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1These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubʹbabel the son of She-alʹti-el, and Jeshua: Seraiʹah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2Amariʹah, Malluch, Hattush, 3Shecaniʹah, Rehum, Merʹemoth, 4Iddo, Ginʹnethoi, Abiʹjah, 5Miʹjamin, Ma-adiʹah, Bilgah, 6Shemaiʹah, Joiʹarib, Jedaiʹah, 7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiʹah, Jedaiʹah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

8And the Levites: Jeshua, Binʹnui, Kadʹmi-el, Sherebiʹah, Judah, and Mattaniʹah, who with his brethren was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9And Bakbukiʹah and Unno their brethren stood opposite them in the service. 10And Jeshua was the father of Joiʹakim, Joiʹakim the father of Eliʹashib, Eliʹashib the father of Joiʹada, 11Joiʹada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jadʹdu-a.

12And in the days of Joiʹakim were priests, heads of fathers’ houses: of Seraiʹah, Meraiʹah; of Jeremiah, Hananiʹah; 13of Ezra, Meshulʹlam; of Amariʹah, Jehohaʹnan; 14of Malʹluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniʹah, Joseph; 15of Harim, Adna; of Meraiʹoth, Helʹkai; 16of Iddo, Zechariʹah; of Ginʹnethon, Meshulʹlam; 17of Abiʹjah, Zichri; of Miniʹamin, of Moadiʹah, Pilʹtai; 18of Bilgah, Shamʹmu-a; of Shemaiʹah, Jehonʹathan; 19of Joiʹarib, Matteʹnai; of Jedaiʹah, Uzzi; 20of Salʹlai, Kalʹlai; of Amok, Eber; 21of Hilkiʹah, Hashabiʹah; of Jedaiʹah, Nethanʹel.

22As for the Levites, in the days of Eliʹashib, Joiʹada, Johaʹnan, and Jadʹdu-a, there were recorded the heads of fathers’ houses; also the priests until the reign of Darius the Persian. 23The sons of Levi, heads of fathers’ houses, were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johaʹnan the son of Eliʹashib. 24And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiʹah, Sherebiʹah, and Jeshua the son of Kadʹmi-el, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch corresponding to watch. 25Mattaniʹah, Bakbukiʹah, Obadiʹah, Meshulʹlam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates. 26These were in the days of Joiʹakim the son of Jeshua son of Joʹzadak, and in the days of Nehemiʹah the governor and of Ezra the priest the scribe.

27And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28And the sons of the singers gathered together from the circuit round Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophʹathites; 29also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azʹmaveth; for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

31Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies which gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the right upon the wall to the Dung Gate; 32and after them went Hoshaiʹah and half of the princes of Judah, 33and Azariʹah, Ezra, Meshulʹlam, 34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiʹah, and Jeremiah, 35and certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariʹah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiʹah, son of Mattaniʹah, son of Micaiʹah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph; 36and his kinsmen, Shemaiʹah, Azʹarel, Milʹalai, Gilʹalai, Maʹai, Nethanʹel, Judah, and Hanaʹni, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe went before them. 37At the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.

38The other company of those who gave thanks went to the left, and I followed them with half of the people, upon the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall, 39and above the Gate of Eʹphraim, and by the Old Gate, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananʹel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. 40So both companies of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me; 41and the priests Eliʹakim, Ma-aseiʹah, Miniʹamin, Micaiʹah, Eli-o-eʹnai, Zechariʹah, and Hananiʹah, with trumpets; 42and Ma-aseiʹah, Shemaiʹah, Eleaʹzar, Uzzi, Jehohaʹnan, Malchiʹjah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiʹah as their leader. 43And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

44On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered. 45And they 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 his son Solomon. 46For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47And all Israel in the days of Zerubʹbabel and in the days of Nehemiʹah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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