Chronological
The Heads of the Provinces in Jerusalem
11 And (A)the officials of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people (B)cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, (C)the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men who (D)freely offered to live in Jerusalem.
3 (E)Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah (F)each lived in his own possession in their cities—[a]the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the [b](G)temple servants, and the (H)sons of Solomon’s servants. 4 And some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem. From the sons of Judah:
Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, from the sons of Perez;
5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite.
6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men.
7 Now these are the sons of Benjamin:
Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah;
8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai, 928.
9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer,
and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second [c]in command of the city.
10 From the priests:
Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the leader of the house of God,
12 and their [d]relatives who did the work of the [e]house, 822;
and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,
13 and his relatives, heads of fathers’ households, 242; and Amashsai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,
14 and their relatives, mighty men of valor, 128.
And their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of [f]Haggedolim.
15 Now from the Levites:
Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the [g]chiefs of the Levites, who were over (I)the outside work of the house of God;
17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of [h]Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the [i]chief in beginning the thanksgiving in prayer,
and Bakbukiah, the second among his relatives;
and [j]Abda the son of [k]Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
18 All the Levites in (J)the holy city were 284.
19 Now the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives who kept watch at the gates, were 172.
Villages Outside Jerusalem
20 The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each (K)on his own inheritance. 21 But (L)the temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants.
22 Now (M)the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, from the sons of Asaph, who were the singers [l]over the work of the house of God. 23 (N)For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a firm regulation for the song leaders (O)day by day. 24 Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons (P)of Zerah the son of Judah, was the (Q)king’s [m]representative in all matters concerning the people.
25 Now as for the villages with their fields,
some of the sons of Judah lived in (R)Kiriath-arba and its [n]towns, in (S)Dibon and its towns, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,
26 and in Jeshua, in Moladah and Beth-pelet,
27 and in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its towns,
28 and in Ziklag, in Meconah and in its towns,
29 and in En-rimmon, in Zorah and in Jarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba as far as the valley of Hinnom.
31 The sons of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash and Aija, at Bethel and its towns,
32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
35 Lod and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
36 From the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.
Priests and Levites Come Up with Zerubbabel
12 Now these are (T)the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
These were the heads of the priests and their [o]relatives in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were
Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was over of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.
9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them (U)in keeping their responsibilities.
10 Jeshua [p]became the father of Joiakim,
and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib,
and Eliashib became the father of Joiada,
11 and Joiada became the father of Jonathan,
and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.
12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households were:
of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of [q]Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
The Heads of the Levites
22 As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan and Jaddua, the heads of fathers’ households were written down; the priests were also in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were written down in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
24 The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, (V)to praise and give thanks, by the commandment of David the man of God, (W)watch by watch.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at (X)the storerooms of the gates.
26 These served in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of (Y)Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
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 might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs (Z)to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were gathered from the district around Jerusalem and from (AA)the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites (AB)cleansed themselves; they also cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.
The Choirs in the House of God
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I had two great choirs of thanksgiving stand, [r](AC)the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward (AD)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 [s]relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, (AE)with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.
37 At (AF)the Spring Gate they went directly up (AG)the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to (AH)the Water Gate on the east.
38 (AI)The second [t]choir proceeded to the [u]left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, (AJ)above the Tower of Furnaces, to (AK)the Broad Wall, 39 and above (AL)the Gate of Ephraim, by (AM)the Old Gate, by the (AN)Fish Gate, (AO)the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at (AP)the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand 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 made their voices heard, with Jezrahiah their overseer, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and were glad because (AQ)God had given them great gladness, even the women and children were glad, so that the gladness of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day (AR)men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, 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 was glad over the priests and Levites who stood to minister. 45 And they kept their responsibility given by their God and the responsibility of cleansing, together with the singers and the gatekeepers, (AS)according to the commandment of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and (AT)Asaph, in ancient times, there were [v](AU)chiefs of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were giving the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers (AV)as each day required, and (AW)set apart the holy portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the holy portion for the sons of Aaron.
Foreigners Are Separated from Israel
13 On that day (AX)they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that (AY)no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but (AZ)hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, (BA)our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 So when they heard the law, (BB)they separated (BC)all foreigners from Israel.
Tobiah’s Goods Removed from God’s House
4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, (BD)who was put in charge over the chambers of the house of our God, being [w]related to (BE)Tobiah, 5 had prepared a large [x]room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils, and the tithes of grain, also new wine and oil (BF)commanded for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, as well as the [y]contributions for the priests. 6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in (BG)the thirty-second year of (BH)Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem and discerned the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, (BI)by preparing a chamber for him in the courts of the house of God. 8 It was very evil to me, so I (BJ)threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the chamber. 9 Then I said the word, and (BK)they cleansed the chambers; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
Why Is the House of God Forsaken?
10 I also came to know that (BL)the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled, (BM)each to his own field. 11 So I (BN)contended against the officials and said, “(BO)Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and had them stand in their posts. 12 All Judah then brought (BP)the tithe of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for (BQ)they were counted as faithful, and it was [z]their task to apportion everything to their [aa]relatives. 14 (BR)Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my lovingkindnesses which I have shown for the house of my God and its responsibilities.
Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses (BS)on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, (BT)and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So (BU)I testified against them on the day they sold food. 16 Also men of Tyre were living [ab]there who brought in fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17 Then (BV)I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, even profaning the sabbath day? 18 (BW)Did not your fathers do the same, so our God brought on us and on this city all this calamity? Yet you are adding to His anger on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”
19 (BX)Now it happened that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I said the word, and the doors were shut. Then I said that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I had some of my young men stand at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then (BY)I [ac]warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will send forth my hand against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. 22 And I said to the Levites that (BZ)they should cleanse themselves and come as gatekeepers to keep the sabbath day holy. For this also (CA)remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.
You Shall Not Marry Foreigners
23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had [ad](CB)married women from (CC)Ashdod, (CD)Ammon, and Moab. 24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but only [ae]the tongue of his own people. 25 So (CE)I contended with them and cursed them and (CF)struck some of them and pulled out their hair and (CG)made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take up their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 (CH)Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? (CI)Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and (CJ)he was loved by his God, and God gave him to be king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27 [af]Do we then hear about you that you have done all this great evil (CK)by acting unfaithfully against our God by [ag]marrying foreign women?” 28 And even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of (CL)Sanballat the Horonite, so I made him flee away from me. 29 (CM)Remember them, O my God, [ah]because they have defiled the priesthood and the (CN)covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 (CO)Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign and ensured that the responsibilities stood for the priests and the Levites, each in his work, 31 and I arranged (CP)for the supply of wood at fixed times and for the first fruits. (CQ)Remember me, O my God, for good.
Those Who Sow in Tears Shall Reap with Joy
A Song of Ascents.
126 When Yahweh [a](A)returned [b]the captive ones of Zion,
We were (B)like those who dream.
2 Then our (C)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (D)tongue with shouts of joy;
Then they said among the nations,
“Yahweh has (E)done great things for them.”
3 Yahweh has done great things for us;
We are (F)glad.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.