Nehemiah 12

1These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

8The Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.

9Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them in the services.

10Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib was the father of Joiada.

11Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

12In the days of Joiakim, these were the priests who were heads of ancestral houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

13of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

14of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

15of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

16of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

18of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

19of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

21of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of ancestral houses were recorded, and so were the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian.

23The heads of ancestral houses among the descendants of Levi were recorded in the book of the annals, up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

24The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them to praise and give thanks, according to the command of David the man of God, one section answering the other.

25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who kept watch at the storerooms of the gates.

26These served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all the places where they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy, with songs of thanksgiving and with music, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.

28The sons of the singers gathered together from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,

29from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

30The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

31Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall, and I appointed two great choirs to give thanks and to go in procession. One went to the right on top of the wall toward the Dung Gate.

32Behind them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,

33along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

35and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,

36and 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 in front of them.

37At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps of the City of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, and on to the Water Gate on the east.

38The second choir that gave thanks went in the opposite direction, and I followed it with half of the people on top of the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, as far as the Broad Wall,

39and 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. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

40So the two choirs that gave thanks took their places in the house of God, and so did I, and half of the officials with me,

41and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets,

42and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang out, with Izrahiah as their leader.

43That day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem could be heard far away.

44On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the towns the portions required by the law for the priests and the Levites. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who served.

45They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and of his son Solomon.

46For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were leaders of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They set apart the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the portion for the descendants of Aaron.