Nehemiah 12 - Legacy Standard Bible

Nehemiah 12

Priests and Levites Come Up with Zerubbabel

Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua:

Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.

8 The Levites were

Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was over of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.

Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them in keeping their responsibilities.

Jeshua became the father of Joiakim,

and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib,

and Eliashib became the father of Joiada,

and Joiada became the father of Jonathan,

and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.

12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households were:

of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

The Heads of the Levites

22 As 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. 23 The 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. 24

The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to praise and give thanks, by the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch.

Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at the storerooms of the gates.

26 These served 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 and scribe.

Dedication of the Wall

27 Now 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 to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were gathered from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites cleansed themselves; they also cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.

The Choirs in the House of God

31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I had two great choirs of thanksgiving stand, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Dung Gate. 32

Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them,

with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

and 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,

and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.

37 At the Spring Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east. 38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests:

Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets;

and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers made their voices heard, with Jezrahiah their overseer,

43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and were glad because God had given them great gladness, even the women and children were glad, so that the gladness of Jerusalem was heard from afar. 44 On that day men 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. 45 And they kept their responsibility given by their God and the responsibility of cleansing, together with the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were chiefs of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were giving the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the holy portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the holy portion for the sons of Aaron.