The Priests and Levites
Nehemiah 12, verse 1. Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah 12, verse 2. Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Nehemiah 12, verse 3. Shechaniah, Nehemiah 12, verse 4. Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua. Nehemiah 12, verse 5. Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brothers. Nehemiah 12, verse 6. Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood across from them in their duties. Nehemiah 12, verse 7. Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, Nehemiah 12, verse 8. Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua. Nehemiah 12, verse 9. Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses, were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; Nehemiah 12, verse 10. of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; Nehemiah 12, verse 11. of Melichu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; Nehemiah 12, verse 12. of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; Nehemiah 12, verse 13. of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; Nehemiah 12, verse 14. of Abijah, Zichri, the son of Minjamin; of Moadiah, Piltai; Nehemiah 12, verse 15. of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; Nehemiah 12, verse 16. of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; Nehemiah 12, verse 17. of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; Nehemiah 12, verse 18. of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel. Nehemiah 12, verse 19. The Levites in the days of Eliasib, Joida, Jaddusa and Joanan, and Idua, were being recorded as heads of families, even those priests within the kingdom of Darius of Persia. Nehemiah 12, verse 20. The sons of Levi, heads of the families until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the Book of the Chronicles. Nehemiah 12, verse 21. And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel. With their brothers across from them, they offered praise and gave thanks, each group alternating with the other, according to the command of David the man of God. Nehemiah 12, verse 22. Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. Nehemiah 12, verse 23. These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.
Dedication of the Wall
Nehemiah 12, verse 24. Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites in all their places in order to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and singing, and with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps. Nehemiah 12, verse 25. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites, Nehemiah 12, verse 26. from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth. For the singers had built villages for themselves all around Jerusalem. Nehemiah 12, verse 27. The priests and Levites purified themselves, and then purified the people, the gates, and the wall. Nehemiah 12, verse 28. So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse Gate. Nehemiah 12, verse 29. After them went Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah, Nehemiah 12, verse 30. and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Nehemiah 12, verse 31. Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, Nehemiah 12, verse 32. and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, Nehemiah 12, verse 33. and his brothers, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe went before them. Nehemiah 12, verse 34. By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David as far as the Water Gate eastward. Nehemiah 12, verse 35. The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, Nehemiah 12, verse 36. and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison. Nehemiah 12, verse 37. So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; Nehemiah 12, verse 38. and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; Nehemiah 12, verse 39. also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director. Nehemiah 12, verse 40. Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.
Temple Appointees
Nehemiah 12, verse 41. And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. Nehemiah 12, verse 42. Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification according to the command of David and Solomon his son. Nehemiah 12, verse 43. For in the days of David and Asaph of old, there were chiefs of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Nehemiah 12, verse 44. In the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel gave portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.