Nehemiah 12:27-13:3

New American Standard Bible

Dedication of the Wall

²⁷ Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they could celebrate the dedication with joy, with songs of thanksgiving and with songs ^(A)to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps, and lyres. ²⁸ So the sons of the singers were assembled from the territory around Jerusalem, and from ^(B)the villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹ from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, because the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. ³⁰ The priests and the Levites ^(C)purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

Procedures for the Temple

³¹ Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large ^[a]choirs, ^[b](D)the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward ^(E)the Dung Gate. ³² Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, ³³ with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵ and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, ³⁶ and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, ^(F)with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. ³⁷ At ^(G)the Fountain Gate they went directly up ^(H)the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall, above the house of David to ^(I)the Water Gate on the east.

^38 (J)The second ^[c]choir proceeded to the ^[d]left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, ^(K)above the Tower of Furnaces, to ^(L)the Broad Wall, ³⁹ and above ^(M)the Gate of Ephraim, by ^(N)the Ancient Gate, by the ^(O)Fish Gate, ^(P)the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at ^(Q)the Gate of the Guard. ⁴⁰ Then the two choirs took their positions in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; ⁴¹ and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with the trumpets; ⁴² and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers ^[e]sang, with Jezrahiah their leader, ⁴³ and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because ^(R)God had given them great joy, and the women and children rejoiced as well, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from far away.

⁴⁴ On that day ^(S)men were also appointed over the chambers for the supplies, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ^[f]served. ⁴⁵ For they performed the ^[g]worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers ^(T)in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon. ⁴⁶ For in the days of David and ^(U)Asaph, in ancient times, there were ^[h](V)leaders of the singers, songs of praise and songs of thanksgiving to God. ⁴⁷ So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers ^(W)as each day required, and they ^[i](X)set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites ^[j]set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.

Foreigners Excluded

13 On that day the Book of Moses was ^(Y)read aloud ^[k]as the people listened; and there was found written in it that ^(Z)no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to enter the assembly of God, ² because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but ^(AA)hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, ^(AB)our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ So when they heard the Law, ^(AC)they excluded ^(AD)all foreigners from Israel.