The Father's Priests and Levites Return Home
12 1 Now these are the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: 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, and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and of their kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who together with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them during their turns of service. 10 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 In the days of Joiakim these were the priests who were heads of their ancestral houses: of Seraiah's house, Meraiah; of Jeremiah's, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra's, Meshullam; of Amariah's, Jehohanan; 14 of Malluchi's, Jonathan; of Shebaniah's, Joseph; 15 of Harim's, Adna; of Meraioth's, Helkai; 16 of Iddo's, Zechariah; of Ginnethon's, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah's, Zichri; of Miniamin's and Moadiah's, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah's, Shammua; of Shemaiah's, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib's, Mattenai; of Jedaiah's, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai's, Kallai; of Amok's, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah's, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah's, Nethanel.
22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of the Levite families were recorded, as were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The Levites who were family heads were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. a a v23 The Book of the Chronicles here is an official state register, not the biblical books of Chronicles. 24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brothers who stood opposite them to praise and give thanks, one group answering the other, as David, the man of our Father, had commanded. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who kept watch at the storerooms by the gates. 26 These served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
The Wall Dedicated With Great Joy
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all the towns where they lived to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully, with thanksgivings and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 The singers also gathered together from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 When the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs to give thanks. One went to the right along the top of the wall toward the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph, 36 and his brothers—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments of David, the man of our Father. Ezra the scribe led the procession. 37 At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps of the City of David, on the ascent to the wall, past the house of David, and on to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second choir went to the left, and I followed them with half the people, along the top of the wall past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, 39 and past the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. 40 So the two choirs that gave thanks took their places in the house of our Father, and so did I, together with half the officials who were with me, 41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah with their trumpets, 42 as well as Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah. 43 On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for our Father had filled them with great joy. The women and children rejoiced too, and the joy of Jerusalem could be heard far away.
Caring for Those Who Serve the Father
44 On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, to collect from the fields outside the towns the portions the Law required for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served. 45 The singers and the gatekeepers carried out their duties for our Father and for purification, as David and his son Solomon had commanded. 46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were choir directors who led songs of praise and thanksgiving to our Father. 47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They set apart the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the portion for the descendants of Aaron.