Beginning

Chapter 10

The Agreement of the People. ¹ In view of all this, we intend to make a firm agreement in writing. On the sealed document will appear the signatures of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

² Those whose names were on the sealed document were, first of all, Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah. ³ Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ⁴ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, ⁵ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, ⁶ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, ⁷ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, ⁸ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, ⁹ Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah: these are the priests.

¹⁰ The Levites were Jeshua, son of Azaniah, Binnui, of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, ¹¹ and their kinsmen Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, ¹² Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹³ Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, ¹⁴ Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

¹⁵ The leaders of the people were Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, ¹⁶ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, ¹⁷ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, ¹⁸ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, ¹⁹ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, ²⁰ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, ²¹ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, ²² Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, ²³ Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, ²⁴ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, ²⁵ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, ²⁶ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, ²⁷ Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, ²⁸ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁹ The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all the others who had separated themselves from the neighboring peoples of the lands to adhere to the law of God—their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who are capable of understanding— ³⁰ have now joined their brothers, the nobles, and with a solemn oath have sworn to follow the law of God which was given through Moses, the servant of God, and to observe and obey all the commandments, the rules, and the statutes of the Lord, our Lord.

³¹ We have agreed that we will not give our daughters in marriage to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.^{[a] 32} Moreover, if the people of the country bring any merchandise or grain to sell on the sabbath day, we will not purchase it from them on the sabbath or on a holy day. Also, we will forego the crops of the seventh year and cancel the debts of every person.

³³ We willingly assume these following obligations for ourselves: we will give one-third of a shekel yearly for the service of the house of our God: ³⁴ for the loaves, for the showbread, for the daily cereal offering, for the daily holocaust, for the sacrifices on Sabbaths, new moons, and festivals, for the holy offerings, for sin offerings to make expiation on behalf of Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our God.

³⁵ We have also cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people for the wood offering, so that it will be brought into the house of our God by each family in turn, at appointed times each year, to be burned on the altar of the Lord, our God, as prescribed in the law. ³⁶ Furthermore, we pledge to bring the firstfruits of our crops and of our fruit trees.

³⁷ Also, as it is prescribed in the law, we will bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our children and of our animals, including the firstborn of our flocks and herds. ³⁸ We will also bring the first batch of our dough and our offerings of the fruit of every tree, the wine, and the oil to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, as well as the tithes from our soil to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all of our rural farming villages.

³⁹ An Aaronite priest must accompany the Levites when they collect the tithes, and the Levites are to bring one-tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.^{[b] 40} For the Israelites and the Levites must bring the offerings of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms of the treasury where the vessels of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers are lodged. Under no circumstances shall we neglect the house of our God.

Chapter 11

Repeopling of Jerusalem.^{[c] 1} The leaders of the people took up residence in Jerusalem. Therefore, the rest of the people cast lots. One man out of ten was to reside in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine were to remain in the surrounding towns. ² The people commended all those who willingly agreed to live in Jerusalem.

The Residents in Jerusalem. ³ These are the leaders of the province who lived in Jerusalem. However, in the towns of Judah all the others lived on their own property: Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.

⁴ In Jerusalem there dwelt both the sons of Judah and the sons of Benjamin. These were the Judahites: Athaiah, the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mehallalel, of the descendants of Perez; ⁵ Maaseiah, the son of Baruch, son of Colhozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, a descendent of Shelah. ⁶ The total number of the sons of Perez who dwelt in Jerusalem was four hundred and sixty-eight valiant warriors.

⁷ These were the Benjaminites: Sallu, the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, ⁸ and his brothers Gabbai and Sallai: nine hundred and twenty-eight in number. ⁹ Joel, the son of Zichri, was their chief, and Judah, the son of Hassenuah, was second in charge of the city.

¹⁰ Among the priests were: Jedaiah, the son of Joiarib, Jachin, ¹¹ Seraiah, the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, supervisor of the house of God, ¹² and their kinsmen who were responsible for the work in the temple: eight hundred and twenty-two; Adaiah, the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, ¹³ and his brethren, heads of families: two hundred and forty-two; Amashai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, ¹⁴ and his brethren, valiant warriors: one hundred and twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of Haggedolim.

¹⁵ Among the Levites were: Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; ¹⁶ Shabbethai and Jozabad, the Levitical leaders who were responsible for the outside work of the house of God; ¹⁷ Mattaniah, the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, director of the psalms who led the prayer of thanksgiving, and Bakbukiah, who ranked second among his associates; finally, Abda, the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. ¹⁸ The total number of the Levites in the holy city was two hundred and eighty-four.

¹⁹ The gatekeepers were Akkub, Talmon, and their associates, who kept watch at the gates. They numbered one hundred and seventy-two.

²⁰ The rest of the Israelites, including the priests and the Levites, lived in all the other cities of Judah, each man on his inherited property. ²¹ However, the temple slaves lived on Ophel. Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

²² The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi, the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the descendants of Asaph, the singers appointed to the service of the house of God. ²³ For they were under the king’s orders, and it was obligatory for them to fulfill those orders which regulated their daily activity. ²⁴ Also, Pethahiah, the son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah, the son of Judah, was the king’s chief advisor in all matters that affected the people.

²⁵ The Other Cities. As for the villages with their surrounding fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, and Dibon and its villages, and Jekabzeel and its villages, ²⁶ and in Jeshua, and in Moladah, and in Beth-pelet, ²⁷ in Hazar-shual, and in Beer-sheba and its villages, ²⁸ in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, ²⁹ in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, ³⁰ in Zanoah and Adullam and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. Thus they settled from Beer-sheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹ Some of the Benjaminites also lived in Geba, Michmash, Aija, Bethel with its villages, ³² Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, ³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, ³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, ³⁵ Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Artisans.

³⁶ Also, some divisions of the Levites in Judah settled in Benjamin.