The Daily Audio Bible

New Residents for Jerusalem

11 The leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people drew lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city. The remaining nine-tenths were supposed to live in the other cities. ² The people blessed everyone who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.

³ These were the officials of the province who settled in Jerusalem. Some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants settled in the cities of Judah. They lived on their own property in their own cities.

⁴ Some of the descendants of Judah and of Benjamin settled in Jerusalem. The descendants of Judah were Athaiah, who was the son of Uzziah, who was the son of Zechariah, who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Mahalalel, who was the son of Perez; ⁵ Maaseiah was the son of Baruch, who was the son of Col Hozeh, who was the son of Hazaiah, who was the son of Adaiah, who was the son of Joiarib, who was the son of Zechariah, who was the son of Shiloni. ⁶ All the descendants of Perez who settled in Jerusalem were 468 outstanding men. ⁷ These are the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu, who was the son of Meshullam, who was the son of Joed, who was the son of Pedaiah, who was the son of Kolaiah, who was the son of Maaseiah, who was the son of Ithiel, who was the son of Jeshaiah, ⁸ and after him, Gabbai ⌞and⌟ Sallai. ⌞The number of Benjamin’s descendants⌟ totaled 928. ⁹ Joel, son of Zichri, was in charge, and Judah, son of Senuah, was second-in-command over the city.

¹⁰ These were the priests: Jedaiah (son of Joiarib), Jachin, ¹¹ Seraiah, who was the son of Hilkiah, who was the son of Meshullam, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Meraioth, who was the son of Ahitub, who was the supervisor of God’s temple. ¹² From Seraiah’s relatives 822 did the work in the temple. Also, Adaiah worked in the temple. He was the son of Jeroham, who was the son of Pelaliah, who was the son of Amzi, who was the son of Zechariah, who was the son of Pashhur, who was the son of Malchiah. ¹³ Adaiah’s relatives, the heads of the families, totaled 242. Amashsai was the son of Azarel, who was the son of Ahzai, who was the son of Meshillemoth, who was the son of Immer. ¹⁴ Their relatives, who were warriors, totaled 128. The man in charge of them was Zabdiel, son of Haggedolim.

¹⁵ These were the Levites: Shemaiah who was the son of Hasshub, who was the son of Azrikam, who was the son of Hashabiah, who was the son of Bunni. ¹⁶ Shabbethai and Jozabad, Levite leaders, who were in charge of the work outside God’s temple. ¹⁷ Mattaniah was the son of Mica, who was the son of Zabdi, who was the son of Asaph, the leader who led the prayer of thanksgiving. The Levite leader Bakbukiah was the second-in-command among his relatives; and so was Abda who was the son of Shammua, who was the son of Galal, who was the son of Jeduthum. ¹⁸ All the Levites in the holy city totaled 284.

¹⁹ These were the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives who guarded the gates totaled 172.

²⁰ The rest of the Israelites, priests, and Levites lived in all the cities of Judah. Everyone lived on his own inherited property. ²¹ But the temple servants lived on Mount Ophel with Ziha and Gishpa in charge of them.

²² The man in charge of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi, who was the son of Bani, who was the son of Hashabiah, who was the son of Mattaniah, who was the son of Mica from Asaph’s descendants who were the singers in charge of worship in God’s temple. ²³ They were under orders from the king, orders that determined which duties they should perform day by day. ²⁴ Pethahiah, son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah, Judah’s son, was the king’s adviser on all matters concerning the people.

²⁵ Many people lived in villages that had fields. Some people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its villages, in Dibon and its villages, in Jekabzeel and its villages, ²⁶ in Jeshua, Moladah, and Beth Pelet, ²⁷ in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its villages, ²⁸ in Ziklag, and in Meconah and its villages, ²⁹ in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, ³⁰ Zanoah, and Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its villages. So they settled in the land from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹ Benjamin’s descendants live in the area of Geba, in Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, ³² in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, ³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, ³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, ³⁵ Lod, Ono, and in the valley of the Craftsmen. ³⁶ Some divisions of Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin.

The Priest and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel

12 These are the priests and Levites who came back with Zerubbabel (Shealtiel’s son) and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ³ Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ⁴ Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, ⁵ Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, ⁶ Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and of their relatives at the time of Jeshua.

⁸ The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his relatives was in charge of the thanksgiving hymns. ⁹ Their relatives Bakbukiah and Unno stood across from them in worship.

¹⁰ Jeshua was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada. ¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan. Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

¹² At the time of Joiakim, these were the priests who were the leaders of their families: From Seraiah, Meraiah; from Jeremiah, Hananiah; ¹³ from Ezra, Meshullam; from Amariah, Jehohanan; ¹⁴ from Malluchi, Jonathan; from Shebaniah, Joseph; ¹⁵ from Harim, Adna; from Meraioth, Helkai; ¹⁶ from Iddo, Zechariah; from Ginnethon, Meshullam; ¹⁷ from Abijah, Zichri; from Miniamin, from Moadiah, Piltai; ¹⁸ from Bilgah, Shammua; from Shemaiah, Jehonathan; ¹⁹ from Joiarib, Mattenai; from Jedaiah, Uzzi; ²⁰ from Sallai, Kallai; from Amok, Eber; ²¹ from Hilkiah, Hashabiah; from Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²² ⌞The names of⌟ the family heads of the Levites and the priests at the time of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua were recorded until the reign of Darius the Persian. ²³ ⌞The names of⌟ the family heads of the Levites were recorded in the Book of Chronicles until the time of Johanan, grandson of Eliashib. ²⁴ The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua (son of Kadmiel). They and their relatives stood in groups across from one another to sing hymns of praise and thanksgiving antiphonally as David, the man of God, had ordered. ²⁵ Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses by the gates. ²⁶ They lived in the days of Joiakim, son of Jeshua, grandson of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

Stay Away from Worshiping False Gods

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, get as far away from the worship of false gods as you can.

¹⁵ I’m talking to intelligent people. Judge for yourselves what I’m saying. ¹⁶ When we bless the cup of blessing aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? When we break the bread aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we are one body, although we are many individuals. All of us share one loaf.

¹⁸ Look at the people of Israel from a human point of view. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices share what is on the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean that an offering made to a false god is anything, or that a false god itself is anything? ²⁰ Hardly! What I am saying is that these sacrifices which people make are made to demons and not to God. I don’t want you to be partners with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the Lord’s cup and the cup of demons. You cannot participate at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? Are we stronger than he is?

²³ Someone may say, “I’m allowed to do anything,” but not everything is helpful. I’m allowed to do anything, but not everything encourages growth. ²⁴ People should be concerned about others and not just about themselves. ²⁵ Eat anything that is sold in the market without letting your conscience trouble you. ²⁶ Certainly, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything it contains is his.” ²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you ⌞to his house for dinner⌟, and you wish to go, eat anything he serves you without letting your conscience trouble you. ²⁸ However, if someone says to you, “This was sacrificed to a god,” don’t eat it because of the one who informed you and because of conscience. ²⁹ I’m not talking about your conscience but the other person’s conscience. Why should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰ If I give thanks to God for the food I eat, why am I condemned for that? ³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God. ³² Don’t cause others to stumble, whether they are Jewish, Greek, or members of God’s church. ³³ I try to please everyone in every way. I don’t think about what would be good for me but about what would be good for many people so that they might be saved.