Nehemiah 12
1 Now these [are] the priests and the Levites that went up with Zorobabel the son of Salathiel and Jesus: Saraia, Jeremia, Esdra,
[Many] priests and [other] descendants of Levi returned (from Babylonia/to Jerusalem) with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They included Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amaria, Maluch,
Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Sechenia.
Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,
Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 These [were] the chiefs of the priests, and their brethren in the days of Jesus.
Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. All those men were leaders of the priests during the time that Jeshua [was the Supreme Priest].
8 And the Levites [were], Jesus, Banui, Cadmiel, Sarabia, Jodae, Matthania: he [was] over the bands,
[Some of the other] descendants of Levi who returned were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. They were in charge of singing songs to thank [God].
9 and his brethren [were appointed] to the daily courses.
Bakbukiah, Unni, and other descendants of Levi formed a choir that stood opposite the other group [and sang in reply to them].
10 And Jesus begot Joakim, and Joakim begot Eliasib, and Eliasib [begot] Jodae,
Jeshua [who was the Supreme Priest] was the father of Joiakim, who was the father of Eliashib, who was the father of Joiada,
11 and Jodae begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jadu.
who was the father of Jonathan, who was the father of Jaddua.
12 And in the days of Joakim, his brethren the priests and the heads of families [were, belonging] to Saraia, Amaria; to Jeremia, Anania;
When Joiakim was the Supreme Priest, these were the leaders of the clans of priests: Meraiah, from [the clan of] Seraiah; Hananiah, from [the clan of] Jeremiah;
13 to Esdra, Mesulam; to Amaria, Joanan;
Meshullam, from [the clan of] Ezra; Jehohanan, from [the clan of] Amariah;
14 to Amaluch, Jonathan; to Sechenia, Joseph;
Jonathan, from [the clan of] Malluch; Joseph, from [the clan of] Shecaniah;
15 to Are, Mannas; to Marioth, Elcai;
Adna, from [the clan of] Harim; Helkai, from [the clan of] Meremoth/Maraioth;
16 to Adadai, Zacharia; to Ganathoth, Mesolam;
Zechariah, from [the clan of] Iddo; Meshullam, from [the clan of] Ginnethon;
17 to Abia, Zechri; to Miamin, Maadai; to Pheleti, [one];
Zicri, from [the clan of] Abijah. There was also a leader from [the clan of] Miniamin; Piltai, from [the clan of] Moadiah;
18 to Balgas, Samue; to Semia, Jonathan;
Shammua, from [the clan of] Bilgah; Jehonathan, from [the clan of] Shemaiah;
19 to Joarib, Matthanai; to Edio, Ozi;
Mattenai, from [the clan of] Joiarib; Uzzi, from [the clan of] Jedaiah;
20 to Salai, Callai; to Amec, Abed;
Kallai, from [the clan of] Sallu/Sallai; Eber, from [the clan of] Amok;
21 to Elkia, Asabias; to Jedeiu, Nathanael.
Hashabiah, from [the clan of] Hilkiah; and Nethanel, from [the clan of] Jedaiah.
22 The Levites in the days of Eliasib, Joada, and Joa, and Joanan, and Idua, [were] recorded heads of families: also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian.
During the years that Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua [were Supreme Priests], they (wrote/kept a list of) the names of the clans who were descendants of Levi. When Darius was the king of Persia, they stopped writing that list.
23 And the sons of Levi, heads of families, [were] written in the book of the chronicles, even to the days of Joanan son of Elisue.
They wrote the names of the leaders of the clans who were descendants of Levi in the Book of Events [in Israel], but they stopped writing those names when Eliashib’s grandson Johanan [was the Supreme Priest].
24 And the heads of the Levites [were] Asabia, and Sarabia, and Jesu: and the sons of Cadmiel, and their brethren over against them, were to sing hymns of praise, according to the commandment of David the man of God, course by course.
These are the leaders of the clans [who are] descendants of Levi: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel and others who were divided into two groups. The two groups faced each other, one group replying to the other, during the time that they praised and thanked God. They did that just as King David, the man who served God well, had instructed.
25 When I gathered the porters,
These singers included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. The men who guarded the storerooms close to the gates [of the temple] were Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub.
26 [it was] in the days of Joakim son of Jesus, son of Josedec, and in the days of Neemia: and Esdras the priest [was] scribe.
They did that work during the time that Joiakim, who was the son of Jeshua and the grandson of Jehozadak, [was the Supreme Priest, ] and I was the governor, and Ezra was the priest who knew the Jewish laws very well.
27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep a feast of dedication and gladness with thanksgiving, and they sounded cymbals with songs, and [had] lutes and harps.
When we dedicated the wall around Jerusalem, we summoned the descendants of Levi [who help the priests] from the nearby places where they [were living]. We asked them to [join with us to] celebrate when we dedicated the wall. We wanted them to sing songs to thank [Yahweh] and make music by playing cymbals and harps and other stringed instruments.
