7 And the high priest asked [Stephen], Are these charges true?

² And he answered, Brethren and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before he [went to] live in Haran,^(A)

³ And He said to him, Leave your own country and your relatives and come into the land (region) that I will point out to you.^(B)

⁴ So then he went forth from the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, [God] transferred him to this country in which you are now dwelling.^(C)

⁵ Yet He gave him no inheritable property in it, [no] not even enough ground to set his foot on; but He promised that He would give it to Him for a ^[a]permanent possession and to his descendants after him, even though [as yet] he had no child.^(D)

⁶ And this is [in effect] what God told him: That his descendants would be aliens (strangers) in a land belonging to other people, who would bring them into bondage and ill-treat them 400 years.

⁷ But I will judge the nation to whom they will be slaves, said God, and after that they will escape and come forth and worship Me in this [very] place.^(E)

⁸ And [God] made with Abraham a covenant (an agreement to be religiously observed) ^[b]of which circumcision was the seal. And under these circumstances [Abraham] became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac [did so] when he became the father of Jacob, and Jacob [when each of his sons was born], the twelve patriarchs.^(F)

⁹ And the patriarchs [Jacob’s sons], boiling with envy and hatred and anger, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him,^(G)

¹⁰ And delivered him from all his distressing afflictions and won him goodwill and favor and wisdom and understanding in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his house.^(H)

¹¹ Then there came a famine over all of Egypt and Canaan, with great distress, and our forefathers could find no fodder [for the cattle] or vegetable sustenance [for their households].^(I)

Read full chapter

7 Now when the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites had been appointed,

² I gave my brother Hanani, with Hananiah the ruler of the castle, charge over Jerusalem, for Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.

³ I said to them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the watchmen are still on guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from the people of Jerusalem, each to his watch [on the wall] and each opposite his own house.

⁴ Now the city was wide and large, but the people in it were few, and their houses were not yet built.

⁵ And my God put it into my mind and heart to assemble the nobles, the officers, and the people, that they might be counted by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who came [from Babylon] at the first, and found written in it:

⁶ These are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away; they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his town,

⁷ Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah [not the author], Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The men of Israel numbered:

⁸ The sons of Parosh, 2,172.

⁹ The sons of Shephatiah, 372.

¹⁰ The sons of Arah, 652.

¹¹ The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818.

¹² The sons of Elam, 1,254.

¹³ The sons of Zattu, 845.

¹⁴ The sons of Zaccai, 760.

¹⁵ The sons of Binnui, 648.

¹⁶ The sons of Bebai, 628.

¹⁷ The sons of Azgad, 2,322.

¹⁸ The sons of Adonikam, 667.

¹⁹ The sons of Bigvai, 2,067.

²⁰ The sons of Adin, 655.

²¹ The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98.

²² The sons of Hashum, 328.

²³ The sons of Bezai, 324.

²⁴ The sons of Hariph, 112.

²⁵ The sons of Gibeon, 95.

²⁶ The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188.

²⁷ The men of Anathoth, 128.

²⁸ The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42.

²⁹ The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743.

³⁰ The men of Ramah and Geba, 621.

³¹ The men of Michmas, 122.

³² The men of Bethel and Ai, 123.

³³ The men of the other Nebo, 52.

³⁴ The sons of the other Elam, 1,254.

³⁵ The sons of Harim, 320.

³⁶ The sons of Jericho, 345.

³⁷ The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721.

³⁸ The sons of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹ The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973.

⁴⁰ The sons of Immer, 1,052.

⁴¹ The sons of Pashhur, 1,247.

⁴² The sons of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³ The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74.

⁴⁴ The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, of Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, and of Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶ The Nethinim [temple servants]: the sons of Ziha, of Hasupha, of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷ Of Keros, of Sia, of Padon,

⁴⁸ Of Lebana, of Hagaba, of Shalmai,

⁴⁹ Of Hanan, of Giddel, of Gahar,

⁵⁰ Of Reaiah, of Rezin, of Nekoda,

⁵¹ Of Gazzam, of Uzza, of Paseah,

⁵² Of Besai, of Meunim, of Nephushesim,

⁵³ Of Bakbuk, of Hakupha, of Harhur,

⁵⁴ Of Bazlith, of Mehida, of Harsha,

⁵⁵ Of Barkos, of Sisera, of Temah,

⁵⁶ Of Neziah, of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, of Sophereth, of Perida,

⁵⁸ Of Jaala, of Darkon, of Giddel,

⁵⁹ Of Shephatiah, of Hattil, of Pochereth-hazzebaim, of Amon.

⁶⁰ All the Nethinim [temple servants] and the sons of Solomon’s servants, 392.

⁶¹ And these were they who went up also from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they [had no birth records and] could not prove their father’s house nor their descent, whether they were of Israel:

⁶² The sons of Delaiah, of Tobiah, of Nekoda, 642.

⁶³ Of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, of Hakkoz, and of Barzillai, who [was so named because he] married one of the daughters of the [noted] Gileadite Barzillai and was called by their name.

⁶⁴ These sought their registration among those recorded in the genealogies, but it was not found; so they were excluded from the priesthood as [ceremonially] unclean.

⁶⁵ The governor told them that they should refrain from eating any of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise [to determine the will of God in the matter].

⁶⁶ The congregation all together was 42,360,

⁶⁷ Besides their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 singers, men and women.

⁶⁸ Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;

⁶⁹ Their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

⁷⁰ And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The Tirshatha or governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 530 priests’ garments.

⁷¹ Some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver.

⁷² What the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

⁷³ So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim [the temple servants], along with all Israel, dwelt in their towns, and were in them when the seventh month came.

8 Then all the people gathered together as one man in the broad place before the Water Gate; and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.

² And Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first of the seventh month.

³ He read from it, facing the broad place before the Water Gate, from early morning until noon, in the presence of the men and women and those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

⁴ Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

⁵ Ezra opened the book in sight of all the people, for he was standing above them; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with faces to the ground.

⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah—the Levites—helped the people to understand the Law, and the people [remained] in their place.

⁸ So they read from the Book of the Law of God distinctly, faithfully amplifying and giving the sense so that [the people] understood the reading.

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of them, This day is holy to the Lord your God; mourn not nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁰ Then [Ezra] told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.

¹¹ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy. And do not be grieved and sad.

¹² And all the people went their way to eat, drink, send portions, and make great rejoicing, for they had understood the words that were declared to them.

¹³ On the second day, all the heads of fathers’ houses, with the priests and Levites, gathered to Ezra the scribe to study and understand the words of ^[a]divine instruction.

¹⁴ And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month

¹⁵ And that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.^(A)

¹⁶ So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each on the roof of his house and in their courts and the courts of God’s house and in the squares of the Water Gate and the Gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷ All the assembly of returned exiles made booths and dwelt in them; for since the days of Jeshua (Joshua) son of Nun up to that day, the Israelites had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.

¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast for seven days; the eighth day was a [closing] solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.