2
I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel—for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.
3
And I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot; while the gatekeepers are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their watch posts, and others before their own houses."
4
The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few and no houses had been built.
5
Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who were the first to come back, and I found the following written in it:
6
These are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried into exile; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.
7
They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the Israelite people:
8
the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.
9
Of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
10
Of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.
11
Of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.
12
Of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.