A List of Priests and Levites
1 Many priests and Levites had returned from Babylonia with Zerubbabel and Joshua as their leaders. Those priests were Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and another Jedaiah. These were the leading priests and their assistants during the time of Joshua.
8 The Levites who returned were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. They and their assistants were responsible for the songs of praise, 9 while Bakbukiah and Unno, together with their assistants, were responsible for the choral responses.
Descendants of Joshua the High Priest
10 Joshua was the father of Joiakim, the grandfather of Eliashib, and the great-grandfather of Joiada. 11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan and the grandfather of Jaddua.
Leaders of the Priestly Clans
12 When Joiakim was high priest, the following priests were leaders of their clans: Meraiah of the Seraiah clan, Hananiah of Jeremiah, 13 Meshullam of Ezra, Jehohanan of Amariah, 14 Jonathan of Malluchi, Joseph of Shebaniah, 15 Adna of Harim, Helkai of Meraioth, 16 Zechariah of Iddo, Meshullam of Ginnethon, 17 Zichri of Abijah, Piltai of Moadiah, 18 Shammua of Bilgah, Jehonathan of Shemaiah, 19 Mattenai of Joiarib, Uzzi of Jedaiah, 20 Kallai of Sallai, Eber of Amok, 21 Hashabiah of Hilkiah, and Nethanel of Jedaiah.
The Priestly and Levite Families
22 During the time of the high priests Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, and including the time that Darius was king of Persia, a record was kept of the heads of the Levite and priestly families. 23 However, no official record was kept of the heads of the Levite clans after the death of Johanan, the grandson of Eliashib.
24 Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their assistants organized two choirs of Levites to offer praises to God, just as King David, the man of God, had commanded.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were responsible for guarding the storerooms near the temple gates.
26 All of these men lived during the time of Joiakim and during the time that I was governor and Ezra, a teacher of the Law of Moses, was priest.
Nehemiah Dedicates the City Wall
27 When the city wall was dedicated, Levites from everywhere in Judah were invited to join in the celebration with songs of praise and with the music of cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. 28-29 The Levite singers lived in villages around Jerusalem, and so they came from there, as well as from the villages around Netophah, Beth-Gilgal, Geba, and Azmaveth. 30 The priests and Levites held special ceremonies to make themselves holy, and then they did the same for the rest of the people and for the gates and walls of the city.
31 I brought the leaders of Judah to the top of the city wall and put them in charge of the two groups that were to march around on top of the wall, singing praises to God. One group marched to the right in the direction of Garbage Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders followed them. 33 Then came the priests Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35 all of them blowing trumpets. Next, there was Zechariah of the Asaph clan 36 and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They played musical instruments like those that had been played by David, the man of God. And they marched behind Ezra, the teacher of the Law. 37 When they reached Fountain Gate, they climbed the steps to David's City and went past his palace, before stopping at the Water Gate near the eastern wall of the city.
38 The second group of singers marched along the wall in the opposite direction, and I followed them, together with the other half of the leaders of Judah. We went past Oven Tower, Broad Wall, 39 Ephraim Gate, Old Gate, Fish Gate, Hananel Tower, Hundred Tower, and on to Sheep Gate. Finally, we stopped at Gate of the Guard, 40 where we stood in front of the temple with the other group, praising God. In the group with me were half of the leaders, 41 as well as the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, who were blowing trumpets. 42 Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer also stood there, as Jezrahiah led the singers. 43 God had made the people very happy, and so on that day they celebrated and offered many sacrifices. The women and children joined in the festivities, and joyful shouts could be heard far from the city of Jerusalem.
Preparation for Worship
44 On that same day, some leaders were appointed to be responsible for the safekeeping of gifts for the temple and to be in charge of receiving the first part of the harvest and the ten percent of the crops and livestock that was offered to God. These same leaders also collected the part of crops that the Law of Moses taught was to be given to the Levites.
Everyone was pleased with the work of the priests and Levites, 45 when they performed the ceremonies to make people acceptable to worship God. And the singers and the temple guards did their jobs according to the instructions given by David and his son Solomon. 46 In fact, ever since the days of David and Asaph, there had been song leaders and songs of praise and worship. 47 During the time that Zerubbabel and I were in charge, everyone in Israel gave what they were supposed to give for the daily needs of the singers and temple guards from the Levi tribe. Then the Levites would give the priests their share from what they had received.
