Nehemiah 12:1-26

International Children’s Bible

Priests and Levites

12 These are the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua. There were Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ³ Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ⁴ Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, ⁵ Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, ⁶ Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. They were the leaders of the priests and their relatives. This was in the days of Jeshua.

⁸ The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah and also Mattaniah. He and his relatives were in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. ⁹ Bakbukiah and Unni, their relatives, stood across from them in the services.

¹⁰ Jeshua was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada. ¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan. And Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

¹² In the days of Joiakim, these priests were the leaders of the families of priests. Meraiah was over Seraiah’s family. Hananiah was over Jeremiah’s family. ¹³ Meshullam was over Ezra’s family. Jehohanan was over Amariah’s family. ¹⁴ Jonathan was over Malluch’s family. Joseph was over Shecaniah’s family. ¹⁵ Adna was over Harim’s family. Helkai was over Meremoth’s family. ¹⁶ Zechariah was over Iddo’s family. Meshullam was over Ginnethon’s family. ¹⁷ Zicri was over Abijah’s family. Piltai was over Miniamin’s and Moadiah’s families. ¹⁸ Shammua was over Bilgah’s family. Jehonathan was over Shemaiah’s family. ¹⁹ Mattenai was over Joiarib’s family. Uzzi was over Jedaiah’s family. ²⁰ Kallai was over Sallu’s family. Eber was over Amok’s family. ²¹ Hashabiah was over Hilkiah’s family. Nethanel was over Jedaiah’s family.

²² The leaders of the families of the Levites and the priests were written down. This was in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua. They were written down while Darius the Persian was king. ²³ The family leaders among the Levites were written down in the history book. These were only up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib. ²⁴ The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel and their relatives. Their relatives stood across from them. They gave praise and thanksgiving to God. One group answered the other group. That is what David, the man of God, had commanded.

²⁵ These were the gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms next to the gates: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub. ²⁶ They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua. (Jeshua was the son of Jozadak.) They also served in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and teacher.