9 Genealogical records were kept for all Israel; they are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel.

Exiles Who Resettled in Jerusalem

The people of Judah^[a] were carried away to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. ² The first to resettle on their property and in their cities were some Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.^{[b] 3} Some from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim and Manasseh settled in Jerusalem.

⁴ The settlers included:^[c] Uthai son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, who was a descendant of Perez son of Judah.

⁵ From the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

⁶ From the descendants of Zerah: Jeuel.

Their relatives numbered 690.

⁷ From the descendants of Benjamin:

Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah; ⁸ Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah.

⁹ Their relatives, listed in their genealogical records, numbered 956. All these men were leaders of their families.^[d]

¹⁰ From the priests:

Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; ¹¹ Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub the leader in God’s temple; ¹² Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer.

¹³ Their relatives, who were leaders of their families, numbered 1,760. They were capable men who were assigned to carry out the various tasks of service in God’s temple.^[e]

¹⁴ From the Levites:

Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah a descendant of Merari; ¹⁵ Bakbakkar; Heresh; Galal; Mattaniah son of Mika, son of Zikri, son of Asaph; ¹⁶ Obadiah son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived among the settlements of the Netophathites.

¹⁷ The gatekeepers were:

Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brothers. Shallum was the leader; ¹⁸ he serves to this day at the King’s Gate on the east. These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the descendants of Levi.

¹⁹ Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his relatives from his family (the Korahites) were assigned to guard the entrance to the sanctuary.^[f] Their ancestors had guarded the entrance to the Lord’s dwelling place.^{[g] 20} Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader in earlier times, and the Lord was with him. ²¹ Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the guard at the entrance to the meeting tent.

²² All those selected to be gatekeepers at the entrances numbered 212. Their names were recorded in the genealogical records of their settlements. David and Samuel the prophet^[h] had appointed them to their positions.^{[i] 23} They and their descendants were assigned to guard the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary (that is, the tabernacle).^{[j] 24} The gatekeepers were posted on all four sides—east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ Their relatives, who lived in their settlements, came from time to time and served with them for seven-day periods. ²⁶ The four head gatekeepers, who were Levites, were assigned to guard the storerooms and treasuries in God’s sanctuary.^{[k] 27} They would spend the night in their posts all around God’s sanctuary,^[l] for they were assigned to guard it and would open it with the key every morning. ²⁸ Some of them were in charge of the articles used by those who served; they counted them when they brought them in and when they brought them out.^{[m] 29} Some of them were in charge of the equipment and articles of the sanctuary,^[n] as well as the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices. ³⁰ (But some of the priests mixed the spices.) ³¹ Mattithiah, a Levite, the firstborn son^[o] of Shallum the Korahite, was in charge of baking the bread for offerings. ³² Some of the Kohathites, their relatives, were in charge of preparing the bread that is displayed each Sabbath.

³³ The musicians and Levite family leaders stayed in rooms at the sanctuary^[p] and were exempt from other duties, for day and night they had to carry out their assigned tasks. ³⁴ These were the family leaders of the Levites, as listed in their genealogical records. They lived in Jerusalem.

The Priests and the Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem

12 These are the priests and Levites who returned^[a] with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ³ Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ⁴ Iddo, Ginnethon,^[b] Abijah, ⁵ Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, ⁶ Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders^[c] of the priests and their colleagues^[d] in the days of Jeshua.

⁸ And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who together with his colleagues^[e] was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. ⁹ Bakbukiah and Unni,^[f] their colleagues, stood opposite them in the services.

¹⁰ Jeshua was the father of^[g] Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, ¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

¹² In the days of Joiakim, these were the priests who were leaders of the families: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; ¹³ of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; ¹⁴ of Malluch,^[h] Jonathan; of Shecaniah,^[i] Joseph; ¹⁵ of Harim, Adna; of Meremoth,^[j] Helkai; ¹⁶ of Iddo,^[k] Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; ¹⁷ of Abijah, Zicri; of Miniamin and^[l] of Moadiah, Piltai; ¹⁸ of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; ¹⁹ of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; ²⁰ of Sallu,^[m] Kallai; of Amok, Eber; ²¹ of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²² As for the Levites,^[n] in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua the heads of families were recorded, as were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian. ²³ The descendants of Levi were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles^[o] as heads of families up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. ²⁴ And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their colleagues, who stood opposite them to offer praise and thanks, one contingent corresponding to the other, as specified by^[p] David the man of God.

²⁵ Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who were guarding the storerooms at the gates. ²⁶ These all served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priestly scribe.^[q]

The Wall of Jerusalem is Dedicated

²⁷ At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all the places they lived^[r] to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully with songs of thanksgiving and songs accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. ²⁸ The singers^[s] were also assembled from the district around Jerusalem and from the settlements of the Netophathites ²⁹ and from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built settlements for themselves around Jerusalem. ³⁰ When the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

³¹ I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed^[t] on the top of the wall southward toward the Dung Gate. ³² Going after them were Hoshaiah, half the leaders of Judah, ³³ Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵ some of the priests^[u] with trumpets, Zechariah 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 colleagues—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with musical instruments of^[v] David the man of God. (Ezra the scribe led them.)^{[w] 37} They went over the Fountain Gate and continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall. They passed the house of David and continued on to the Water Gate toward the east.

³⁸ The second choir was proceeding^[x] in the opposite direction. I followed them, along with half the people, on top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, ³⁹ over the Ephraim Gate, the Jeshanah Gate,^[y] the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped^[z] at the Gate of the Guard.

⁴⁰ Then the two choirs that gave thanks took their stations^[aa] in the temple of God. I did also, along with half the officials with me, ⁴¹ and the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with their trumpets— ⁴² and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. The choirs sang loudly^[ab] under the direction of Jezrahiah. ⁴³ And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away.

⁴⁴ On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, to gather into them from^[ac] the fields of the cities the portions prescribed by the law for the priests and the Levites, for the people of Judah^[ad] took delight in the priests and Levites who were ministering.^{[ae] 45} They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and^[af] his son Solomon. ⁴⁶ For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors^[ag] for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanks to God. ⁴⁷ So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel was contributing the portions for the singers and gatekeepers, according to the daily need.^[ah] They also set aside^[ai] the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.