1 These also are the Priestes and the Leuites that went vp with Zerubbabel, the sonne of Shealtiel, and Ieshua: to wit, Seraiah, Ieremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Merimoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnetho, Abiiah, 5 Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, and Ioiarib, Iedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiiah, Iedaiah: these were the chiefe of the Priests, and of their brethren in the dayes of Ieshua. 8 And the Leuites, Ieshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Iudah, Mattaniah were ouer the thankesgiuings, he, and his brethren. 9 And Bakbukiah and Vnni, and their brethren were about them in the watches. 10 And Ieshua begate Ioiakim: Ioiakim also begate Eliashib, and Eliashib begate Ioiada. 11 And Ioiada begate Ionathan, and Ionathan begate Iaddua, 12 And in the daies of Ioiakim were these, the chiefe fathers of the Priests: vnder Seraiah was Meraiah, vnder Ieremiah, Hananiah, 13 Vnder Ezra, Meshullam, vnder Amariah, Iehohanan, 14 Vnder Melicu, Ionathan, vnder Shebaniah, Ioseph, 15 Vnder Harim, Adna, vnder Maraioth, Helkai, 16 Vnder Iddo, Zechariah, vnder Ginnithon, Meshullam, 17 Vnder Abiiah, Zichri, vnder Miniamin, and vnder Moadiah, Piltai, 18 Vnder Bilgah, Shammua, vnder Shemaiah, Iehonathan, 19 Vnder Ioiarib, Mattenai, vnder Iedaiah, Vzzi, 20 Vnder Sallai, Kallai, vnder Amok, Eber, 21 Vnder Hilkiah, Hashabiah, vnder Iedaiah, Nethaneel. 22 In the dayes of Eliashib, Ioiada, and Iohanan and Iaddua were the chiefe fathers of the Leuites written, and the Priests in the reigne of Darius the Persian. 23 The sonnes of Leui, the chiefe fathers were written in the booke of the Chronicles euen vnto the dayes of Iohanan the sonne of Eliashib. 24 And the chiefe of the Leuites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Ieshua the sonne of Kadmiel, and their brethren about them to giue prayse and thankes, according to the ordinance of Dauid the man of God, ward ouer against warde. 25 Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were porters keeping the warde at the thresholds of the gates. 26 These were in the dayes of Ioiakim, the sonne of Ieshua, the sonne of Iozadak, and in the dayes of Nehemiah the captaine, and of Ezra the Priest and scribe. 27 And in the dedication of the wall at Ierusalem they sought the Leuites out of all their places to bring them to Ierusalem to keepe the dedication and gladnes, both with thankesgiuings and with songs, cymbales, violes and with harpes. 28 Then the singers gathered themselues together both from the plaine countrey about Ierusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi, 29 And from the house of Gilgal, and out of the countreis of Geba, and Azmaueth: for the singers had built them villages round about Ierusalem. 30 And the Priests and Leuites were purified, and clensed the people, and the gates, and the wall. 31 And I brought vp the princes of Iudah vpon the wall, and appointed two great companies to giue thankes, and the one went on the right hand of the wall toward the dung gate. 32 And after them went Hoshaiah, and halfe of the princes of Iudah, 33 And Azariah, Ezra and Meshullam, 34 Iudah, Beniamin, and Shemaiah, and Ieremiah, 35 And of the Priests sonnes with trumpets, Zechariah the sonne of Ionathan, the sonne of Shemaiah, the sonne of Mattaniah, the sonne of Michaiah, the sonne of Zaccur, ye sonne of Asaph. 36 And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azareel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Iudah, Hanani, with the musicall instruments of Dauid the man of God: and Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 And to the gate of the fountaine, euen ouer against them went they vp by the staires of the citie of Dauid, at the going vp of the wall beyond the house of Dauid, euen vnto the water gate Eastward. 38 And the seconde companie of them that gaue thankes, went on the other side, and I after them, and the halfe of the people was vpon the wall, and vpon the towre of the furnaces euen vnto the broad wall. 39 And vpon the gate of Ephraim, and vpon the olde gate, and vpon the fishgate, and the towre of Hananeel, and the towre of Meah, euen vnto the sheepegate: and they stood in the gate of the warde. 40 So stood the two companies (of them that gaue thankes) in the house of God, and I and the halfe of the rulers with me. 41 The Priests also, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets, 42 And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Vzzi, and Iehohanan, and Malchiiah, and Elam, and Ezer: and the singers sang loude, hauing Izrahiah which was the ouerseer. 43 And the same day they offered great sacrifices and reioyced: for God had giuen them great ioy, so that both the women, and the children were ioyfull: and the ioy of Ierusalem was heard farre off. 44 Also at the same time were men appointed ouer the chambers of the store for the offerings (for the first fruites, and for the tithes) to gather into them out of the fieldes of the cities, the portions of the Law for the Priests and the Leuites: for Iudah reioyced for the Priests and for the Leuites, that serued. 45 And both the singers and the Leuites kept the ward of their God, and the warde of the purification according to the commandement of Dauid, and Salomon his sonne. 46 For in the dayes of Dauid and Asaph, of olde were chiefe singers, and songs of praise and thankesgiuing vnto God. 47 And in the dayes of Zerubbabel, and in the dayes of Nehemiah did al Israel giue portions vnto the singers and porters, euerie day his portion, and they gaue the holy things vnto the Leuites, and the Leuites gaue the holy things vnto the sonnes of Aaron.