Nehemiah 12:1-26

The Voice

12 These are the priests and the Levites who returned with Zerubbabel (Shealtiel’s son) and Jeshua the high priest. The priests were Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ³ Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ⁴ Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, ⁵ Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, ⁶ Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their relatives during the time of Jeshua. ⁸ In addition the Levites who returned were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, and Judah; Mattaniah and his brothers were in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. ⁹ Their brothers Bakbukiah and Unni stood across from them in worship and led half of the responsive singing. 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 During the time of Joiakim’s high priesthood, these were the leaders of the priestly families: from Seraiah’s family—Meraiah; from Jeremiah’s family—Hananiah; ¹³ from Ezra’s family—Meshullam; from Amariah’s family—Jehohanan; ¹⁴ from Malluchi’s family—Jonathan; from Shebaniah’s family—Joseph; ¹⁵ from Harim’s family—Adna; from Meraioth’s family—Helkai; ¹⁶ from Iddo’s family—Zechariah; from Ginnethon’s family—Meshullam; ¹⁷ from Abijah’s family—Zichri; from Miniamin and Moadiah’s families—Piltai; ¹⁸ from Bilgah’s family—Shammua; from Shemaiah’s family—Jehonathan; ¹⁹ from Joiarib’s family—Mattenai; from Jedaiah’s family—Uzzi; ²⁰ from Sallai’s family—Kallai; from Amok’s family—Eber; ²¹ from Hilkiah’s family—Hashabiah; from Jedaiah’s family—Nethanel.

²² During the time of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were listed by the heads of their families when Darius of Persia reigned; the practice was the same for the priests. ^23-24 In the book of the chronicles, the Levites who were listed as the heads of families, until the time of Johanan (Eliashib’s son), were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua (Kadmiel’s son). Their brothers stood across from them in worship and led the other half of the responsive singing following the instructions of David, the man of God. ²⁵ The gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms inside the gate were Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub. ²⁶ These men fulfilled their responsibilities during the time of Joiakim (Jeshua’s son and Jozadak’s grandson), and in the time of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest and scribe.