Nehemiah 7–8

Chapter 7

Now after the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and numbered the porters and singing men, and Levites:

²I commanded Hanani my brother, and Hananias ruler of the house of Jerusalem, (for he seemed as a sincere man, and one that feared God above the rest,)

³And I said to them: Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened till the sun be hot. And while they were yet standing by the gates were shut, and barred: and I set watchmen of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one by their courses, and every man over against his house.

⁴And the city was very wide and great, and the people few in the midst thereof, and the houses were not built.

⁵But God had put in my heart, and I assembled the princes and magistrates, and common people, to number them: and I found a book of the number of them who came up at first and therein it was found written:

⁶These are the children of the province, who came up from the captivity of them that had been carried away, whom Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned into Judea, every one into his own city.

⁷Who came with Zorobabel, Josue, Nehemias, Azarias, Raamias, Nahamani, Mardochai, Belsam, Mespharath, Begoia, Nahum, Baana. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

⁸The children of Pharos, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

⁹The children of Sephatia, three hundred seventy-two.

¹⁰The children of Area, six hundred fifty-two.

¹¹The children of Phahath Moab of the children of Josue and Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.

¹²The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

¹³The children of Zethua, eight hundred forty-five.

¹⁴The children of Zachai, seven hundred sixty.

¹⁵The children of Bannui, six hundred forty-eight.

¹⁶The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.

¹⁷The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.

¹⁸The children of Adonicam, six hundred sixty-seven.

¹⁹The children of Beguai, two thousand sixty-seven.

²⁰The children of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.

²¹The children of Ater, children of Hezechias, ninety-eight.

²²The children of Hasem, three hundred twenty-eight.

²³The children of Besai, three hundred twenty-four.

²⁴The children of Hareph, a hundred and twelve.

²⁵The children of Gabaon, ninety-five.

²⁶The children of Bethlehem, and Netupha, a hundred eighty-eight.

²⁷The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty-eight.

²⁸The men of Bethazmoth, forty-two.

²⁹The men of Cariathiarim, Cephira, and Beroth, seven hundred forty-three.

³⁰The men of Rama and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

³¹The men of Machmas, a hundred twenty-two.

³²The men of Bethel and Hai, a hundred twenty-three.

³³The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

³⁴The men of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

³⁵The children of Harem, three hundred and twenty.

³⁶The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

³⁷The children of Lod, of Hadid and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.

³⁸The children of Senaa, three thousand nine hundred thirty.

³⁹The priests: the children of Idaia in the house of Josue, nine hundred and seventy-three.

⁴⁰The children of Emmer, one thousand fifty-two.

⁴¹The children of Phashur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

⁴²The children of Arem, one thousand and seventeen. The Levites:

⁴³The children of Josue and Cedmihel, the sons

⁴⁴Of Oduia, seventy-four. The singing men:

⁴⁵The children of Asaph, a hundred forty-eight.

⁴⁶The porters: the children of Sellum, the children of Ater, the children of Telmon, the children of Accub, the children of Hatita, the children of Sobai: a hundred thirty-eight.

⁴⁷The Nathinites: the children of Soha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tebbaoth,

⁴⁸The children of Ceros, the children os Siaa, the children of Phadon, the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Selmai,

⁴⁹The children of Hanan, the children of Geddel, the children of Gaher,

⁵⁰The children of Raaia, the children of Rasin, the children of Necoda,

⁵¹The children of Gezem, the children of Asa, the children of Phasea,

⁵²The children of Besai, the children of Munim, the children of Nephussim,

⁵³The children of Bacbuc, the children of Hacupha, the children of Harhur,

⁵⁴The children of Besloth, the children of Mahida, the children of Harsa,

⁵⁵The children of Bercos, the children of Sisara, the children of Thema,

⁵⁶The children of Nasia, the children of Hatipha,

⁵⁷The children of the servants of Solomon, the children of Sothai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Pharida,

⁵⁸The children of Jahala, the children of Darcon, the children of Jeddel,

⁵⁹The children of Saphatia, the children of Hatil, the children of Phochereth, who was born of Sabaim, the son of Amon.

