1 These are the priests and the Levites who came back with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and with the High Priest Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Ama riah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijai,
5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah; also: Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 a Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah – the latter with his kinsmen, directed the hymns of thanks giving
9 while Bakbukiah, Unno and their kinsmen in their respective groups formed an alternate choir.
7b These were the heads of the priests and of their kinsmen in the days of Jes hua.
10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim father of Eliashib, Eliashib father of Joiada,
11 Joiada father of Johanan, and Johanan father of Jaddua.
12 In the days when Joiakim was High Priest the heads of the priestly clans were: clan of
13 Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; of Ezra, Me shul lam; of Ama riah, Jehohanan;
14 of 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 also: of Joiaarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 In the days of the High Priests Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, the heads of the priestly families were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles up to the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi.
24 The heads of the Levite families were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles, but only up to the time of Johanan, grandson of Eliashib. The heads of the Levites: Hasha biah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, Kad miel; and their kinsmen forming an alternate choir for the hymns of praise and thanksgiving, in accordance with the instructions of David the man of God, in alternating groups.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Oba diah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers and stood guard at the storehouses near the gates.
26 These lived in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, grandson of Jozadak and in the days of Nehemiah, the governor and of Ezra, priest and scholar of the Law.
Dedication of the wall of Jerusalem
27 When the wall of Jerusalem was inaugurated, the Levites were summoned from all the places where they lived and they came to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy, with songs of thanksgiving, with the music of cymbals and zithers.
28 The singers from the neighboring regions and from the villages of Netophath,
29 Beth-gilgal and the districts of Geba and Azmaveth gathered together in Jerusalem, because the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem.
30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and then purified the people, the gates and the wall.
31 I then ordered the leaders of Judah to stand on top of the wall and I organized two grand choirs. The first advanced on top of the wall in the southern part, facing the Gate of the Garbage Dump;
32 behind them went Hoshaiah and half the leaders of the Jews,
33 and also Azariah, Ezra, Meshul lam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah,
35 the priests and then the mu sicians with the trumpets came: Zechariah, son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,
36 with his brothers, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, Hanani, carrying the musical instruments of David, the man of God. Ezra, the teacher of the Law, went in front of them.
37 They went straight on up to the Foun tain Gate, near the steps of the City of Da vid, along the top of the wall of the house of David, as far as the Water Gate, on the east.
38 The second choir marched to the left: I followed it with half the leaders of the people along the top of the wall, passing through the Tower of the Furnaces and as far as the Wide Wall,
39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, as far as the Sheep Gate, and we stopped at the Watch Gate.
40 Then the two choirs took their places in the House of God. Half of the counselors
41 and the priests Eliakim,
42 Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioe nai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, who were carrying the trumpets, were at my side, to gether with Ma aseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Mal chijah, Elam and Ezer. The singers chanted their songs under the direction of Jezrahiah.
43 Great sacrifices were offered that day and the people rejoiced, for God had bestowed great joy on them; the women and the children also participated in the feast. And the shouts of joy of Jerusalem could be heard far away.
44 At that time, supervisors were appointed to guard the storage rooms where the contribu tions, the firstfruits and the tithes were kept. They were to store in them the portions from the different cities of the territory required by the Law for the priests and Levites. For the people of Judah rejoiced to see the priests and Levites doing their duty.
45 They performed the liturgy of their God and the ceremonies of purification with the singers and the gatekeepers, as commanded by David and his son Solo mon.
46 For from the beginning, from the days of David and Asaph, there had been song leaders and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 The whole of Israel, in the time of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, gave the singers and the gatekeepers what was necessary for each day. The sacred objects were entrusted to the Levites, and what was for the sons of Aaron was given to them.