Nehemiah 7–8

After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers,^a the musicians^b and the Levites^c were appointed. I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani,^d along with Hananiah^e the commander of the citadel,^f because he was trustworthy and feared^g God more than most people do. I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

The List of the Exiles Who Returned

7:6-73^pp — Ezr 2:1–70

Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it,^a and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles^b whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel,^c Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of Israel:

the descendants of Parosh 2,172

of Shephatiah 372

of Arah 652

of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818

of Elam 1,254

of Zattu 845

of Zakkai 760

of Binnui 648

of Bebai 628

of Azgad 2,322

of Adonikam 667

of Bigvai 2,067

of Adin^d 655

of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98

of Hashum 328

of Bezai 324

of Hariph 112

of Gibeon 95

the men of Bethlehem and Netophah^e 188

of Anathoth^f 128

of Beth Azmaveth 42

of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah^g and Beeroth^h 743

of Ramah and Geba 621

of Mikmash 122

of Bethel and Aiⁱ 123

of the other Nebo 52

of the other Elam 1,254

of Harim 320

of Jericho^j 345

of Lod, Hadid and Ono^k 721

of Senaah 3,930

The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

of Immer 1,052

of Pashhur 1,247

of Harim 1,017

The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74

The musicians:^l

the descendants of Asaph 148

The gatekeepers:^m

the descendants of

Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

The temple servants:ⁿ

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

Keros, Sia, Padon,

Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,

Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

Neziah and Hatipha

The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of

Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon^o 392

The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

the descendants of

Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642

And from among the priests:

the descendants of

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.^p

The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. Some of the heads of the families^q gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.^r

The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants,^s along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.^t

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,^a all the people assembled with one accord in the square before the Water Gate.^b They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,^c which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

So on the first day of the seventh month^d Ezra the priest brought the Law^e before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate^f in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform^g built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing^h above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their handsⁱ and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

The Levites^j—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed^k the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites^l who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”^m For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothingⁿ prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy^o of the Lord is your strength.”

The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,^p because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters^q during the festival of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.

So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate^r and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.^s The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.^t From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated^u it like this. And their joy was very great.

Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read^v from the Book of the Law^w of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,^x there was an assembly.^y