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

6 These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzare 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 includedA

46 The temple servantsv included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, 47 Keros’s descendants,

Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

48 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Shalmai’s descendants, 49 Hanan’s descendants,

Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

50 Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, 51 Gazzam’s descendants,

Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

52 Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,

Nephishesim’sC descendants, 53 Bakbuk’s descendants,

Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

54 Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,

Harsha’s descendants, 55 Barkos’s descendants,

Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

56 Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.

57 The descendants of Solomon’s servantsa included

Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,

Perida’s descendants, 58 Jaala’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

59 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

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

60 All the temple servants

61 The followingc are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral familiesA and their lineage were Israelite:

62 Delaiah’s descendants,

Tobiah’s descendants,

63 and 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. 64 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 65 The governord ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.e

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

as well as their 245 male and female singers.

68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,*

69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.f

70 Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,* 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. 71 Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. 72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. 73 The 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 monthh came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,