Census of First Returned Exiles

Now when (A)the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed, then I put (B)Hanani my brother, and (C)Hananiah the commander of (D)the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was (E)a faithful man and feared God more than many. Then I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, the gatekeepers are to [a]keep the doors shut and bolted. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.” Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.

(F)Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the other people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first, [b]in which I found the following record:

(G)These are the [c]people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city, who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, [d]Azariah, [e]Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, [f]Mispereth, Bigvai, [g]Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of men of the people of Israel: the sons of Parosh, 2,172; the sons of Shephatiah, 372; 10 the sons of Arah, 652; 11 the sons of Pahath-moab of 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 [h]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, of Hezekiah, 98; 22 the sons of Hashum, 328; 23 the sons of Bezai, 324; 24 the sons of [i]Hariph, 112; 25 the sons of [j]Gibeon, 95; 26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188; 27 the men of Anathoth, 128; 28 the men of [k]Beth-azmaveth, 42; 29 the men of [l]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 [m]men 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 of 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, of Kadmiel, of the sons of [n]Hodevah, 74. 44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. 45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.

46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47 the sons of Keros, the sons of [o]Sia, the sons of Padon, 48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, 49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of [p]Nephushesim, 53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54 the sons of [q]Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of [r]Sophereth, the sons of [s]Perida, 58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of [t]Amon.

60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants totaled 392.

61 These were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, [u]Addon, and Immer; but they could not provide evidence for their fathers’ households or their [v]descendants, whether they were of Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. 63 And of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was named after them. 64 These searched among their ancestral registration, but it could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and disqualified from the priesthood. 65 And (H)the [w]governor said to them that they were not to eat from the most holy things until a priest arose with (I)Urim and Thummim.

Total of People and Gifts

66 The whole assembly together totaled 42,360, 67 besides their male slaves and their female slaves, [x]of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers. 68 [y](J)Their horses were 736; their mules, 245; 69 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

70 Some of the heads of fathers’ households gave to the work. The [z](K)governor gave to the treasury a thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and 530 priests’ garments. 71 And some of the heads of fathers’ households gave to the treasury for the work twenty thousand gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. 72 What the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priests’ garments.

73 Now (L)the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.

(M)And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 7:3 Lit shut the doors and bolt
  2. Nehemiah 7:5 Lit and I found written in it
  3. Nehemiah 7:6 Lit sons
  4. Nehemiah 7:7 In Ezra 2:2, Seraiah
  5. Nehemiah 7:7 In Ezra 2:2, Reelaiah
  6. Nehemiah 7:7 In Ezra 2:2, Mispar
  7. Nehemiah 7:7 In Ezra 2:2, Rehum
  8. Nehemiah 7:15 In Ezra 2:10, Bani
  9. Nehemiah 7:24 In Ezra 2:18, Jorah
  10. Nehemiah 7:25 In Ezra 2:20, Gibbar
  11. Nehemiah 7:28 In Ezra 2:24, Azmaveth
  12. Nehemiah 7:29 In Ezra 2:25, Kiriath-arim
  13. Nehemiah 7:36 Lit sons
  14. Nehemiah 7:43 In Ezra 2:40, Hodaviah, in Ezra 3:9, Judah
  15. Nehemiah 7:47 In Ezra 2:44, Siaha
  16. Nehemiah 7:52 In Ezra 2:50, Nephisim
  17. Nehemiah 7:54 In Ezra 2:52, Bazluth
  18. Nehemiah 7:57 In Ezra 2:55, Hassophereth
  19. Nehemiah 7:57 In Ezra 2:55, Peruda
  20. Nehemiah 7:59 In Ezra 2:57, Ami
  21. Nehemiah 7:61 In Ezra 2:59, Addan
  22. Nehemiah 7:61 Lit seed
  23. Nehemiah 7:65 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title
  24. Nehemiah 7:67 Lit these
  25. Nehemiah 7:68 As in some ancient mss and LXX; verse not in MT
  26. Nehemiah 7:70 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title

Now when the wall had been built (A)and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave (B)my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of (C)the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was (D)a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

Lists of Returned Exiles

Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of (E)those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:

(F)These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, (G)Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: the sons of Parosh, 2,172. The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 10 The sons of Arah, (H)652. 11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. 12 The sons of (I)Elam, 1,254. 13 The sons of Zattu, 845. 14 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 15 The sons of (J)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 (K)Bezai, 324. 24 The sons of Hariph, 112. 25 The sons of (L)Gibeon, 95. 26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. 27 The men of Anathoth, 128. 28 The men (M)of Beth-azmaveth, 42. 29 The men of (N)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 (O)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 (P)Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. 40 The sons of (Q)Immer, 1,052. 41 The sons of (R)Pashhur, 1,247. 42 The sons of (S)Harim, 1,017.

43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of (T)Hodevah, 74. 44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. 45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.

46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47 the sons of Keros, the sons of (U)Sia, the sons of Padon, 48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of (V)Hagaba, the sons of (W)Shalmai, 49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of (X)Nephushesim, 53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54 the sons of (Y)Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

57 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of (Z)Perida, 58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of (AA)Amon.

60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392.

61 (AB)The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, (AC)Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers' houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. 63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 (AD)The (AE)governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

Totals of People and Gifts

66 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. 68 Their horses were 736, their mules 245,[a] 69 their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

70 Now some of the heads of fathers' houses gave to the work. The (AF)governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics[b] of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests' garments and 500 minas[c] of silver.[d] 71 And some of the heads of fathers' houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 (AG)And 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 temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns.

(AH)And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 7:68 Compare Ezra 2:66 and the margins of some Hebrew manuscripts; Hebrew lacks Their horses… 245
  2. Nehemiah 7:70 A daric was a coin weighing about 1/4 ounce or 8.5 grams
  3. Nehemiah 7:70 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram
  4. Nehemiah 7:70 Probable reading; Hebrew lacks minas of silver