7 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers,e the musiciansf and the Levitesg were appointed. 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani,h along with Hananiahi the commander of the citadel,j because he was a man of integrity and fearedk God more than most people do. 3 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

7:6–73pp—Ezr 2:1–70

4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it,l and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 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:

6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exilesm whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 in company with Zerubbabel,n Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of Israel:

8 the descendants of Parosh 2,172

9 of Shephatiah 372

10 of Arah 652

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

12 of Elam 1,254

13 of Zattu 845

14 of Zakkai 760

15 of Binnui 648

16 of Bebai 628

17 of Azgad 2,322

18 of Adonikam 667

19 of Bigvai 2,067

20 of Adino 655

21 of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98

22 of Hashum 328

23 of Bezai 324

24 of Hariph 112

25 of Gibeon 95

26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophahp 188

27 of Anathothq 128

28 of Beth Azmaveth 42

29 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirahr and Beeroths 743

30 of Ramah and Geba 621

31 of Mikmash 122

32 of Bethel and Ait 123

33 of the other Nebo 52

34 of the other Elam 1,254

35 of Harim 320

36 of Jerichou 345

37 of Lod, Hadid and Onov 721

38 of Senaah 3,930

39 The priests:

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

40 of Immer 1,052

41 of Pashhur 1,247

42 of Harim 1,017

43 The Levites:

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

44 The musicians:w

the descendants of Asaph 148

45 The gatekeepers:x

the descendants of

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

46 The temple servants:y

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

47 Keros, Sia, Padon,

48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

52 Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,

53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

56 Neziah and Hatipha

57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of

Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

59 Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

60 The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomonz 392

61 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:

62 the descendants of

Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642

63 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).

64 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 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.a

66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. 68 There were 736 horses, 245 mules,a 69 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 daricsb of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the familiesb gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 daricsc of gold and 2,200 minasd of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minase of silver and 67 garments for priests.c

73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants,d along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.e

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,f

8 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.g They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,h which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

2 So on the first day of the seventh monthi Ezra the priest brought the Lawj before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gatek in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platforml 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.

5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standingm above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their handsn and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 The Leviteso—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructedp the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it cleara and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

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

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

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

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

13 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. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary sheltersv during the festival of the seventh month 15 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.b

16 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 Gatew and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.x 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.y From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebratedz it like this. And their joy was very great.

18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra reada from the Book of the Lawb of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,c there was an assembly.d

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.e 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.f They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.g 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levitesh were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,i who is from everlasting to everlasting.a”

“Blessed be your glorious name,j and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.k You made the heavens,l even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,m the earthn and all that is on it, the seaso and all that is in them.p You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heavenq worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abramr and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeanss and named him Abraham.t 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.u You have kept your promisev because you are righteous.w

9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;x you heard their cry at the Red Sea.b y 10 You sent signsz and wondersa against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a nameb for yourself,c which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,d so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,e like a stone into mighty waters.f 12 By dayg you ledh them with a pillar of cloud,i and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;j you spokek to them from heaven.l You gave them regulations and laws that are justm and right, and decrees and commands that are good.n 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbatho and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heavenp and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;q you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted handr to give them.s

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,t and they did not obey your commands.u 17 They refused to listen and failed to rememberv the miraclesw you performed among them. They became stiff-neckedx and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.y But you are a forgiving God,z gracious and compassionate,a slow to angerb and abounding in love.c Therefore you did not desert them,d 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calfe and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.f

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandong them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloudh did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spiriti to instructj them. You did not withhold your mannak from their mouths, and you gave them waterl for their thirst. 21 For forty yearsm you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,n their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.o

22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihonc p king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.q 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,r and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land.s You subduedt before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land;u they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,v wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;w they reveled in your great goodness.x

26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.y They killedz your prophets,a who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.b 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,c who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassiond you gave them deliverers,e who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.f Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassiong you delivered themh time after time.

29 “You warnedi them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogantj and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’k Stubbornly they turned their backsl on you, became stiff-neckedm and refused to listen.n 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.o Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.p 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an endq to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and mercifulr God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mightys and awesome,t who keeps his covenant of love,u do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardshipv that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;w you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.x 34 Our kings,y our leaders, our priests and our ancestorsz did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodnessa to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve youb or turn from their evil ways.

36 “But see, we are slavesc today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.d

The Agreement of the People

38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,e putting it in writing,f and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”d