Nehemiah 12

Modern

Literal

The Priests and Levites Who Returned

¹Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua:

Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

¹And these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

²Amariah, Malluch,^a Hattush,

²Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

³Shecaniah, Rehum,^a Meremoth,

³Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

⁴Iddo, Ginnethon,^a Abijah,

⁴Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,

⁵Mijamin,^a Maadiah,^b Bilgah,^c

⁵Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

⁶Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

⁶Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

⁷Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.

⁷Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

⁸The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving.

⁸And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah—he over the songs of praise—and his brothers,

⁹Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.

⁹and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, were opposite them in the services.

¹⁰Jeshua was the father of Joiakim,

Joiakim was the father of Eliashib,

Eliashib was the father of Joiada,

¹⁰And Jeshua begat Joiakim, and Joiakim begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,

¹¹Joiada was the father of Jonathan,^a

and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

¹¹and Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

¹²In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families:

of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah;

of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

¹²And in the days of Joiakim were the priests, the heads of the fathers: For Seraiah, Meraiah; for Jeremiah, Hananiah;

¹³of Ezra, Meshullam;

of Amariah, Jehohanan;

¹³for Ezra, Meshullam; for Amariah, Jehohanan;

¹⁴of Malluchi,^a Jonathan;

of Shebaniah,^b Joseph;

¹⁴for Malluchi, Jonathan; for Shebaniah, Joseph;

¹⁵of Harim, Adna;

of Meraioth,^a Helkai;

¹⁵for Harim, Adna; for Meraioth, Helkai;

¹⁶of Iddo, Zechariah;

of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

¹⁶for Iddo, Zechariah; for Ginnethon, Meshullam;

¹⁷of Abijah, Zichri;

of Miniamin and of Moadiah,^a Piltai;

¹⁷for Abijah, Zichri; for Minjamin, for Moadiah, Piltai;

¹⁸of Bilgah, Shammua;

of Shemaiah, Jonathan;

¹⁸for Bilgah, Shammua; for Shemaiah, Jonathan;

¹⁹of Joiarib, Mattenai;

of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

¹⁹and for Joiarib, Mattenai; for Jedaiah, Uzzi;

²⁰of Sallai,^a Kallai;

of Amok, Eber;

²⁰for Sallai, Kallai; for Amok, Eber;

²¹of Hilkiah, Hashabiah;

and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²¹for Hilkiah, Hashabiah; for Jedaiah, Nethanel.

²²In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan,^a and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded.

²²The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded as heads of fathers and priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.

²³As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles.^a

²³The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers, were written in the book of the Words of the Days, even until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

²⁴The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel,^a along with their associates, who stood across from them to give praise and thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.

²⁴And the heads of the Levites were: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers standing in front of them, to praise and to give thanks, by the command of David the man of God, watch beside watch.

²⁵Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.

²⁵Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub, were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storehouses of the gates.

²⁶They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,^a and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

²⁶These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe.

The Dedication of the Wall

²⁷At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

²⁷And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to make the dedication with gladness, and with praises, and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and with lyres.

²⁸The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,

²⁸And the sons of the singers gathered together from the circuit around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathite,

²⁹from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

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

³⁰After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

³⁰And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

³¹Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall^a to the right, toward the Dung Gate.

³¹Then I brought up the leaders of Judah upon the wall, and I made stand two great thanksgiving groups, and one went to the south upon the wall toward the Gate of the Dunghill.

³²Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed,

³²And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,

³³along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

³³and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

³⁴Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

³⁴Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

³⁵and some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah,^a the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

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

³⁶and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession.

³⁶and his brothers—Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani—with instruments of song of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

³⁷At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.

³⁷And at the Gate of the Fountain and in front of them they went up on the stairs of the City of David, on the ascent to the wall, up above the house of David, and up to the Gate of the Water eastward.

³⁸The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

³⁸And the second thanksgiving group was proceeding opposite, and I was behind it, and half of the people on the wall above the Tower of the Ovens and up to the Broad Wall.

³⁹over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate,^a the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

³⁹And above the Gate of Ephraim, and above the Gate of Jeshanah, and above the Gate of the Fish, and the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, and up to the Gate of the Sheep, and they stood by the Gate of the Guard.

⁴⁰The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me,

⁴⁰And the two thanksgiving groups stood in the house of God, and I, and half of the officials with me,

⁴¹as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—

⁴¹and the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah—with the trumpets;

⁴²and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.

⁴²and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang out, and Jezrahiah was the overseer.

⁴³On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

⁴³And they sacrificed on that day great sacrifices, and they rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. And also the women and the sons rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

Provisions for Temple Worship

⁴⁴And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.

⁴⁴And there were appointed men on that day over the rooms for the treasures, for the contributions, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and for the Levites. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who were standing,

⁴⁵They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.

⁴⁵and the singers and the gatekeepers, and they kept the service of their God and the service of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son.

⁴⁶For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

⁴⁶For in the days of David and Asaph of old were heads of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

⁴⁷So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.

⁴⁷And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah were giving the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, the matter of a day in its day, and they were consecrating for the Levites, and the Levites were consecrating for the sons of Aaron.