Nehemiah 12

1These#Neh 12:12–21 are the priests and Levites#Ezr 2:1–2; 7:7 who went up with Zerubbabel#Ezr 3:2 son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua:

Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4Iddo,#Neh 12:16; Zch 1:1 Ginnethoi, Abijah,#1Ch 24:10

5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,#1Ch 24:7

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.#Ezr 2:2; 3:2

8The Levites:

Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,

Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah#Neh 11:17 —

he and his relatives were in charge of the songs of praise.

9Bakbukiah, Unni,#12:9 Alt Hb tradition reads Unno and their relatives stood opposite them in the services.

10Jeshua fathered Joiakim,

Joiakim fathered Eliashib,

Eliashib#Neh 3:20 fathered Joiada,

11Joiada fathered Jonathan,

and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.#12:10–11 These men were high priests.

12In the days of Joiakim, the heads of the priestly families were

Meraiah	of Seraiah,
Hananiah	of Jeremiah,
13Meshullam	of Ezra,
Jehohanan	of Amariah,
14Jonathan	of Malluchi,
Joseph	of Shebaniah,
15Adna	of Harim,
Helkai	of Meraioth,
16Zechariah	of Iddo,
Meshullam	of Ginnethon,
17Zichri	of Abijah,
Piltai	of Moadiah, of Miniamin,
18Shammua	of Bilgah,
Jehonathan	of Shemaiah,
19Mattenai	of Joiarib,
Uzzi	of Jedaiah,
20Kallai	of Sallai,
Eber	of Amok,
21Hashabiah	of Hilkiah,
and Nethanel	of Jedaiah.

22In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded while Darius the Persian ruled. 23Levi’s descendants, the family heads, were recorded in the Book of the Historical Events#1Ch 9:14–22 during the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. 24The heads of the Levites — Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their relatives opposite them — gave praise and thanks, division by division, as David the man of God had prescribed.#1Ch 16:4; 23:30; 2Ch 29:25 25This included Mattaniah,#Neh 11:17 Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the city gates.#1Ch 26:15,17; Ezr 2:42; Neh 11:19 26These served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor#Neh 5:14; 10:1 and Ezra the priest and scribe.#Neh 8:1–2,9

Dedication of the Wall

27At the dedication of the wall#Ezr 6:16 of Jerusalem, they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.#1Ch 15:16 28The singers gathered from the region around Jerusalem, from the settlements of the Netophathites,#1Ch 2:54; 9:16 29from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built settlements for themselves around Jerusalem. 30After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the city gates, and the wall.#Neh 13:22,30

31Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large processions that gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate.#Neh 2:13 32Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed, 33along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph followed 36as well as his relatives — Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David, the man of God.#1Ch 15:16,19–21; 2Ch 8:14; Neh 12:24 Ezra the scribe#Neh 8:1,4 went in front of them. 37At the Fountain Gate#Neh 2:14 they climbed the steps of the city of David#Neh 3:15 on the ascent of the wall and went above the house of David to the Water Gate#Neh 3:26; 8:1 on the east.

38The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens#Neh 3:11 to the Broad Wall,#Neh 3:8 39above the Ephraim Gate,#2Kg 14:13; Neh 8:16 and by the Old Gate,#Neh 3:6 the Fish Gate,#Neh 3:3 the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate.#Neh 3:1; Jn 5:2 They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.#Neh 3:25 40The two thanksgiving processions stood in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials accompanying me, 41as well as the priests:

Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin,

Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,

and Hananiah, with trumpets;

42and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar,

Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer.

Then the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as the leader. 43On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy.#Ezr 6:16–17,22 The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far away.#Ezr 3:13

Support of the Levites’ Ministry

44On that same day men were placed in charge of the rooms#Neh 13:4,13 that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tenths.#Neh 10:37–39 The legally required portions for the priests and Levites#Neh 7:39–43 were gathered from the village fields, because Judah was grateful to the priests and Levites who were serving.#Dt 18:8 45They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers,#Neh 7:44–45 as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.#2Ch 8:14 46For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph,#2Ch 29:30 there were heads#12:46 Alt Hb tradition reads there was a head of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.#1Ch 9:33 47So in the days of Zerubbabel#Neh 7:7; Hg 1:1 and Nehemiah,#Neh 1:1; 5:14 all Israel contributed the daily portions#Neh 11:23 for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions#Nm 18:21 for Aaron’s descendants.

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