7 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,^(A)

The Wall Completed

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

Intrigues of Enemies Foiled

6 Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),^(A)

² Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, everyone according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and offerings of well-being, to minister in the gates of the camp of the Lord and to give thanks and praise.^(A)

²⁴ And the leaders of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their associates over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, section opposite to section.^(A)

³ These are the leaders of the province who lived in Jerusalem, but in the towns of Judah all lived on their property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.^(A)

³⁹ For the Israelites and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms where the vessels of the sanctuary are and where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are. We will not neglect the house of our God.^(A)

Organization of the Work

3 Then the high priest Eliashib set to work with his fellow priests and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; they consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel.^{(A) 2} And the men of Jericho built next to him. And next to them^[a] Zaccur son of Imri built.^(B)

³ The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.^{(C) 4} Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz made repairs. Next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah son of Meshezabel made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs. ⁵ Next to them the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.^[b]

⁶ Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.^{(D) 7} Next to them repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite—the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah—who were under the jurisdiction of^[c] the governor of the province Beyond the River.^{(E) 8} Next to them Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.^{(F) 9} Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of^[d] Jerusalem, made repairs.^{(G) 10} Next to them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and next to him Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs. ¹¹ Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.^{(H) 12} Next to him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of^[e] Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.^(I)

¹³ Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate; they rebuilt it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.^(J)

¹⁴ Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of^[f] Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate; he rebuilt it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

¹⁵ And Shallum son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of^[g] Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he rebuilt it and covered it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David.^{(K) 16} After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of^[h] Beth-zur, repaired from a point opposite the graves of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Warriors.^{(L) 17} After him the Levites made repairs: Rehum son of Bani; next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of^[i] Keilah, made repairs for his district. ¹⁸ After him their kin made repairs: Binnui,^[j] son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of^[k] Keilah; ¹⁹ next to him Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler^[l] of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the Angle.^{(M) 20} After him Baruch son of Zabbai repaired another section from the Angle to the door of the house of the high priest Eliashib.^{(N) 21} After him Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. ²² After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, made repairs.^{(O) 23} After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah son of Maaseiah son of Ananiah made repairs beside his own house. ²⁴ After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the Angle and to the corner.^{(P) 25} Palal son of Uzai repaired opposite the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh^{(Q) 26} and the temple servants living^[m] on Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower.^{(R) 27} After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ Above the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each one opposite his own house.^{(S) 29} After them Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. ³⁰ After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. ³¹ After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate,^[n] and to the upper room of the corner.^{(T) 32} And between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.^(U)

Foundation Laid for the Temple

⁸ In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites from twenty years old and up to have the oversight of the work on the house of the Lord.^(A)