THE EXILES RETURN

7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,ag the gatekeepers,ah singers, and Levites were appointed. 2 Then I put my brother Hananiai in charge of Jerusalem,aj along with Hananiah,ak commander of the fortress,al because he was a faithful man who feared Godam more than most. 3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”a

4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.b 5 Then my God put it into my mindc to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:d