The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Nehemiah 12
1 Now these are the priests and the
Levites who went up with Zerubbabel
the son of Shealtiel, and 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 chiefs of the priests and of
their brothers in the days of Jeshua.
8 Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah,
and Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving
songs, he and his brothers.
9 Also Bakbukiah and Unno, their brothers, were close to them according to their
offices.
10 Jeshua became the father of Joiakim,
and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib,
and Eliashib became the father of Joiada,
11 and Joiada became the father of
Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father
of Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim were priests,
heads of fathers’ households: 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 As for the Levites, in the days of
Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua,
there were recorded the heads of fathers’
households; also the priests, in the reign of
Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi, heads of fathers’
households, were written in the book of
the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
24 The chiefs of the Levites: Hashabiah,
Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers close to them, to
praise and give thanks according to the
commandment of David the man of God,
section next to section.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah,
Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were
gatekeepers keeping the watch at the
storehouses of the gates.
26 These were in the days of Joiakim the
son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in
the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of
Ezra the priest and scribe.
27 At the dedication of the wall of
Jerusalem, they sought the Levites out of
all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem
to keep the dedication with gladness, both
with giving thanks and with singing, with
cymbals, stringed instruments, and with
harps.
28 The sons ofthe singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain
around Jerusalem and from the villages of
the Netophathites;
29 also from Beth Gilgal and out of
the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for
the singers had built themselves villages
around Jerusalem.
30 The priests and the Levites purified
themselves; and they purified the people,
the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I brought the princes of Judah
up on the wall, and appointed two great
companies who gave thanks and went in
procession. One went on the right hand on
the wall toward the dung gate;
32 and after them went Hoshaiah, with
half of the princes of Judah,
33 and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,
34 Judah,Benjamin, Shemaiah,Jeremiah,
35 and some of the priests’ sons with
trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan,
the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah,
the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the
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 God; and Ezra the scribe
was before them.
37 By the spring gate, and straight before
them, they went up by the stairs of David’s
city, atthe ascent ofthe wall, above David’s
house, even to the water gate eastward.
38 The other company of those who gave
thanks went to meet them, and I after
them, with the half of the people on the
wall above the tower of the furnaces, even
to the wide wall,
39 and above the gate of Ephraim, and by
the old gate, and by the fish gate, the tower
of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah,
even to the sheep gate; and they stood still
in the gate of the guard.
40 So the two companies of those who
gave thanks in God’shouse stood, andI and
the half of the rulers with me;
41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah,
Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,
and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar,
Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and
Ezer. The singers sang loud, with
Jezrahiah their overseer.
43 They offered great sacrifices that day,
and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and the women and
the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of
Jerusalem was heard even far away.
44 On that day, men were appointed over
the rooms for the treasures, for the wave
offerings, for the first fruits, and for the
tithes, to gather into them according to the
fields of the cities the portions appointed
by the law for the priests and Levites; for
Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the
Levites who served.
45 They performed the duty of their God
and the duty of the purification, and so did
the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and of
Solomon his son.
46 For in the days of David and Asaph of
old there was a chief of the singers, and
songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel
and in the days of Nehemiah gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, as
every day required; and they set apart that
which was for the Levites; and the Levites
set apart that which was for the sons of
Aaron.