Nehemiah 12:27-43
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.