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Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem

Then Eliashib the high priest and the other priests started to rebuild at the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, building the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and the Tower of Hananel. People from the town of Jericho worked next to them, and beyond them was Zaccur son of Imri.

The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Meremoth son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz repaired the next section of wall. Beside him were Meshullam son of Berekiah and grandson of Meshezabel, and then Zadok son of Baana. Next were the people from Tekoa, though their leaders refused to work with the construction supervisors.

The Old City Gate[a] was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid the beams, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Next to them were Melatiah from Gibeon, Jadon from Meronoth, people from Gibeon, and people from Mizpah, the headquarters of the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River.[b] Next was Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith by trade, who also worked on the wall. Beyond him was Hananiah, a manufacturer of perfumes. They left out a section of Jerusalem as they built the Broad Wall.[c]

Rephaiah son of Hur, the leader of half the district of Jerusalem, was next to them on the wall. 10 Next Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, and next to him was Hattush son of Hashabneiah. 11 Then came Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab, who repaired another section of the wall and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh and his daughters repaired the next section. He was the leader of the other half of the district of Jerusalem.

13 The Valley Gate was repaired by the people from Zanoah, led by Hanun. They set up its doors and installed its bolts and bars. They also repaired the 1,500 feet[d] of wall to the Dung Gate.

14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, the leader of the Beth-hakkerem district. He rebuilt it, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.

15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum[e] son of Col-hozeh, the leader of the Mizpah district. He rebuilt it, roofed it, set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars. Then he repaired the wall of the pool of Siloam[f] near the king’s garden, and he rebuilt the wall as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David. 16 Next to him was Nehemiah son of Azbuk, the leader of half the district of Beth-zur. He rebuilt the wall from a place across from the tombs of David’s family as far as the water reservoir and the House of the Warriors.

17 Next to him, repairs were made by a group of Levites working under the supervision of Rehum son of Bani. Then came Hashabiah, the leader of half the district of Keilah, who supervised the building of the wall on behalf of his own district. 18 Next down the line were his countrymen led by Binnui[g] son of Henadad, the leader of the other half of the district of Keilah.

19 Next to them, Ezer son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section of wall across from the ascent to the armory near the angle in the wall. 20 Next to him was Baruch son of Zabbai, who zealously repaired an additional section from the angle to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Meremoth son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz rebuilt another section of the wall extending from the door of Eliashib’s house to the end of the house.

22 The next repairs were made by the priests from the surrounding region. 23 After them, Benjamin and Hasshub repaired the section across from their house, and Azariah son of Maaseiah and grandson of Ananiah repaired the section across from his house. 24 Next was Binnui son of Henadad, who rebuilt another section of the wall from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner. 25 Palal son of Uzai carried on the work from a point opposite the angle and the tower that projects up from the king’s upper house beside the court of the guard. Next to him were Pedaiah son of Parosh, 26 with the Temple servants living on the hill of Ophel, who repaired the wall as far as a point across from the Water Gate to the east and the projecting tower. 27 Then came the people of Tekoa, who repaired another section across from the great projecting tower and over to the wall of Ophel.

28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests repaired the wall. Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house. 29 Next Zadok son of Immer also rebuilt the wall across from his own house, and beyond him was Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the gatekeeper of the East Gate. 30 Next Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section, while Meshullam son of Berekiah rebuilt the wall across from where he lived. 31 Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the wall as far as the housing for the Temple servants and merchants, across from the Inspection Gate. Then he continued as far as the upper room at the corner. 32 The other goldsmiths and merchants repaired the wall from that corner to the Sheep Gate.

Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Or The Mishneh Gate, or The Jeshanah Gate.
  2. 3:7 Hebrew the province beyond the river.
  3. 3:8 Or They fortified Jerusalem up to the Broad Wall.
  4. 3:13 Hebrew 1,000 cubits [460 meters].
  5. 3:15a As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads Shallun.
  6. 3:15b Hebrew pool of Shelah, another name for the pool of Siloam.
  7. 3:18 As in a few Hebrew manuscripts, some Greek manuscripts, and Syriac version (see also 3:24; 10:9); most Hebrew manuscripts read Bavvai.

Those who Worked on the Wall

So Eliashib the high priest came forward, along with his fellow priests, and reconstructed the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and installed its doors. They also consecrated the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. Men from Jericho did repairs next to him, and Imri’s son Zaccur did repairs next to them.

The Fish Gate was repaired by Hassenaah’s sons. They built its framework and installed its doors, including locks and security[a] bars, with Uriah’s son Meremoth (who was also a grandson of Hakkoz) next to them, Berechiah’s son Meshullam (who was also a grandson of Meshezabel) next to them, and next to him Baana’s son Zadok. Next to them the Tekoites worked valiantly, even though their leading officials weren’t fully dedicated[b] to the work of their lord.[c]

Paseah’s son Joiada and Besodeiah’s son Meshullam repaired the Old Gate. They built its framework and installed its doors, including locks and security[d] bars. Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite were working with men from Gibeon and men from Mizpah under the Trans-Euphrates[e] regional governor. Nearby, Harhaiah’s son Uzziel the goldsmith was carrying on repairs, and next to him Hananiah, a perfume-maker, rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

Next to him, Hur’s son Rephaiah, ruling official for half of the Jerusalem district, did repairs. 10 Then next to them, Harumaph’s son Jedaiah did repairs opposite his house, and next to him Hashabneiah’s son Hattush carried on repairs. 11 Harim’s son Malchijah and Pahath-moab’s son Hasshub repaired another section, along with the Tower of the Ovens, 12 and next to him Hallohesh’s son Shallum, ruling official for the other[f] half of the Jerusalem district, did repairs, as did his daughters.

