Nehemiah 12
1 These are the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with 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, Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, together with his relatives.
9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their relatives, stood opposite them in their assigned shifts.
10 Jeshua fathered Joiakim; Joiakim fathered Eliashib; and Eliashib fathered Joiada.
11 Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: from Seraiah, Meraiah; from Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 from Ezra, Meshullam; from Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 from Malluch, 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 Sallu, Kallai; from Amok, Eber;
21 from Hilkiah, Hashabiah; from Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua were recorded as heads of families, as were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The heads of the Levite families were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their relatives opposite them, praising and giving thanks as commanded by David, the man of God, shift by shift.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who kept watch at the storehouses by the gates.
26 They lived in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy, thanksgiving, and songs, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28 The singers gathered from the plain around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,
29 from Beth-gilgal and the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
30 The priests and Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great thanksgiving choirs and processions. One went to the right, along the wall, toward the Dung Gate.
32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them,
33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,
35 and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph;
36 and his relatives: Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe went ahead of them.
37 At the Fountain Gate, they went up the steps of the City of David, along the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, as far as the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second thanksgiving choir went to the left, and I followed it with the other half of the people, along the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens and as far as the Broad Wall,
39 then above the Gate of Ephraim, past the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Guard Gate.
40 The two thanksgiving choirs took their places in the house of God, and so did I, along with half the officials who were with me,
41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets,
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers made their voices heard, with Jezrahiah in charge.
43 That day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, and Jerusalem’s joy could be heard from far away.
44 That day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, to gather into them from the fields around the towns the portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites. Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
45 They carried out the duties of their God and the duties of purification, as did the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon.
46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been leaders of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 In the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel gave the singers and gatekeepers their daily portions. They set apart portions for the Levites, and the Levites set apart portions for the descendants of Aaron.
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