Nehemiah 12

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

Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush;

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth;

Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah;

Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,

5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah;

Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6 Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah;

Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

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

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.

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

The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving.

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

Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.

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

Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada,

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

Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

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

In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of the family 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, of Moadiah, Piltai;

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

18 of Bilgah, Shammua, —of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan;

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

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; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22 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.

In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded.

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

As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles.

24 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.

The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their associates, who stood across from them to give praise and thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.

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

Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.

26 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.

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

27 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.

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

28 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;

The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,

29 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.

from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

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

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

31 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;

Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.

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

Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed,

33 then Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam;

along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

34 Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah;

Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

35 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;

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

36 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;

and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession.

37 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.

At the Fountain Gate they climbed the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.

38 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;

The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

39 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.

over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

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

The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me,

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

as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—

42 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.

and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.

43 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.

On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

44 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.

And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.

45 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.

They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.

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

For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47 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.

So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.