Nehemiah 12:27–40

Dedication of the Wall

²⁷Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs ^ato the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres.

²⁸So the sons of the singers were gathered from the district around Jerusalem and from ^athe villages of the Netophathites,

²⁹from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem.

³⁰The priests and the Levites ^acleansed themselves; they also cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.

The Choirs in the House of God

³¹Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I had two great choirs of thanksgiving stand, ^1athe first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward ^bthe Dung Gate.

³²Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them,

³³with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

³⁴Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

³⁵and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

³⁶and his ¹relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, ^awith the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.

³⁷At ^athe Spring Gate they went directly up ^bthe steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to ^cthe Water Gate on the east.

^38aThe second ¹choir proceeded to the ²left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, ^babove the Tower of Furnaces, to ^cthe Broad Wall,

³⁹and above ^athe Gate of Ephraim, by ^bthe Old Gate, by the ^cFish Gate, ^dthe Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stood at ^ethe Gate of the Guard.

⁴⁰Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me;