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Nehemiah 7; Nehemiah 8

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Nehemiah 7

1 After the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the security guards, the singers, and the Levites were appointed,
2 I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the captain of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem because he was an honest man and feared God more than most men.
3 I gave them this order: "Don't open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is up. And shut and bar the gates while the guards are still on duty. Appoint the guards from the citizens of Jerusalem and assign them to posts in front of their own homes."
4 The city was large and spacious with only a few people in it and the houses not yet rebuilt.
5 God put it in my heart to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people in general to be registered. I found the genealogical record of those who were in the first return from exile. This is the record I found:
6 These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the Exile, the ones Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried off captive; they came back to Jerusalem and Judah, each going to his own town.
7 They came back in the company of Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The numbers of the men of the People of Israel by families of origin:
8 Parosh, 2,172
9 Shephatiah, 372
10 Arah, 652
11 Pahath-Moab (sons of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818
12 Elam, 1,254
13 Zattu, 845
14 Zaccai, 760
15 Binnui, 648
16 Bebai, 628
17 Azgad, 2,322
18 Adonikam, 667
19 Bigvai, 2,067
20 Adin, 655
21 Ater (sons of Hezekiah), 98
22 Hashum, 328
23 Bezai, 324
24 Hariph, 112
25 Gibeon, 95.
26 Israelites identified by place of origin: Bethlehem and Netophah, 188
27 Anathoth, 128
28 Beth Azmaveth, 42
29 Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743
30 Ramah and Geba, 621
31 Micmash, 122
32 Bethel and Ai, 123
33 Nebo (the other one), 52
34 Elam (the other one), 1,254
35 Harim, 320
36 Jericho, 345
37 Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721
38 Senaah, 3,930.
39 Priestly families: Jedaiah (sons of Jeshua), 973
40 Immer, 1,052
41 Pashhur, 1,247
42 Harim, 1,017.
43 Levitical families: Jeshua (sons of Kadmiel and of Hodaviah), 74.
44 Singers: Asaph's family line, 148.
45 Security guard families: Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, 138.
46 Families of support staff: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
47 Keros, Sia, Padon,
48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
52 Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,
53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
56 Neziah, and Hatipha.
57 Families of Solomon's servants: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Amon.
60 The Temple support staff and Solomon's servants added up to 392.
61 These are those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They weren't able to prove their ancestry, whether they were true Israelites or not:
62 The sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 642.
63 Likewise with these priestly families: -The sons of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took that name.
64 They looked high and low for their family records but couldn't find them. And so they were barred from priestly work as ritually unclean.
65 The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status by using the Urim and Thummim.
66 The total count for the congregation was 42,360.
67 That did not include the male and female slaves who numbered 7,337. There were also 245 male and female singers.
68 And there were 736 horses, 245 mules,
69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of the heads of families made voluntary offerings for the work. The governor made a gift to the treasury of 1,000 drachmas of gold (about nineteen pounds), 50 bowls, and 530 garments for the priests.
71 Some of the heads of the families made gifts to the treasury for the work; it came to 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver (about one and a third tons).
72 Gifts from the rest of the people totaled 20,000 drachmas of gold (about 375 pounds), 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 garments for the priests.
73 The priests, Levites, security guards, singers, and Temple support staff, along with some others, and the rest of the People of Israel, all found a place to live in their own towns.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

Nehemiah 8

1 By the time the seventh month arrived, the People of Israel were settled in their towns. Then all the people gathered as one person in the town square in front of the Water Gate and asked the scholar Ezra to bring the Book of The Revelation of Moses that God had commanded for Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought The Revelation to the congregation, which was made up of both men and women - everyone capable of understanding. It was the first day of the seventh month.
3 He read it facing the town square at the Water Gate from early dawn until noon in the hearing of the men and women, all who could understand it. And all the people listened - they were all ears - to the Book of The Revelation.
4 The scholar Ezra stood on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion. He was flanked on the right by Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on the left by Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. Every eye was on him (he was standing on the raised platform) and as he opened the book everyone stood.
6 Then Ezra praised God, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground.
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, all Levites, explained The Revelation while people stood, listening respectfully.
8 They translated the Book of The Revelation of God so the people could understand it and then explained the reading.
9 Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, "This day is holy to God, your God. Don't weep and carry on." They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Revelation.
10 He continued, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don't have anything: This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!"
11 The Levites calmed the people, "Quiet now. This is a holy day. Don't be upset."
12 So the people went off to feast, eating and drinking and including the poor in a great celebration. Now they got it; they understood the reading that had been given to them.
13 On the second day of the month the family heads of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered around Ezra the scholar to get a deeper understanding of the words of The Revelation.
14 They found written in The Revelation that God commanded through Moses that the People of Israel are to live in booths during the festival of the seventh month.
15 So they published this decree and had it posted in all their cities and in Jerusalem: "Go into the hills and collect olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and any other leafy branches to make booths, as it is written."
16 So the people went out, brought in branches, and made themselves booths on their roofs, courtyards, the courtyards of The Temple of God, the Water Gate plaza, and the Ephraim Gate plaza.
17 The entire congregation that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. The People of Israel hadn't done this from the time of Joshua son of Nun until that very day - a terrific day! Great joy!
18 Ezra read from the Book of The Revelation of God each day, from the first to the last day - they celebrated the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly in accordance with the decree.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.