The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem^(A)

2 Now ^(B)these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, ^(C)whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.

² Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, ^[a]Seraiah, ^[b]Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, ^[c]Mispar, Bigvai, ^[d]Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³ the people of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; ⁴ the people of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; ⁵ the people of Arah, ^(D)seven hundred and seventy-five; ⁶ the people of ^(E)Pahath-Moab, of the people of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve; ⁷ the people of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; ⁸ the people of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five; ⁹ the people of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; ¹⁰ the people of ^[e]Bani, six hundred and forty-two; ¹¹ the people of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three; ¹² the people of Azgad, one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; ¹³ the people of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six; ¹⁴ the people of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six; ¹⁵ the people of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four; ¹⁶ the people of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; ¹⁷ the people of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three; ¹⁸ the people of ^[f]Jorah, one hundred and twelve; ¹⁹ the people of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three; ²⁰ the people of ^[g]Gibbar, ninety-five; ²¹ the people of Bethlehem, one hundred and twenty-three; ²² the men of Netophah, fifty-six; ²³ the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; ²⁴ the people of ^[h]Azmaveth, forty-two; ²⁵ the people of ^[i]Kirjath Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; ²⁶ the people of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; ²⁷ the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; ²⁸ the men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; ²⁹ the people of Nebo, fifty-two; ³⁰ the people of Magbish, one hundred and fifty-six; ³¹ the people of the other ^(F)Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; ³² the people of Harim, three hundred and twenty; ³³ the people of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; ³⁴ the people of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; ³⁵ the people of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.

³⁶ The priests: the sons of ^(G)Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; ³⁷ the sons of ^(H)Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; ³⁸ the sons of ^(I)Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; ³⁹ the sons of ^(J)Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

⁴⁰ The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of ^[j]Hodaviah, seventy-four.

⁴¹ The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty-eight.

⁴² The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.

^43 (K)The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴ the sons of Keros, the sons of ^[k]Siaha, the sons of Padon, ⁴⁵ the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, ⁴⁶ the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, ⁴⁷ the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, ⁴⁸ the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, ⁴⁹ the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, ⁵⁰ the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of ^[l]Nephusim, ⁵¹ the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, ⁵² the sons of ^[m]Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, ⁵³ the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, ⁵⁴ the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁵ The sons of ^(L)Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of ^(M)Sophereth, the sons of ^[n]Peruda, ⁵⁶ the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, ⁵⁷ the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, and the sons of ^[o]Ami. ⁵⁸ All the ^(N)Nethinim and the children of ^(O)Solomon’s servants were three hundred and ninety-two.

⁵⁹ And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, ^[p]Addan, and Immer; but they could not ^[q]identify their father’s house or their ^[r]genealogy, whether they were of Israel: ⁶⁰ the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two; ⁶¹ and of the sons of the priests: the sons of ^(P)Habaiah, the sons of ^[s]Koz, and the sons of ^(Q)Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. ⁶² These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; ^(R)therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled. ⁶³ And the ^[t]governor said to them that they ^(S)should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the ^(T)Urim and Thummim.

^64 (U)The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, ⁶⁵ besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred men and women singers. ⁶⁶ Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, ⁶⁷ their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

^68 (V)Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses, when they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place: ⁶⁹ According to their ability, they gave to the ^(W)treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.

^70 (X)So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Hold Fast Your Confession

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having ^(A)boldness^[a] to enter ^(B)the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and ^(C)living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us ^(D)draw near with a true heart ^(E)in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for ^(F)He who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ^25 (G)not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and ^(H)so much the more as you see ^(I)the Day approaching.

The Just Live by Faith

²⁶ For ^(J)if we sin willfully ^(K)after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there ^(L)no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and ^(M)fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three ^(N)witnesses. ^29 (O)Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, ^(P)counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, ^(Q)and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, ^(R)“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” ^[b]says the Lord. And again, ^(S)“The Lord will judge His people.” ^31 (T)It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But ^(U)recall the former days in which, after you were ^[c]illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: ³³ partly while you were made ^(V)a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while ^(W)you became companions of those who were so treated; ³⁴ for you had compassion on ^[d]me ^(X)in my chains, and ^(Y)joyfully accepted the plundering of your ^[e]goods, knowing that ^(Z)you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves ^[f]in heaven. ³⁵ Therefore do not cast away your confidence, ^(AA)which has great reward. ^36 (AB)For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, ^(AC)you may receive the promise:

³⁹ But we are not of those ^(AG)who draw back to ^[j]perdition, but of those who ^(AH)believe to the saving of the soul.