Nehemiah (The Book of )

Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,

I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel--for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.

And I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot; while the gatekeepers are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their watch posts, and others before their own houses."

The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few and no houses had been built.

Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who were the first to come back, and I found the following written in it:

These are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried into exile; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.

They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the Israelite people:

the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

Of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

Of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.

Of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.

Of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

Of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.

Of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

Of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.

Of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.

Of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.

Of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.

Of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.

Of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.

Of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

Of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.

Of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.

Of Hariph, one hundred twelve.

Of Gibeon, ninety-five.

The people of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight.

Of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

Of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.

Of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.

Of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

Of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

Of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three.

Of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

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

Of Harim, three hundred twenty.

Of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

Of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.

Of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.

The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

Of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

Of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

Of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the descendants of Hodevah, seventy-four.

The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.

The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, of Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.

The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, of Hasupha, of Tabbaoth,

of Keros, of Sia, of Padon,

of Lebana, of Hagaba, of Shalmai,

of Hanan, of Giddel, of Gahar,

of Reaiah, of Rezin, of Nekoda,

of Gazzam, of Uzza, of Paseah,

of Besai, of Meunim, of Nephushesim,

of Bakbuk, of Hakupha, of Harhur,

of Bazlith, of Mehida, of Harsha,

of Barkos, of Sisera, of Temah,

of Neziah, of Hatipha.

The descendants of Solomon's servants: of Sotai, of Sophereth, of Perida,

of Jaala, of Darkon, of Giddel,

of Shephatiah, of Hattil, of Pochereth-hazzebaim, of Amon.

All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants were three hundred ninety-two.

The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their ancestral houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:

the descendants of Delaiah, of Tobiah, of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.

Also, of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, of Hakkoz, of Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).

These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean;

the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until a priest with Urim and Thummim should come.

The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

besides their male and female slaves, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred forty-five singers, male and female.

They had seven hundred thirty-six horses, two hundred forty-five mules,

four hundred thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred twenty donkeys.

Now some of the heads of ancestral houses contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priestly robes.

And some of the heads of ancestral houses gave into the building fund twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.

And what the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly robes.

So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns. When the seventh month came--the people of Israel being settled in their towns--