Nehemiah 12
Priests and Levites Come Up with Zerubbabel
12Now these are athe priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their 1relatives in the days of Jeshua. 8The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was over of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.
9Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them ain keeping their responsibilities. 10Jeshua 1became the father of Joiakim, and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib became the father of Joiada, 11and Joiada became the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua. 12Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14of 1Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel. The Heads of the Levites
22As 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. 23The 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.
24The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, ato praise and give thanks, by the commandment of David the man of God, bwatch by watch. 25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at athe storerooms of the gates. 26These served in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of aNehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
Dedication of the Wall
27Now 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 ato the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28So the sons of the singers were gathered from the district around Jerusalem and from athe villages of the Netophathites, 29from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30The priests and the Levites acleansed themselves; they also cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.
The Choirs in the House of God
31Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I had two great choirs of thanksgiving stand, 1,athe first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward bthe Dung Gate.
32Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35and 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, 36and his 1relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, awith the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37At athe Spring Gate they went directly up bthe steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to cthe Water Gate on the east.
38aThe second 1choir proceeded to the 2left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, babove the Tower of Furnaces, to cthe Broad Wall, 39and above athe Gate of Ephraim, by bthe Old Gate, by the cFish Gate, dthe Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at ethe Gate of the Guard. 40Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41and the priests: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets;
42and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers made their voices heard, with Jezrahiah their overseer, 43and on that day they offered great sacrifices and were glad because aGod had given them great gladness, even the women and children were glad, so that the gladness of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44On that day amen 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. 45And they kept their responsibility given by their God and the responsibility of cleansing, together with the singers and the gatekeepers, aaccording to the commandment of David and his son Solomon. 46For in the days of David and aAsaph, in ancient times, there were 1,bchiefs of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 47So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were giving the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers aas each day required, and bset apart the holy portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the holy portion for the sons of Aaron.