⁶⁰All the Nathinites, and the children of the servants of Solomon, three hundred ninety-two.

⁶¹And these are they that came up from Telmela, Thelharsa, Cherub, Addon, and Emmer: and could not shew the house of their fathers, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.

⁶²The children of Dalaia, the children of Tobia, the children of Necoda, six hundred forty-two.

⁶³And of the priests, the children of Habia, the children of Accos, the children of Berzellai, who took a wife of the daughters of Berzellai the Galaadite, and he was called by their name.

⁶⁴These sought their writing in the record, and found it not: and they were cast out of the priesthood.

⁶⁵And Athersatha said to them, that they should not eat of the holies of holies, until there stood up a priest learned and skilful.

⁶⁶All the multitude as it were one man, forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

⁶⁷Beside their menservants and womenservants, who were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven: and among them singing men, and singing women, two hundred forty-five.

⁶⁸Their horses, seven hundred thirty-six: their mules two hundred forty-five.

⁶⁹Their camels, four hundred thirty-five, their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

⁷⁰And some of the heads of the families gave unto the work. Athersatha gave into the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty bowls, and five hundred and thirty garments for priests.

⁷¹And some of the heads of families gave to the treasure of the work, twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver.

⁷²And that which the rest of the people gave, was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty-seven garments for priests.

⁷³And the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singing men, and the rest of the common people, and the Nathinites, and all Israel dwelt in their cities.

Chapter 8

And the seventh month came: and the children of Israel were in their cities. And all the people were gathered together as one man to the street which is before the water gate, and they spoke to Esdras the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.

²Then Esdras the priest brought the law before the multitude of men and women, and all those that could understand, in the first day of the seventh month.

³And he read it plainly in the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before the men, and the women, and all those that could understand: and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book.

⁴And Esdras the scribe stood upon a step of wood, which he had made to speak upon, and there stood by him Mathathias, and Semeia, and Ania, and Uria, and Helcia, and Maasia, on his right hand: and on the left, Phadaia, Misael, and Melchia, and Hasum, and Hasbadana, Zacharia and Mosollam.

⁵And Esdras opened the book before all the people: for he was above all the people: and when he had opened it, all the people stood.

⁶And Esdras blessed the Lord the great God: and all the people answered, Amen, amen: lifting up their hands: and they bowed down, and adored God with their faces to the ground.

⁷Now Josue, and Bani, and Serebia, Jamin, Accub, Sephtai, Odia, Maasia, Celtia, Azarias, Jozabed, Hanan, Phalaia, the Levites, made silence among the people to hear the law: and the people stood in their place.

⁸And they read in the book of the law of God distinctly and plainly to be understood: and they understood when it was read.

⁹And Nehemias (he is Athersatha) and Esdras the priest and scribe, and the Levites who interpreted to all the people, said: This is a holy day to the Lord our God: do not mourn, nor weep: for all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

¹⁰And he said to them: Go, eat fat meats, and drink sweet wine, and send portions to them that have not prepared for themselves: because it is the holy day of the Lord, and be not sad: for the joy of the Lord is our strength.

¹¹And the Levites stilled all the people, saying: Hold your peace, for the day is holy, and be not sorrowful.

¹²So all the people went to eat and drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth: because they understood the words that he had taught them.

¹³And on the second day the chiefs of the families of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together to Esdras the scribe, that he should interpret to them the words of the law.

¹⁴And they found written in the law, that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in tabernacles, on the feast, in the seventh month:

¹⁵And that they should proclaim and publish the word in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying: Go forth to the mount, and fetch branches of olive, and branches of beautiful wood, branches of myrtle, and branches of palm, and branches of thick trees, to make tabernacles, as it is written.

¹⁶And the people went forth, and brought. And they made themselves tabernacles every man on the top of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

¹⁷And all the assembly of them that were returned from the captivity, made tabernacles, and dwelt in…