide evidence of their fathers’ households and their descendants, whether they were of Israel: ⁶⁰ the sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 652.

Priests Removed

⁶¹ Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, of Hakkoz, and of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was known by their name.^{(A) 62} These searched [for their names] among those registered in the genealogies, but they were not found; so they were excluded from the priesthood as [ceremonially] unclean. ⁶³ The ^[d]governor told them that they should not eat of the most holy things [the priests’ food] until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim [who by consulting these articles in his breastplate could ^[e]determine God’s will in the matter].

⁶⁴ The whole assembly totaled 42,360, ⁶⁵ besides their male and female servants who numbered 7,337; and [among them] they had 200 male and female singers. ⁶⁶ Their horses totaled 736; their mules, 245; ⁶⁷ their camels totaled 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

⁶⁸ Some of the ^[f]heads of the fathers’ households (extended families), when they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, made voluntary contributions for the house of God to rebuild it on its [old] foundation. ⁶⁹ They gave according to their ability to the treasury for the work, 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly [linen] garments.

⁷⁰ So the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants settled in their [own] cities, and all Israel [gradually settled] into their cities.

Altar and Sacrifices Restored

3 When the seventh month came and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. ² Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the ^[g]Law of Moses, the man of God. ³ So they set up the altar on its [old] foundation, ^[h]for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, morning and evening. ⁴ They celebrated the Feast of ^[i]Booths, as it is written, and offered the fixed number of daily burnt offerings, in accordance with the ordinances, as each day required; ⁵ and afterward, there was the continual burnt offering, the offering at the New Moons, and at all the appointed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated, and the offerings of everyone who made a voluntary offering to the Lord. ⁶ From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. ⁷ They gave money to the masons and to the carpenters, and gave food, drink, and [olive] oil to the people from Sidon and Tyre, to bring cedar wood from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, in accordance with the authorization they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Temple Restoration Begun

⁸ In the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began [the work], with the rest of their brothers—the priests and Levites and all who came to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. ⁹ Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah and the sons of Henadad with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the house of God.

¹⁰ Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with their cymbals, to praise the Lord in accordance with the directions of David king of Israel. ¹¹ They sang [responsively], praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness (mercy) toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹² But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house (temple), wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³ so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Adversaries Hinder the Work

4 Now when [the Samaritans] the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles from the captivity were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, ² they came to Zerubbabel [who was now governor] and to the heads of the fathers’ households and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God [and worship] just as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”^{(B) 3} But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

⁴ Then [the Samaritans and others of] the people of the land ^[j]discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them [to deter them] from building, ⁵ and hired advisers [to work] against them to frustrate their plans during the entire time that Cyrus king of Persia reigned, [and this lasted] even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

¹⁹ The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister; ²⁰ and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed—five in all. ²¹ The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah. ²² The sons (descendants) of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat—six in all. ²³ The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam—three in all. ²⁴ The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.