Nehemiah 12
1 [Many] priests and [other] descendants of Levi returned (from Babylonia/to Jerusalem) with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They included Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
And these are the priests and the Levites that came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealthiel, and Jeshua': Serayah, Jeremiah, 'Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
Amaryah, Malluch, Chattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Shechanyah, Rechum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
'Iddo, Ginnethoy, Abiyah,
5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,
Miyamin, Ma'adyah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
Shema'yah, and Joyarib, Jed'ayah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. All those men were leaders of the priests during the time that Jeshua [was the Supreme Priest].
Sallu, 'Amok, Chilkiyah, Jed'ayah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua'.
8 [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].
And the Levites: Jeshua', Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebyah, Judah, and Matthaniah, who was over the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brethren;
9 Bakbukiah, Unni, and other descendants of Levi formed a choir that stood opposite the other group [and sang in reply to them].
And Bakbukyah and 'Unni, their brethren, were opposite to them in the watches.
10 Jeshua [who was the Supreme Priest] was the father of Joiakim, who was the father of Eliashib, who was the father of Joiada,
And Jeshua' begat Joyakim, and Joyakim begat Elyashib, and Elyashib begat Joyada'.
11 who was the father of Jonathan, who was the father of Jaddua.
And Joyada' begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua'.
12 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;
And in the days of Joyakim were priests, as chiefs of the divisions: Of Serayah, Merayah; of Jeremiah, Chananyah;
13 Meshullam, from [the clan of] Ezra; Jehohanan, from [the clan of] Amariah;
Of 'Ezra, Meshullam; of Amaryah, Jehochanan;
14 Jonathan, from [the clan of] Malluch; Joseph, from [the clan of] Shecaniah;
Of Mellchu, Jonathan; of Shebanyah, Joseph;
15 Adna, from [the clan of] Harim; Helkai, from [the clan of] Meremoth/Maraioth;
Of Charim, 'Adna; of Merayoth, Chelkai;
16 Zechariah, from [the clan of] Iddo; Meshullam, from [the clan of] Ginnethon;
Of 'Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 Zicri, from [the clan of] Abijah. There was also a leader from [the clan of] Miniamin; Piltai, from [the clan of] Moadiah;
Of Abiyah, Zichri; of Minyamin, of Mo'adyah, Piltai;
18 Shammua, from [the clan of] Bilgah; Jehonathan, from [the clan of] Shemaiah;
Of Bilgah, Shammua'; of Shem'ayah, Jehonathan;
19 Mattenai, from [the clan of] Joiarib; Uzzi, from [the clan of] Jedaiah;
And of Joyarib, Matthenai; of Jeda'yah, 'Uzzi;
20 Kallai, from [the clan of] Sallu/Sallai; Eber, from [the clan of] Amok;
Of Sallai, Kallai; of 'Amok, 'Eber;
21 Hashabiah, from [the clan of] Hilkiah; and Nethanel, from [the clan of] Jedaiah.
Of Chilkiyah, Chashabyah; of Jeda'yah, Nethanel.
22 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.
Of the Levites in the days of Elyashib, Yoyada', and Yochanan, and Jaddua', are written down the chiefs of the divisions: also those of the priests to the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 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].
The sons of Levi, the chiefs of the divisions were written down in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Jochanan the son of Elyashib.
24 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.
And the chiefs of the Levites were: Chashabyah, Sherebyah, and Jeshua' the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren opposite to them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the command of David the man of God, section by section.
25 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.
Matthanyah, and Bakbukyah, 'Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, 'Akkub, were watching gatekeepers on the watch at the thresholds of the gates.
26 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.
These were in the days of Joyakim, the son of Jeshua', the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of 'Ezra the priest, the expounder.
27 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.
And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to celebrate the dedication with joy, with thanksgivings, and with singing, cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.
28 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],
And there gathered themselves together the sons of the singers, both out of the district round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophah;
29 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.
Also from Beth-hagilgal, and out of the fields of Geba' and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages round about Jerusalem.
30 [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.
And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and then they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
31 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.
Then brought I up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and stationed two great companies for thanksgiving, and trains to walk on the right hand upon the wall by the dung-gate;
32 Behind their leaders marched Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah.
And after them walked Hosha'yah, and half of the princes of Judah,
33 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.
And 'Azaryah, 'Ezra, and Meshullam,
Judah, and Benjamin, and Shema'yah, and Jeremiah;
And of the sons of priests' with trumpets, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shema'yah, the son of Matthanyah, the son of Michayah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Assaph;
36 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.
And his brethren, Shema'yah, and 'Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Ma'ai, Nethanel, and Judah, Chanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and 'Ezra the expounder walked before them.
37 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].
And over the fountain-gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even as far as the water-gate, eastward.
38 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.
And the other company for thanksgiving that walked in the opposite direction to them, —this one did I follow, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the ovens even as far as the broad wall;
39 [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.
And above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish-gate, and the tower of Chananel, and the tower of Meah, even as far as the sheep-gate; and they halted at the prison-gate.
40 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].
So did the two companies for thanksgiving place themselves in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me.
41 My group included these priests who were [all blowing] trumpets: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah,
And the priests, Elyakim, Ma'asseyah, Minyamin, Michayah, Elyo'enai, Zechariah, and Chananiah, with trumpets;
42 [another] Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers, whose leader was Jezrahiah, sang loudly.
And Ma'asseyah, and Shema'yah, and El'azar, and 'Uzzi, and Jehochanan, and Malkiyah, and 'Elam, and 'Ezer. And the singers sang aloud, with Yisrachyah as their overseer.
43 [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.
And they sacrificed on that day great sacrifices, and rejoiced; for God had caused them to rejoice with great joy; and also the women and the children rejoiced: so that the [shout of] joy of Jerusalem was heard even at a great distance off.
44 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,
And there were appointed at that day certain men as superintendents over the chambers for the treasuries, for the heave-offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions according to the law for the priests and the Levites; for Judah had joy on the priests and on the Levites that stood there,
45 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.
And kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the purification, and as singers and gatekeepers, according to the command of David, [and] of Solomon his son.
46 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.
For in the days of David and Assaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.
47 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].
And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeeper, what was required for every day on its day; and they sanctified things for the Levites: and the Levites sanctified [the portion due] for the children of Aaron.