13 Hanun and the residents of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate, reconstructing it and installing its doors, including locks and security[g] bars. They also rebuilt 1,000 cubits[h] of the wall[i] as far as the Dung Gate. 14 Rechab’s descendant[j] Malchijah, ruling official of the Beth-haccherem district, repaired the Dung Gate, reconstructing it, installing its doors, its locks, and its security[k] bars.

15 Colhozeh’s son Shallum, ruling official of the Mizpah district, repaired the Fountain Gate, reconstructing it, installing its doors, its locks, and its security[l] bars, as well as the Pool of Shelach near the royal garden as far as the stairway that descends from the City of David.

16 Next to him Azbuk’s son Nehemiah, ruling official of half of the Beth-zur district, carried on repairs as far as the tombs of David, then to the artificial pool that had been installed there, and then as far as the military barracks.[m] 17 Next to him the descendants of Levi, led by[n] Bani’s son Rehum, carried on repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, ruling official for half of the Keilah district, did repairs for his district. 18 Next to him their brothers, led by[o] Henadad’s son Bavvai, ruling official for the other[p] half of the Keilah district, carried on repairs. 19 Next to him Jeshua’s son Ezer, ruling official of Mizpah, repaired another section near the ascent to the armory at the Angle.[q] 20 Next to him Zabbai’s son Baruch worked valiantly on another section from the angle of the wall[r] as far as the door to the house belonging to Eliashib the high priest.

21 Then next to him Uriah’s son Meremoth, grandson of Hakkoz, repaired another section from the door of Eliashib’s house as far as the rear of the property,[s] 22 Next to him the priests, men from the plain, carried on repairs. 23 Next to them Benjamin and Hasshub carried on repairs near their house, followed by Maaseiah’s son Azariah, grandson of Ananiah, who worked beside his own house. 24 Following him, Henadad’s son Binnui repaired another section from Azariah’s house to the angle of the wall,[t] and then to the corner. 25 Uzai’s son Palal carried on repairs over against the angle of the wall[u] at the tower that stands out from the king’s upper palace, which is located by the royal guard’s court. Next to him, Parosh’s son Pedaiah carried on repairs. 26 (Now the Temple Servants[v] were living on the Ophel as far as the Water Gate that faces eastward with its prominent tower.) 27 Next to Pedaiah,[w] the Tekoites repaired another section from the prominent tower as far as the wall of the Ophel.

28 The priests carried on repairs from above the Horse Gate as far as their own houses. 29 Then next to them, Immer’s son Zadok did repairs as far as his own house. Next to him, Shecaniah’s son Shemaiah, custodian of the East Gate, carried on repairs. 30 Next to him, Shelemiah’s son Hananiah and Zalaph’s sixth son Hanun repaired another section. Next to him, Berechiah’s son Meshullam carried on repairs up to his chamber. 31 Next to him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, carried on repairs up to the house of the Temple Servants and the merchants, up to the Muster Gate as far as the ascent to the corner. 32 Between the ascent of the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and merchants carried on repairs.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 3:3 The Heb. lacks security
  2. Nehemiah 3:5 Lit. officials did not bind their necks
  3. Nehemiah 3:5 Or governor
  4. Nehemiah 3:6 The Heb. lacks security
  5. Nehemiah 3:7 Lit. from across the river
  6. Nehemiah 3:12 The Heb. lacks the other
  7. Nehemiah 3:13 The Heb. lacks security
  8. Nehemiah 3:13 I.e. about 500 yards; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  9. Nehemiah 3:13 The Heb. lacks of the wall
  10. Nehemiah 3:14 Lit. son; cf. Jer 35:19
  11. Nehemiah 3:14 The Heb. lacks security
  12. Nehemiah 3:15 The Heb. lacks security
  13. Nehemiah 3:16 Lit. the house of the mighty
  14. Nehemiah 3:17 The Heb. lacks led by
  15. Nehemiah 3:18 The Heb. lacks led by
  16. Nehemiah 3:18 The Heb. lacks the other
  17. Nehemiah 3:19 Cf. 2Chr 26:9
  18. Nehemiah 3:20 The Heb. lacks of the wall
  19. Nehemiah 3:21 Lit. the house of Eliashib
  20. Nehemiah 3:24 The Heb. lacks of the wall
  21. Nehemiah 3:25 The Heb. lacks of the wall
  22. Nehemiah 3:26 Heb. Nethinim; i.e. a division of special assistants to the descendants of Levi, originally appointed by King David; and so throughout the book; cf. Ezra 2:58; 2:70; 7:7,24; 8:17,20.
  23. Nehemiah 3:27 Lit. him