Nehemiah 7

Chapter 7.

7 ¹After the wall was rebuilt and I set up the doors, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. ²I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, with Hananiah commander of the fortress, since he was faithful and feared our Father more than many. ³I told them, "Don't open Jerusalem's gates until the sun is hot; and while the guards are on watch, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint watchmen from Jerusalem's residents, each at his post, each opposite his own house."

⁴The city was large, but the people in it were few, with no houses yet rebuilt.

The Father's People Counted Home

⁵Then my Father put it in my heart to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people to register by genealogy. I found the genealogy record of the first returnees, and found written in it:

⁶These are the province's people who returned from exile, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away, back to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, ⁷coming with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah—the count of the men of Israel's people:

⁸The descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

¹⁰the descendants of Arah, 652;

¹¹the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;

¹²the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

¹³the descendants of Zattu, 845;

¹⁴the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁵the descendants of Binnui, 648;

¹⁶the descendants of Bebai, 628;

¹⁷the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

¹⁸the descendants of Adonikam, 667;

¹⁹the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

²⁰the descendants of Adin, 655;

²¹the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;

²²the descendants of Hashum, 328;

²³the descendants of Bezai, 324;

²⁴the descendants of Hariph, 112;

²⁵the descendants of Gibeon, 95.

²⁶The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

²⁷the men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁸the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;

²⁹the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

³¹the men of Michmas, 122;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

³³the men of the other Nebo, 52.

³⁴The descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;

³⁵the descendants of Harim, 320;

³⁶the descendants of Jericho, 345;

³⁷the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

³⁸the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973.

⁴⁰The descendants of Immer, 1,052;

⁴¹the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

⁴²the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel and the line of Hodevah), 74.

⁴⁴The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷Keros, Sia, Padon, ⁴⁸Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, ⁴⁹Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, ⁵⁰Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, ⁵¹Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, ⁵²Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim, ⁵³Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵⁴Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵⁵Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁶Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁷The descendants of Solomon's servants: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, ⁵⁸Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁹Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Amon. ⁶⁰All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants numbered 392.

⁶¹These came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, unable to show their father's house or lineage, whether from Israel:

⁶²The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 642.

⁶³From the priests: descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai—who married one of Barzillai the Gileadite's daughters and took that family's name.

⁶⁴These looked for their genealogical records, but found none, so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵The governor told them not to eat the most holy food until a priest could consult Urim and Thummim. ^a a v65 The Urim and Thummim were sacred objects kept by the high priest, used to seek a clear decision from God on difficult questions.

⁶⁶The whole assembly together numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷besides their 7,337 male and female servants; and they had 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰Some family heads gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. ⁷¹Some family heads gave the work's treasury 20,000 gold coins and about 2,750 pounds of silver. ⁷²The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, about 2,500 pounds of silver, and 67 priestly garments.

⁷³The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns. By the seventh month, Israel's people were in their towns.