The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Now when the building of the wall was complete and I had put up the doors, and the door-keepers and the music-makers and the Levites had been given their places,
1
And now the wall had been rebuilt, the gates had all been put in place, and the Temple guards, the members of the sacred choir, and the other Levites had been assigned their work.
2 I made my brother Hanani, and Hananiah, the ruler of the tower, responsible for the government of Jerusalem: for he was a man of good faith, fearing God more than most.
2
I put two men in charge of governing the city of Jerusalem: my brother Hanani and Hananiah, commanding officer of the fortress. Hananiah was a reliable and God-fearing man without equal.
3 And I said to them, Do not let the doors of Jerusalem be open till the sun is high; and while the watchmen are in their places, let the doors be shut and locked: and let the people of Jerusalem be put on watch, every one in his watch, opposite his house.
3
I told them not to have the gates of Jerusalem opened in the morning until well after sunrise and to have them closed and barred before the guards went off duty at sunset. I also told them to appoint guards from among the people who lived in Jerusalem and to assign some of them to specific posts and others to patrol the area around their own houses.
4 Now the town was wide and great: but the people in it were only a small number, and the houses had not been put up.
4
Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people were living in it, and not many houses had been built yet.
5 And my God put it into my heart to get together the rulers and the chiefs and the people so that they might be listed by families. And I came across a record of the names of those who came up at the first, and in it I saw these words:
5
God inspired me to assemble the people and their leaders and officials and to check their family records. I located the records of those who had first returned from captivity, and this is the information I found:
6 These are the people of the divisions of the kingdom, among those who had been made prisoners by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and taken away by him, who went back to Jerusalem and Judah, every one to his town;
6
Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own hometown. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners.
7 Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
7
Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
8 The children of Parosh, two thousand, one hundred and seventy-two.
8
This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile: Parosh - 2,172
9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.
9
Shephatiah - 372
10 The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.
10
Arah - 652
11 The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand, eight hundred and eighteen.
11
Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,818
12 The children of Elam, a thousand, two hundred and fifty-four.
12
Elam - 1,254
13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.
13
Zattu - 845
14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
14
Zaccai - 760
15 The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.
15
Binnui - 648
16 The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.
16
Bebai - 628
17 The children of Azgad, two thousand, three hundred and twenty-two.
17
Azgad - 2,322
18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.
18
Adonikam - 667
19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
19
Bigvai - 2,067
20 The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.
20
Adin - 655
21 The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
21
Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
22 The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.
22
Hashum - 328
23 The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.
23
Bezai - 324
24 The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve.
24
Hariph - 112
25 The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.
25
Gibeon - 95
26 The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-eight.
26
People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned: Bethlehem and Netophah - 188
27 The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.
27
Anathoth - 128
28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.
28
Beth Azmaveth - 42
29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
29
Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
30 The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.
30
Ramah and Geba - 621
31 The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.
31
Michmash - 122
32 The men of Beth-el and Ai, a hundred and twenty-three.
32
Bethel and Ai - 123
33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
33
The other Nebo - 52
34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand, two hundred and fifty-four.
34
The other Elam - 1,254
35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
35
Harim - 320
36 The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.
36
Jericho - 345
37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.
37
Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 721
38 The children of Senaah, three thousand, nine hundred and thirty.
38
Senaah - 3,930
39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the family of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
39
This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile: Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973
40 The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.
40
Immer - 1,052
41 The children of Pashhur, a thousand, two hundred and forty-seven.
41
Pashhur - 1,247
42 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
42
Harim - 1,017
43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah, seventy-four.
43
Clans of Levites who returned from exile: Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
44 The music-makers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight.
44
Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 148
45 The door-keepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty-eight.
45
Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 138
46 The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
46
Clans of temple workmen who returned from exile: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
47 The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,
47
Keros, Sia, Padon,
48 The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,
48
Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
49 The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,
49
Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
50 The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,
50
Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
51 The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah,
51
Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
52 The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim,
52
Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim,
53 The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
53
Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
54 The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,
54
Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,
55 The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,
55
Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
56 The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
56
Neziah, and Hatipha.
57 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,
57
Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
58 The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,
58
Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
59 The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the children of Amon.
59
Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.
60 All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon's servants were three hundred and ninety-two.
60
The total number of descendants of the temple workmen and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.
61 All these were the people who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but because they had no knowledge of their fathers' families or offspring, it was not certain if they were Israelites:
61
There were 642 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer;
62 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.
62
but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.
63 And of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who was married to one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and took their name.
63
The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.)
64 They made search for their record among the lists of families, but their names were nowhere to be seen, so they were looked on as unclean and no longer priests.
64
Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests.
65 And the Tirshatha said that they were not to have the most holy things for their food, till a priest came to give decision by the Urim and Thummim.
65
The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.
66 The number of all the people together was forty-two thousand, three hundred and sixty;
66
Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360 Their male and female servants - 7,337
67 As well as their men-servants and their women-servants, of whom there were seven thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women to make music.
67
Male and female musicians - 245
68 They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five transport beasts;
68
Horses - 736, Mules - 245
69 Four hundred and thirty-five camels, six thousand, seven hundred and twenty asses.
69
Camels - 435, Donkeys - 6,720
70 And some of the heads of families gave money for the work. The Tirshatha gave into the store a thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests' robes.
70
Many of the people contributed to help pay the cost of restoring the Temple: The governor 8 kilogrammes of gold, 50 ceremonial bowls, 530 robes for priests
71 And some of the heads of families gave into the store for the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand, two hundred pounds of silver.
71
eads of clans 168 kilogrammes of gold, 1,250 kilogrammes of silver,
72 And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty-seven priests' robes.
72
he rest of the people 168 kilogrammes of gold, 140 kilogrammes of silver, 67 robes for priests
73 So the priests and the Levites and the door-keepers and the music-makers and some of the people and the Nethinim, and all Israel, were living in their towns.
73
The priests, the Levites, the temple guards, the musicians, many of the ordinary people, the temple workmen - all the people of Israel - settled in the towns and cities of Judah.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.