Nehemiah 12
- 1
Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Begin Abide·
- 2
Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Begin Abide·
- 3
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Begin Abide·
- 4
Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, Begin Abide·
- 5
Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Begin Abide·
- 6
Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Begin Abide·
- 7
Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua. Begin Abide·
- 8
The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving. Begin Abide·
- 9
Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services. Begin Abide·
- 10
Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, Begin Abide·
- 11
Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua. Begin Abide·
- 12
In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; Begin Abide·
- 13
of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; Begin Abide·
- 14
of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; Begin Abide·
- 15
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; Begin Abide·
- 16
of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; Begin Abide·
- 17
of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai; Begin Abide·
- 18
of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan; Begin Abide·
- 19
of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; Begin Abide·
- 20
of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; Begin Abide·
- 21
of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel. Begin Abide·
- 22
In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded. Begin Abide·
- 23
As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles. Begin Abide·
- 24
The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their associates, who stood across from them to give praise and thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God. Begin Abide·
- 25
Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. Begin Abide·
- 26
They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe. Begin Abide·
- 27
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. Begin Abide·
- 28
The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, Begin Abide·
- 29
from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. Begin Abide·
- 30
After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall. Begin Abide·
- 31
Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate. Begin Abide·
- 32
Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed, Begin Abide·
- 33
along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Begin Abide·
- 34
Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, Begin Abide·
- 35
and some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, Begin Abide·
- 36
and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession. Begin Abide·
- 37
At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east. Begin Abide·
- 38
The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, Begin Abide·
- 39
over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard. Begin Abide·
- 40
The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me, Begin Abide·
- 41
as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah— Begin Abide·
- 42
and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah. Begin Abide·
- 43
On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar. Begin Abide·
- 44
And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving. Begin Abide·
- 45
They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed. Begin Abide·
- 46
For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Begin Abide·
- 47
So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron. Begin Abide·