28 And the sons of the singers were assembled both from the neighbourhood round about to Jerusalem, and from the villages,
We summoned the descendants of Levi who habitually sang together. They came to Jerusalem from nearby areas [where they had settled], and from places around Netophah [town southeast of Jerusalem],
29 and from the country: for the singers built themselves villages by Jerusalem.
and from three places [northeast of Jerusalem]—Beth Gilgal [city] and the areas around Geba and Azmaveth. Those singers had built villages to live in near Jerusalem.
30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the porters, and the wall.
[When they came to Jerusalem], the priests and [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests] performed rituals to cause themselves to be acceptable to God, and then they performed similar rituals to purify the [other] people, the gates, and the wall.
31 And they brought up the princes of Juda on the wall, and they appointed two great [companies] for thanksgiving, and they passed on the right hand on the wall of the dung-gate.
Then I gathered together the leaders of Judah on top of the wall, and I appointed them to lead two large groups to march around the city [on top of the wall], thanking God. [As they faced the city, ] one group walked to the right toward the Dung Gate.
32 And after them went Osaia, and half the princes of Juda,
Behind their leaders marched Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah.
33 and Azarias, and Esdras, and Mesollam,
Behind them marched a group of priests who were blowing trumpets. They were Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah. Next came Zechariah, the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, a descendant of Asaph.
34 and Juda, and Benjamin, and Samaias and Jeremia.
35 And [some] of the sons of the priest with trumpets, Zacharias son of Jonathan, son of Samaias, son of Matthania, son of Michaia, son of Zacchur, son of Asaph:
36 and his brethren, Samaia, and Oziel, Gelol, Jama, Aia, Nathanael, and Juda, Anani, to praise with the hymns of David the man of God; and Esdras the scribe [was] before them,
Behind them marched other members of Zechariah’s clan: Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They all were playing the same kinds of musical instruments that King David had played [many years previously]. Ezra, the man who knew the Jewish laws very well, marched in front of this group.
37 at the gate, to praise before them, and they went up by the steps of the city of David, in the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water-gate
When they reached the Fountain Gate, they went up the steps to David’s City, past his palace, and then to the wall at the Water Gate, on the east side [of the city].
The other group of those who were thanking [Yahweh] marched to the left on top of the wall. I followed them with half of the people. [We marched] past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall.
39 of Ephraim, and to the fish-gate, and by the tower of Anameel, and as far as the sheep-gate.
[From there we marched] past Ephraim Gate, Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred Soldiers, to the Sheep Gate. We finished marching near the gate into the temple.
Both the groups reached the temple while they were thanking God. They stood in their places there. The leaders who were with me [also stood with me in our places].
My group included these priests who were [all blowing] trumpets: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah,
42 And the singers were heard, and were numbered.
[another] Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers, whose leader was Jezrahiah, sang loudly.
43 And in that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced; for God had made them very joyful: and their wives and their children rejoiced: and the joy in Jerusalem was heard from afar off.
[After we went outside the temple, ] we offered many sacrifices. We men all rejoiced because God had caused us to be very happy. The women and the children also rejoiced. People far away could hear the noise that we made there in Jerusalem.
44 And in that day they appointed men over the treasuries, for the treasures, the first fruits, and the tithes, and [for] the chiefs of the cities who were assembled amongst them, [to furnish] portions for the priests and Levites: for [there was] joy in Juda over the priests and over the Levites that waited.
On that day, men were appointed {they appointed men} to be in charge of the storerooms where they kept the money that people contributed [for the temple]. They also kept there [the other things that the people contributed—] the tithes and the first part of the grain and fruit that was harvested each year. Those men collected those things from the fields/farms near the cities, and [took them to Jerusalem and] gave them to the priests and the [other] descendants of Levi, as [Moses had said in his] laws that they should do. All the Israeli people were happy about the work that the priests and the descendants of Levi did,
45 And they kept the charges of their God, and the charges of the purification, and [ordered] the singers and the porters, according to the commandments of David and his son Solomon.
because they performed the rituals to purify things, and the other rituals that God had commanded. The musicians in the temple also did their work as King David and his son Solomon had declared that they should do.
46 For in the days of David Asaph was originally first of the singers, and [they sang] hymns and praise to God.
Ever since the time that David had been the king and Asaph had been his chief musician, the musicians had led the people while they sang songs to praise and thank God.
47 And all Israel in the days of Zorobabel, and in the days of Neemias, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, a daily rate: and consecrated them to the Levites: and the Levites consecrated them to the sons of Aaron.
During the years that Zerubbabel and I governed the Israeli people, they all contributed the food that the singers and temple gatekeepers needed each day. They gave (a tithe/10%) of their crops to the descendants of Levi [who helped the priests], and those descendants of Levi gave (a tithe/10%) of that to [the priests, who were] descendants of Aaron [the first Supreme Priest].
