Nehemiah 12

1 Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

Now these [are] the priests and the Levites that went up with Zorobabel the son of Salathiel and Jesus: Saraia, Jeremia, Esdra,

2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

Amaria, Maluch,

3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

Sechenia.

4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,

5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

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

These [were] the chiefs of the priests, and their brethren in the days of Jesus.

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving.

And the Levites [were], Jesus, Banui, Cadmiel, Sarabia, Jodae, Matthania: he [was] over the bands,

9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.

and his brethren [were appointed] to the daily courses.

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

And Jesus begot Joakim, and Joakim begot Eliasib, and Eliasib [begot] Jodae,

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

and Jodae begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jadu.

12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

And in the days of Joakim, his brethren the priests and the heads of families [were, belonging] to Saraia, Amaria; to Jeremia, Anania;

13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

to Esdra, Mesulam; to Amaria, Joanan;

14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

to Amaluch, Jonathan; to Sechenia, Joseph;

15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

to Are, Mannas; to Marioth, Elcai;

16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

to Adadai, Zacharia; to Ganathoth, Mesolam;

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

to Abia, Zechri; to Miamin, Maadai; to Pheleti, [one];

18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan;

to Balgas, Samue; to Semia, Jonathan;

19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

to Joarib, Matthanai; to Edio, Ozi;

20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

to Salai, Callai; to Amec, Abed;

21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

to Elkia, Asabias; to Jedeiu, Nathanael.

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.

The Levites in the days of Eliasib, Joada, and Joa, and Joanan, and Idua, [were] recorded heads of families: also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian.

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.

And the sons of Levi, heads of families, [were] written in the book of the chronicles, even to the days of Joanan son of Elisue.

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.

And the heads of the Levites [were] Asabia, and Sarabia, and Jesu: and the sons of Cadmiel, and their brethren over against them, were to sing hymns of praise, according to the commandment of David the man of God, course by course.

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

When I gathered the porters,

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.

[it was] in the days of Joakim son of Jesus, son of Josedec, and in the days of Neemia: and Esdras the priest [was] scribe.

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.

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep a feast of dedication and gladness with thanksgiving, and they sounded cymbals with songs, and [had] psalteries and harps.

28 The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,

And the sons of the singers were assembled both from the neighbourhood round about to Jerusalem, and from the villages,

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

and from the country: for the singers built themselves villages by Jerusalem.

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

And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the porters, and the wall.

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.

And they brought up the princes of Juda on the wall, and they appointed two great [companies] for thanksgiving, and they passed on the right hand on the wall of the dung-gate.

32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed,

And after them went Osaia, and half the princes of Juda,

33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

and Azarias, and Esdras, and Mesollam,

34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

and Juda, and Benjamin, and Samaias and Jeremia.

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,

And [some] of the sons of the priest with trumpets, Zacharias son of Jonathan, son of Samaias, son of Matthania, son of Michaia, son of Zacchur, son of Asaph:

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.

and his brethren, Samaia, and Oziel, Gelol, Jama, Aia, Nathanael, and Juda, Anani, to praise with the hymns of David the man of God; and Esdras the scribe [was] before them,

37 At the Fountain Gate they climbed 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.

at the gate, to praise before them, and they went up by the steps of the city of David, in the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water-gate

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,

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.

of Ephraim, and to the fish-gate, and by the tower of Anameel, and as far as the sheep-gate.

40 The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me,

41 as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—

42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.

And the singers were heard, and were numbered.

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.

And in that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced; for God had made them very joyful: and their wives and their children rejoiced: and the joy in Jerusalem was heard from afar off.

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.

And in that day they appointed men over the treasuries, for the treasures, the first-fruits, and the tithes, and [for] the chiefs of the cities who were assembled among them, [to furnish] portions for the priests and Levites: for [there was] joy in Juda over the priests and over the Levites that waited.

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.

And they kept the charges of their God, and the charges of the purification, and [ordered] the singers and the porters, according to the commandments of David and his son Solomon.

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.

For in the days of David Asaph was originally first of the singers, and [they sang] hymns and praise to God.

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.

And all Israel in the days of Zorobabel, and in the days of Neemias, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, a daily rate: and consecrated them to the Levites: and the Levites consecrated them to the sons of Aaron.