Nehemiah 11:15-12:26

New International Version

¹⁵From the Levites:

Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; ¹⁶Shabbethai^(A) and Jozabad,^(B) two of the heads of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God; ¹⁷Mattaniah^(C) son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph,^(D) the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.^(E) ¹⁸The Levites in the holy city^(F) totaled 284.

¹⁹The gatekeepers:

Akkub, Talmon and their associates, who kept watch at the gates—172 men.

²⁰The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, each on their ancestral property.

²¹The temple servants^(G) lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

²²The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah,^(H) the son of Mika. Uzzi was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the musicians responsible for the service of the house of God. ²³The musicians^(I) were under the king’s orders, which regulated their daily activity.

²⁴Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah^(J) son of Judah, was the king’s agent in all affairs relating to the people.

²⁵As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba^(K) and its surrounding settlements, in Dibon^(L) and its settlements, in Jekabzeel and its villages, ²⁶in Jeshua, in Moladah,^(M) in Beth Pelet,^(N) ²⁷in Hazar Shual,^(O) in Beersheba^(P) and its settlements, ²⁸in Ziklag,^(Q) in Mekonah and its settlements, ²⁹in En Rimmon, in Zorah,^(R) in Jarmuth,^(S) ³⁰Zanoah,^(T) Adullam^(U) and their villages, in Lachish^(V) and its fields, and in Azekah^(W) and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba^(X) to the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹The descendants of the Benjamites from Geba^(Y) lived in Mikmash,^(Z) Aija, Bethel^(AA) and its settlements, ³²in Anathoth,^(AB) Nob^(AC) and Ananiah, ³³in Hazor,^(AD) Ramah^(AE) and Gittaim,^(AF) ³⁴in Hadid, Zeboim^(AG) and Neballat, ³⁵in Lod and Ono,^(AH) and in Ge Harashim.

³⁶Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.

Priests and Levites

12 These were the priests^(AI) and Levites^(AJ) who returned with Zerubbabel^(AK) son of Shealtiel^(AL) and with Joshua:^(AM)

Seraiah,^(AN) Jeremiah, Ezra,

²Amariah, Malluk, Hattush,

³Shekaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

⁴Iddo,^(AO) Ginnethon,^[a] Abijah,^(AP)

⁵Mijamin,^[b] Moadiah, Bilgah,

⁶Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,^(AQ)

⁷Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah.

These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Joshua.

⁸The Levites were Jeshua,^(AR) Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah,^(AS) who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. ⁹Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.

¹⁰Joshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib,^(AT) Eliashib the father of Joiada, ¹¹Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.

¹²In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families:

of Seraiah’s family, Meraiah;

of Jeremiah’s, Hananiah;

¹³of Ezra’s, Meshullam;

of Amariah’s, Jehohanan;

¹⁴of Malluk’s, Jonathan;

of Shekaniah’s,^[c] Joseph;

¹⁵of Harim’s, Adna;

of Meremoth’s,^[d] Helkai;

¹⁶of Iddo’s,^(AU) Zechariah;

of Ginnethon’s, Meshullam;

¹⁷of Abijah’s,^(AV) Zikri;

of Miniamin’s and of Moadiah’s, Piltai;

¹⁸of Bilgah’s, Shammua;

of Shemaiah’s, Jehonathan;

¹⁹of Joiarib’s, Mattenai;

of Jedaiah’s, Uzzi;

²⁰of Sallu’s, Kallai;

of Amok’s, Eber;

²¹of Hilkiah’s, Hashabiah;

of Jedaiah’s, Nethanel.

²²The family heads of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, as well as those of the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian. ²³The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals. ²⁴And the leaders of the Levites^(AW) were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.^(AX)

²⁵Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. ²⁶They served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law.

Footnotes

Nehemiah 12:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 16); most Hebrew manuscripts Ginnethoi
Nehemiah 12:5 A variant of Miniamin
Nehemiah 12:14 Very many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also verse 3); most Hebrew manuscripts Shebaniah’s
Nehemiah 12:15 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also verse 3); Hebrew Meraioth’s