Chronological
Chapter 6
Plots against Nehemiah. 1 When it had been reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and that not a single breach was left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come here and confer with us in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” Their intention was clearly to do me harm.
3 Therefore, I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am engaged in a great project, and I cannot come down to you at this particular time. Why should the work come to a grinding halt while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 They sent me the same invitation four times, and on each occasion I gave them the same reply.
5 Then, for the fifth time, Sanballat sent his servant to me with the same message, but this time in an unsealed letter. 6 In it was written: “It has been reported among the nations, and Geshem[a] confirms it, that you and the Jews are planning a rebellion, that this is the reason you are building the wall, and that you are intending to become their king. 7 We have also heard that you have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim you king. Needless to say, such rumors will be brought to the attention of the king. So come at once and let us discuss this together.”
8 I sent the following reply to him: “No such thing that you are suggesting has taken place. It is all in your imagination.” 9 They all were trying to frighten us, hoping that we would become lax in our work and the job would not be completed. But instead I became more determined than ever.
10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said to me:
“Let us meet in the house of God
inside the sanctuary,
and let us lock the doors of the temple.
For men are coming to kill you;
they are coming to kill you tonight.”
11 However, I said: “Should a man like me run away? Or should a man like me go into the temple to save his life?”
12 Then I realized that God had not sent Shemaiah to say this, but rather that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been bribed to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way. Then they could ruin my reputation and discredit me.
14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to those things they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets whose purpose was to intimidate me.
15 Conclusion of the Work. The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul.[b] It was completed in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, and all the surrounding nations were completely aware of what had been happening, they realized that all this work had been completed with the help of God.
17 At the same time, however, the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and in turn, letters from Tobiah kept coming to them, 18 for many in Judah were bound to him by oath, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah. 19 They were always praising Tobiah’s good deeds in my presence, and they reported my words to him. Furthermore, Tobiah also sent letters to me in an attempt at intimidation.
Chapter 7
1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, and I appointed Hananiah as the commander of the citadel, for he was a trustworthy man and more God-fearing than most.
3 I said to them: “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot,[c] and when the sun begins to go down, have the gatekeepers shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their posts and others in front of their own homes.”
Census of the Province. 4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few inhabitants within it, and the houses had not been rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles, the magistrates, and the common people to be enrolled by families. I also discovered the genealogical record of those who had been the first to come back. This is what I found written in it:
6 These are the inhabitants of the province who returned from the captivity of those exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away. Each returned to his own town. 7 They were the ones who returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
The number of the Israelite people: 8 the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 9 the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; 10 the sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two; 11 the sons of Pahath-moab who were sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen; 12 the sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 13 the sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five; 14 the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; 15 the sons of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight; 16 the sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight; 17 the sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two; 18 the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven; 19 the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven; 20 the sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five; 21 the sons of Ater who were sons of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 22 the sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight; 23 the sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four; 24 the sons of Hariph, one hundred and twelve; 25 the sons of Gibeon, ninety-five; 26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight; 27 the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 28 the men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two; 29 the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 30 the men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; 31 the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; 32 the men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three; 33 the men of Nebo, fifty-two; 34 the sons of another Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 35 the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 36 the sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 37 the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one; 38 the sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 40 the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; 41 the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 42 the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel of the descendants of Hodeviah, seventy-four.
44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.
45 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-eight.
46 The temple slaves: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47 the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, 48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, 49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52 the sons of Besai, the sons of the Meunites, the sons of the Nephusites, 53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56 the sons of Nezaiah, the sons of Hatipha.
57 The descendants of the slaves of Solomon: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon. 60 The total of the temple slaves and the sons of Solomon’s slaves; three hundred and ninety-two.
61 The following were those who returned from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer but were unable to prove that their families were of Israelite descent:[d] 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, numbering six hundred and forty-two. 63 Also, among the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (he had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and adopted that name). 64 These men had sought to find their entries among those enrolled in the genealogies, but their names were not able to be found there, and as a result, they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 Consequently, His Excellency forbade them to partake of any of the consecrated food until a priest appeared who was able to consult the Urim and the Thummim.
66 The entire assembly numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 67 not including their male and female slaves, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, as well as two hundred and forty-five male and female singers. 68 They also had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five mules, 69 four hundred and thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys.
70 Some of the heads of families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand drachmas of gold, fifty bowls, and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. 71 And some of the heads of ancestral houses gave to the building fund twenty thousand drachmas of gold and two thousand two hundred minas of silver. 72 The contributions of the rest of the people amounted to twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments.
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, took up residence in their own towns.
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