Nehemiah 12

1 This is a list of the priests and Levites who came back with Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the high priest: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

Now, these, are the priests and the Levites, who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, —Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra;

2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush;

3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth;

4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,

Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah;

5 Miniamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah;

6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah;

7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their relatives in Jeshua's time.

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah, —these, were the chiefs of the priests and their brethren, in the days of Jeshua.

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his fellow Levites was in charge of the songs of praise.

And, the Levites, Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, —over the choirs, he and his brethren;

9 Two other Levites, Bakbukiah and Unni, stood opposite them in the service.

and Bakbukiah and Unno their brethren, were over against them, in wards.

10 Jeshua the high priest was the father of Joiakim, who was the father of Eliashib, who was the father of Joiada,

And Jeshua, begat Joiakim, —and Joiakim, begat Eliashib, and, Eliashib, [begat] Joiada;

11 who was the father of Jonathan, who was the father of Jaddua.

and, Joiada, begat Jonathan, —and, Jonathan, begat Jaddua.

12 In Joiakim's time, these were the family leaders of the priests: of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

And, in the days of Joiakim, were priests, ancestral chiefs, —of Seraiah, Meraiah, of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

of Ezra, Meshullam, —of Amariah, Jehohanan;

14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

of Malluchi, Jonathan, —of Shebaniah, Joseph;

15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

of Harim, Adna, —of Meraioth, Helkai;

16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

of Iddo, Zechariah, —of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai;

of Abijah, Zichri, —of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

of Bilgah, Shammua, —of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

and, of Joiarib, Mattenai, —of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

of Sallai, Kallai, —of Amok, Eber;

21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

of Hilkiah, Hashabiah, —of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22 The family leaders of the Levites in the time of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, in addition to those of the priests, were recorded during the reign of Darius the Persian.

The Levites—in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded as ancestral chiefs, —also the priests, unto the reign of Darius the Persian.

23 As for the genealogy of the sons of Levi, the family leaders up to the time of Johanan, son of Eliashib, were listed in the Book of the Records.

the sons of Levi, ancestral heads, were written in the book of Chronicles, —even until the days of Johanan, son of Eliashib.

24 The Levite leaders were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua, son of Kadmiel, together with their fellow Levites, who stood opposite them, each section giving praise and thanks and responding to one another, as arranged by David, the man of God.

And, the chiefs of the Levites, Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise—to give thanks, by the commandment of David the man of God, —ward joined to ward.

25 They were joined by Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storehouses at the gates.

Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were watchers, doorkeepers of the ward, in the storehouses of the gates.

26 They served in the time of Joiakim, son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the time of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

These, were in the days of Joiakim, son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, —and in the days of Nehemiah the pasha, and Ezra the priest the scribe.

27 In order to dedicate the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were called from everywhere they were living to come to Jerusalem and celebrate with joy the dedication with songs of praise and thanks, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

And, at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites, out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, —to keep the dedication and the rejoicing, both with thanksgiving and with music, cymbals, harps, and with lyres.

28 The singers were also brought in from the area around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,

So the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, —both out of the circuit round about Jerusalem, and out of the villages of the Netophathites;

29 as well as from Beth-gilgal and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves all around Jerusalem.

also out of Beth-gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba, and Azmaveth, —for, villages, had the singers builded for themselves, round about Jerusalem.

30 Once the priests and the Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, —and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

31 I had the leaders of Judah go up on the wall, and arranged two large choirs that to give thanks. One group went to right along the wall to the Refuse Gate.

Then brought I up the rulers of Judah upon the wall, —and I appointed two large choirs, even to go in procession to the right, upon the wall, towards the dung-gate;

32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them,

and after them went Hoshaiah, and half the rulers of Judah;

33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

then Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam;

34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah;

35 as well as some of the priests with trumpets, and Zechariah, son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,

and, of the sons of the priests, with trumpets, Zechariah—son of Jonathan—son of Shemaiah—son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph;

36 and his fellow priests, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, along with the musical instruments as required by David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe led them.

and his brethren—Shemaiah and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the instruments of music of David, the man of God, —with Ezra the scribe before them;

37 At the Fountain Gate they headed straight up by the stairs of the city of David, where the wall goes uphill, above the house of David, and on to the Water Gate on the east.

and, over they fountain gate and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, —above the house of David, even as far as the water-gate, eastward.

38 The other choir group went in the opposite direction. I followed them, along with half the people, on the wall passing the Tower of the Ovens, on to the Broad Wall,

And, the second choir, was going over against them, I, following it, —with the half of the people upon the wall, above the tower of the ovens, even as far as the broad wall;

39 over the Ephraim Gate, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate, stopping at the Guard Gate.

and above the gate of Ephraim, and upon the old gate, and upon the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, even as far as the sheep-gate, —and they came to a stand, at the gate of the guard.

40 Both thanksgiving choirs then took their places in God's Temple. I followed with the group of leaders that was with me,

So the two choirs, came to a stand, at the house of God, —and I, and half the deputies with me;

41 along with the priests blowing their trumpets: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah.

and, the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

42 Then came the singers Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer, and the choirs sang, directed by Jezrahiah.

and Maaseiah and Shemaiah and Eleazar and Uzzi and Jehohanan and Malchijah and Elam and Ezer, —and the musicians sounded, aloud with Jezrahiah who was over them.

43 Many sacrifices were offered that day, celebrating that God had brought them so much happiness, tremendous happiness. The women and children also celebrated, and the sounds of joy in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

And they sacrificed, on that day, great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for, God, had caused them to rejoice with great joy, moreover also, the women and children, rejoiced, —so that the rejoicing of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

44 On the same day men were put in charge over the storerooms that contained the offerings, the first part of the crops, and tithes. What was allocated by the Law for the priests and Levites was brought into these storerooms from the fields around the towns, because all the people of Judah were happy for the service of the priests and Levites.

And there were set in charge, on that day, certain men, over the chambers for the treasures, for the heave-offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, out of the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law, for the priests, and for the Levites, —for, the joy of Judah, was over the priests and over the Levites, who were remaining.

45 They were responsible for the worship of their God and for the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, following the instructions of David and his son Solomon.

So they kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the purification, and [so did] the singers and the doorkeepers, —according to the commandment of David and of Solomon his son.

46 For long ago, back in the time of David and Asaph, directors had been appointed for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanks to God.

For, in the days of David and Asaph, of old, there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving, unto God.

47 So in the time of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, everyone in Israel provided the daily food allowances for the singers and the gatekeepers. They also made sure to provide for the other Levites, and the Levites gave a share of this to the descendants of Aaron.

Now, all Israel—in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, used to give the portions of the singers and the doorkeepers, the need of a day upon its day, —and they hallowed them unto the Levites, and, the Levites, hallowed them unto the sons of Aaron.