The Priests and Levites^(A)

12 Now these are the ^(B)priests and the Levites who came up with ^(C)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: ^(D)Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ² Amariah, ^[a]Malluch, Hattush, ^3 [b]Shechaniah, ^[c]Rehum, ^[d]Meremoth, ⁴ Iddo, ^[e]Ginnethoi, ^(E)Abijah, ^5 [f]Mijamin, ^[g]Maadiah, Bilgah, ⁶ Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ^7 [h]Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their brethren in the days of ^(F)Jeshua.

⁸ Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah ^(G)who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren. ⁹ Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in their duties.

¹⁰ Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, ¹¹ Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.

¹² Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the ^(H)heads of the fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; ¹³ of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; ¹⁴ of ^[i]Melichu, Jonathan; of ^[j]Shebaniah, Joseph; ¹⁵ of ^[k]Harim, Adna; of ^[l]Meraioth, Helkai; ¹⁶ of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; ¹⁷ of Abijah, Zichri; the son of ^[m]Minjamin; of ^[n]Moadiah, Piltai; ¹⁸ of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; ¹⁹ of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; ²⁰ of ^[o]Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; ²¹ of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²² During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been ^(I)heads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. ²³ The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the ^(J)chronicles.

²⁴ And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to ^(K)praise and give thanks, ^(L)group^[p] alternating with group, ^(M)according to the command of David the man of God. ²⁵ Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. ²⁶ These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of ^[q]Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah ^(N)the governor, and of Ezra the priest, ^(O)the scribe.

Nehemiah Dedicates the Wall

²⁷ Now at ^(P)the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, ^(Q)both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. ²⁸ And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the ^(R)villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹ from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem. ³⁰ Then the priests and Levites ^(S)purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

³¹ So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. ^(T)One went to the right hand on the wall ^(U)toward the Refuse Gate. ³² After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, ³³ and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵ and some of the priests’ sons ^(V)with trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, ³⁶ and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with ^(W)the musical ^(X)instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. ^37 (Y)By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up ^(Z)the stairs of the ^(AA)City of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as ^(AB)the Water Gate eastward.

^38 (AC)The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the ^(AD)Tower of the Ovens as far as ^(AE)the Broad Wall, ^39 (AF)and above the Gate of Ephraim, above ^(AG)the Old Gate, above ^(AH)the Fish Gate, ^(AI)the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of ^[r]the Hundred, as far as ^(AJ)the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by ^(AK)the Gate of the Prison.

⁴⁰ So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; ⁴¹ and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, ^[s]Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; ⁴² also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers ^[t]sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.

⁴³ Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard ^(AL)afar off.

Temple Responsibilities

^44 (AM)And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the ^(AN)tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ^[u]ministered. ⁴⁵ Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, ^(AO)according to the command of David and Solomon his son. ⁴⁶ For in the days of David ^(AP)and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. ⁴⁷ In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for ^(AQ)each day. ^(AR)They also ^[v]consecrated holy things for the Levites, ^(AS)and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.