Nehemiah 7

¹After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. ²I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. ³I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

The List of the Exiles Who Returned

⁴Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ⁵So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

⁶These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, ⁷in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of the people of Israel:

⁸the descendants of

Parosh 2,172

⁹Shephatiah 372

¹⁰Arah 652

¹¹Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818

¹²Elam 1,254

¹³Zattu 845

¹⁴Zakkai 760

¹⁵Binnui 648

¹⁶Bebai 628

¹⁷Azgad 2,322

¹⁸Adonikam 667

¹⁹Bigvai 2,067

²⁰Adin 655

²¹Ater (through Hezekiah) 98

²²Hashum 328

²³Bezai 324

²⁴Hariph 112

²⁵Gibeon 95

²⁶the men of

Bethlehem and Netophah 188

²⁷Anathoth 128

²⁸Beth Azmaveth 42

²⁹Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743

³⁰of Ramah and Geba 621

³¹of Mikmash 122

³²of Bethel and Ai 123

³³of the other Nebo 52

³⁴of the other Elam 1,254

³⁵of Harim 320

³⁶of Jericho 345

³⁷of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721

³⁸of Senaah 3,930

³⁹The priests:

the descendants of

Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

⁴⁰Immer 1,052

⁴¹Pashhur 1,247

⁴²Harim 1,017

⁴³The Levites:

the descendants of

Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74

⁴⁴The musicians:

the descendants of

Asaph 148

⁴⁵The gatekeepers of the temple:

the descendants of

Shallum, Ater, Talmon,

Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

⁴⁶The temple servants:

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷Keros, Sia, Padon,

⁴⁸Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

⁴⁹Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

⁵⁰Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

⁵¹Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

⁵²Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,

⁵³Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

⁵⁴Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

⁵⁵Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

⁵⁶Neziah and Hatipha

⁵⁷The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of

Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

⁵⁸Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

⁵⁹Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

⁶⁰The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

⁶¹The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

⁶²the descendants of

Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642

⁶³And from among the priests:

the descendants of

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

⁶⁴These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶The whole company numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸There were 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. ⁷¹Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. ⁷²The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

⁷³The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,