Nehemiah 7–13

THE EXILES RETURN

7When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,^ag the gatekeepers,^ah singers, and Levites were appointed. ²Then I put my brother Hanani^ai in charge of Jerusalem,^aj along with Hananiah,^ak commander of the fortress,^al because he was a faithful man who feared God^am more than most. ³I 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

⁴The 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 mind^c 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

⁶These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar^e of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.^{f 7}They came with Zerubbabel,^g Jeshua,^h Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men included^B

⁸Parosh’s descendantsⁱ

2,172

⁹Shephatiah’s descendants

372

¹⁰Arah’s descendants

652

¹¹Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s

and Joab’s descendants

2,818

¹²Elam’s descendants

1,254

¹³Zattu’s descendants

845

¹⁴Zaccai’s descendants

760

¹⁵Binnui’s descendants

648

¹⁶Bebai’s descendants

628

¹⁷Azgad’s descendants

2,322

¹⁸Adonikam’s descendants^j

667

¹⁹Bigvai’s descendants

2,067

²⁰Adin’s descendants^k

655

²¹Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah

98

²²Hashum’s descendants

328

²³Bezai’s descendants

324

²⁴Hariph’s descendants

112

²⁵Gibeon’s descendants

95

²⁶Bethlehem’s^l and Netophah’s^m men

188

²⁷Anathoth’sⁿ men

128

²⁸Beth-azmaveth’s men

42

²⁹Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men

743

³⁰Ramah’s and Geba’s men

621

³¹Michmas’s men

122

³²Bethel’s and Ai’s men^o

123

³³the other Nebo’s men

52

³⁴the other Elam’s people

1,254

³⁵Harim’s people

320

³⁶Jericho’s people^p

345

³⁷Lod’s,^q Hadid’s, and Ono’s people

721

³⁸Senaah’s people

3,930.

³⁹The priests included

Jedaiah’s^r descendants of the house of Jeshua

973

⁴⁰Immer’s descendants

1,052

⁴¹Pashhur’s descendants

1,247

⁴²Harim’s descendants

1,017.

⁴³The Levites^s included

Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel

Hodevah’s descendants

74.

⁴⁴The singers^t included

Asaph’s descendants

148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers^u included

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,

Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,

Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants

138.

⁴⁶The temple servants^v included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, ⁴⁷Keros’s descendants,

Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

⁴⁸Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Shalmai’s descendants, ⁴⁹Hanan’s descendants,

Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

⁵⁰Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, ⁵¹Gazzam’s descendants,

Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

⁵²Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,

Nephishesim’s^A descendants, ⁵³Bakbuk’s descendants,

Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

⁵⁴Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,

Harsha’s descendants, ⁵⁵Barkos’s descendants,

Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

⁵⁶Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.

⁵⁷The descendants of Solomon’s servants^a included

Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,

Perida’s descendants, ⁵⁸Jaala’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

⁵⁹Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.

⁶⁰All the temple servants

and the descendants of Solomon’s servants^b

392.

⁶¹The following^c are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families^A and their lineage were Israelite:

⁶²Delaiah’s descendants,

Tobiah’s descendants,

and Nekoda’s descendants

642

⁶³and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. ⁶⁴These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. ⁶⁵The governor^d ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.^e

⁶⁶The whole combined assembly numbered

42,360

⁶⁷not including their 7,337 male and female servants,

as well as their 245 male and female singers.

⁶⁸They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

⁶⁹435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.^f

⁷⁰Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. ⁷¹Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. ⁷²The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. ⁷³The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.^g

PUBLIC READING OF THE LAW

When the seventh month^h came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, 8all the people gathered togetherⁱ at the square in front of the Water Gate.^j They asked the scribe Ezra^k to bring the book of the law of Moses^l that the Lord had given Israel. ²On the first day of the seventh month,^m the priest Ezraⁿ brought the law^o before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. ³While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,^p he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively^D to the book of the law.^{q 4}The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform^r made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted^s all the people said, “Amen, Amen!”^t Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.^u

⁷Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,^v who were Levites,^w explained the law^x to the people as they stood in their places. ⁸They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. ⁹Nehemiah the governor,^y Ezra the priest and scribe,^z and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day^aa is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”^ab For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,^ac since today^ad is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”^{Bae 11}And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still,^a since today^b is holy. Don’t grieve.” ¹²Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,^c because they had understood the words that were explained to them.

FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS OBSERVED

¹³On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,^d assembled before the scribe Ezra^e to study the words of the law. ¹⁴They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.^{f 15}So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make shelters, just as it is written.”^{g 16}The people went out, brought back branches, and made shelters for themselves on each of their rooftops^h and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,ⁱ and the square by the Ephraim Gate.^{j 17}The whole community that had returned from exile^k made shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.^l And there was tremendous joy.^{m 18}Ezra^C read out of the book of the law of Godⁿ every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.^o

NATIONAL CONFESSION OF SIN

9On the twenty-fourth day of this month^p the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.^{q 2}Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,^r and they stood^s and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.^{t 3}While they stood in their places,^u they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day^v in confession^w and worship of the Lord their God. ⁴Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites^x and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. ⁵Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah^y—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”^z

Blessed be your glorious name,^aa

and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

⁶You,^A Lord, are the only God.^Bab

You created the heavens,

the highest heavens with all their stars,

the earth and all that is on it,

the seas and all that is in them.

You give life to all of them,^ac

and all the stars of heaven…