Nehemiah 12
EasyEnglish Bible
Priests and Levites
12 This is a list of the priests and the Levites who returned with Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and with Jeshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah.
These men were the leaders of the priests and the people who helped them in the time of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were:
Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah and Mattaniah.
Mattaniah and his relatives had authority for the songs which they sang to thank God in the temple. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni and their relatives joined them when they sang.
10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12 In the time of Joiakim, these were the priests who were leaders of their clans:
Meraiah was the leader of Seraiah's clan.
Hananiah was the leader of Jeremiah's clan.
13 Meshullam was the leader of Ezra's clan.
Jehohanan was the leader of Amariah's clan.
14 Jonathan was the leader of Malluch's clan.
Joseph was the leader of Shecaniah's clan.
15 Adna was the leader of Harim's clan.
Helkai was the leader of Meremoth's clan.
16 Zechariah was the leader of Iddo's clan.
Meshullam was the leader of Ginnethon's clan.
17 Zicri was the leader of Abijah's clan.
Piltai was the leader of the clans of Miniamin and Moadiah.
18 Shammua was the leader of Bilgah's clan.
Jehonathan was the leader of Shemaiah's clan.
19 Mattenai was the leader of Joiarib's clan.
Uzzi was the leader of Jedaiah's clan.
20 Kallai was the leader of Sallu's clan.
Eber was the leader of Amok's clan.
21 Hashabiah was the leader of Hilkiah's clan.
Nethanel was the leader of Jedaiah's clan.
22 During the time when Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua were the leaders of the priests, they recorded the names of the Levites and the priests who were leaders of their clans. At the time when King Darius ruled Persia, they stopped doing this. 23 They wrote the names of Levi's descendants who were leaders of their clans in the history book of Israel. They did that until the time of Eliashib's son, Johanan.
24 The leaders of the Levites were:
Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Kadmiel's son, Jeshua, and their relatives.
The two groups stood opposite each other to sing and praise and thank God. They did this in the way that God's servant, King David, had commanded.
25 The guards for the temple gates were:
Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub.
They watched the temple rooms near the gates, where they stored special things. 26 They served as guards in the time of Joiakim, son of Jeshua and grandson of Jozadak. This was in the time when Nehemiah had authority over Judah, and Ezra the priest was teaching people God's Law.
The people dedicate Jerusalem's wall to God
27 This is what happened when we dedicated the wall of Jerusalem to God. The people told the Levites to come to Jerusalem from the places where they lived. They wanted the Levites to help them to praise God with joy. The Levites would sing songs to thank God. They would make music with cymbals, harps and lyres.[a]
28 The temple singers came together from places near Jerusalem. They came from villages round Netophah, 29 and from Beth Gilgal, Geba and Azmaveth. The singers had built these villages so that they could live near to Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites made themselves clean to serve God. Then they made the people clean, as well as the city's gates and its wall.[b]
31 I took the leaders of Judah to go and stand on top of the wall. I chose two large groups of singers to thank God with songs. I told the first group to walk along the wall to the south, in the direction of the Dung Gate.
32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed this group of singers. 33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah also followed them. 35 Some priests with trumpets went with them. They included Jonathan's son, Zechariah. He was a descendant of Asaph, through Shemaiah, Mattaniah, Micaiah and Zaccur, Asaph's son. 36 These other people helped Zechariah: Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani. They all had musical instruments, as King David had told them. Ezra, the teacher of God's Law, led this group of people. 37 When they arrived at the Fountain Gate they all went up the steps of the City of David. While they went up the steps, they passed King David's palace. Then they continued along the wall to the Water Gate, on the east side of the city.
38 The second group of singers went in the opposite direction. I followed them along the top of the wall, with half of the people. We went past the Tower of the Ovens and we continued to the Broad Wall. 39 Then we went over the Gate of Ephraim and over the Jeshanah Gate. We went along to the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred and the Sheep Gate. We stopped at the Gate of the Guards.
40 Then the two groups of singers went to stand in the yard of God's temple. I went with them, together with half of the officers. 41 The priests who had trumpets were there: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah. 42 Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer followed them. Jezrahiah led the groups of singers, so that they sang loudly.
43 On that day, the people offered many sacrifices to God. They were full of joy because God had caused them to be very happy. Men, women and children were all shouting with joy. Far away from the city, people could hear the noise!
44 On the same day, we chose men to take care of the rooms where they stored the people's gifts. Those gifts to God were the first fruits from the harvest and the tithes. They had to bring these gifts from the fields near each city. They read this in the law. They were gifts for the Levites and the priests, as God's Law commanded. The people of Judah were happy to help the priests and Levites who served God.
45 The priests and the Levites did the work that God had given them to make the people clean. The temple singers and guards also served God in the way that King David and his son Solomon had commanded. 46 Long ago, at the time when King David and Asaph were alive, there had been people to lead the singers. They sang songs to praise God and to thank him. 47 In the time of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all the Israelites shared their food with the singers and the guards. Every day they kept separate the part that was for the Levites. The Levites also kept separate the part that was for the priests.
Nehemiah 12
English Standard Version
Priests and Levites
12 These are (A)the priests and the Levites who came up with (B)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and (C)Jeshua: (D)Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was (E)in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 And Bakbukiah and Unni and their brothers stood opposite them (F)in the service. 10 And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.
12 (G)And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers' houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers' houses; so too were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 As for the sons of Levi, their heads of fathers' houses (H)were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24 And the chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and (I)Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them, (J)to praise and to give thanks, (K)according to the commandment of David (L)the man of God, (M)watch by watch. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at (N)the storehouses of the gates. 26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of (O)Nehemiah the governor and of (P)Ezra, the priest and scribe.
Dedication of the Wall
27 And at (Q)the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, (R)with cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; 29 also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites (S)purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. (T)One went to the south on the wall to (U)the Dung Gate. 32 And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35 and certain of the priests' sons (V)with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph; 36 and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, (W)with the musical instruments of David (X)the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 At (Y)the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by (Z)the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to (AA)the Water Gate on the east.
38 (AB)The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above (AC)the Tower of the Ovens, to (AD)the Broad Wall, 39 and above (AE)the Gate of Ephraim, and by (AF)the Gate of Yeshanah,[a] and by (AG)the Fish Gate and (AH)the Tower of Hananel and (AI)the Tower of the Hundred, to (AJ)the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at (AK)the Gate of the Guard. 40 So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, (AL)with trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. 43 And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
Service at the Temple
44 (AM)On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered. 45 And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, (AN)according to the command of David and his son Solomon. 46 For long ago in the days of David and (AO)Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs[b] of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the (AP)daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; (AQ)and they set apart that which was for the Levites; (AR)and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 12:39 Or of the old city
- Nehemiah 12:46 Or leaders
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