Dedication of the Wall
27 And at
1the 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,
2with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28
And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites;
29
also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.
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And the priests and the Levites
3purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
31
Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks.
4One went to the south on the wall to
5the Dung Gate.
32
And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,
33
and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
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Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,
35
and certain of the priests' sons
6with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph;
36
and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani,
7with the musical instruments of David
8the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.
37
At
9the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by
10the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to
11the Water Gate on the east.
38
12The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above
13the Tower of the Ovens, to
14the Broad Wall,
39
and above
15the Gate of Ephraim, and by
16the Gate of Yeshanah, and by
17the Fish Gate and
18the Tower of Hananel and
19the Tower of the Hundred, to
20the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at
21the Gate of the Guard.
40
So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me;
41
and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah,
22with trumpets;
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and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader.
43
And 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 far away.