Nehemiah 7; Nehemiah 8

Nehemiah 7

1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were chosen.

2 I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the palace, in charge of Jerusalem. Hananiah was honest and feared God more than most people.

3 I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut and bolt the doors. Appoint people who live in Jerusalem as guards, and put some at guard posts and some near their own houses."

4 The city was large and roomy, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.

5 Then my God caused me to gather the important men, the leaders, and the common people so I could register them by families. I found the family history of those who had returned first. This is what I found written there:

6 These are the people of the area who returned from captivity, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken away. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each going back to his own town.

7 These people returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. These are the people from Israel:

8 the descendants of Parosh -- 2,172;

9 the descendants of Shephatiah -- 372;

10 the descendants of Arah -- 652;

11 the descendants of Pahath-Moab (through the family of Jeshua and Joab) -- 2,818;

12 the descendants of Elam -- 1,254;

13 the descendants of Zattu -- 845;

14 the descendants of Zaccai -- 760;

15 the descendants of Binnui -- 648;

16 the descendants of Bebai -- 628;

17 the descendants of Azgad -- 2,322;

18 the descendants of Adonikam -- 667;

19 the descendants of Bigvai -- 2,067;

20 the descendants of Adin -- 655;

21 the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah) -- 98;

22 the descendants of Hashum -- 328;

23 the descendants of Bezai -- 324;

24 the descendants of Hariph -- 112;

25 the descendants of Gibeon -- 95.

26 These are the people from the towns of Bethlehem and Netophah -- 188;

27 of Anathoth -- 128;

28 of Beth Azmaveth -- 42;

29 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth -- 743;

30 of Ramah and Geba -- 621;

31 of Micmash -- 122;

32 of Bethel and Ai -- 123;

33 of the other Nebo -- 52;

34 of the other Elam -- 1,254;

35 of Harim -- 320;

36 of Jericho -- 345;

37 of Lod, Hadid, and Ono -- 721;

38 of Senaah -- 3,930.

39 These are the priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) -- 973;

40 the descendants of Immer -- 1,052;

41 the descendants of Pashhur -- 1,247;

42 the descendants of Harim -- 1,017.

43 These are the Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the family of Hodaviah) -- 74.

44 These are the singers: the descendants of Asaph -- 148.

45 These are the gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai -- 138.

46 These are the Temple servants: the descendants of 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 These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Amon.

60 The Temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon totaled 392 people.

61 Some people came to Jerusalem from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their ancestors came from Israel. Here are their names and their number:

62 the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda -- 642.

63 And these priests could not prove that their ancestors came from Israel: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (He had married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and was called by her family name.)

64 These people searched for their family records, but they could not find them. So they could not be priests, because they were thought to be unclean.

65 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the holy food until a priest settled this matter by using the Urim and Thummim.

66 The total number of those who returned was 42,360.

67 This is not counting their 7,337 male and female servants and the 245 male and female singers with them.

68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 69435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

69

70 Some of the family leaders gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury about 19 pounds of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 pieces of clothing for the priests.

71 Some of the family leaders gave about 375 pounds of gold and about 2,660 pounds of silver to the treasury for the work.

72 The total of what the other people gave was about 375 pounds of gold, about 2,250 pounds of silver, and 67 pieces of clothing for the priests.

73 So these people all settled in their own towns: the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and all the other people of Israel. By the seventh month the Israelites were settled in their own towns.

Nehemiah 8

1 All the people of Israel gathered together in the square by the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the teacher to bring out the Book of the Teachings of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.

2 So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought out the Teachings for the crowd. Men, women, and all who could listen and understand had gathered.

3 At the square by the Water Gate Ezra read the Teachings out loud from early morning until noon to the men, women, and everyone who could listen and understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Teachings.

4 Ezra the teacher stood on a high wooden platform that had been built just for this time. On his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. And on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

5 Ezra opened the book in full view of everyone, because he was above them. As he opened it, all the people stood up.

6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people held up their hands and said, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 These Levites explained the Teachings to the people as they stood there: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah.

8 They read from the Book of the Teachings of God and explained what it meant so the people understood what was being read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who were teaching said to all the people, "This is a holy day to the Lord your God. Don't be sad or cry." All the people had been crying as they listened to the words of the Teachings.

10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy good food and sweet drinks. Send some to people who have none, because today is a holy day to the Lord. Don't be sad, because the joy of the Lord will make you strong."

11 The Levites helped calm the people, saying, "Be quiet, because this is a holy day. Don't be sad."

12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send some of their food to others, and to celebrate with great joy. They finally understood what they had been taught.

13 On the second day of the month, the leaders of all the families, the priests, and the Levites met with Ezra the teacher. They gathered to study the words of the Teachings.

14 This is what they found written in the Teachings: The Lord commanded through Moses that the people of Israel were to live in shelters during the feast of the seventh month.

15 The people were supposed to preach this message and spread it through all their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the mountains, and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, myrtle trees, palms, and shade trees. Make shelters with them, as it is written."

16 So the people went out and got tree branches. They built shelters on their roofs, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the Temple, in the square by the Water Gate, and in the square next to the Gate of Ephraim.

17 The whole group that had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done this since the time of Joshua son of Nun. And they were very happy.

18 Ezra read to them every day from the Book of the Teachings, from the first day to the last. The people of Israel celebrated the feast for seven days, and then on the eighth day the people gathered as the law said.