The Priests and Levites

1Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

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

8Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

9Also Bakbukiah and Unno, their brethren, stood opposite them in the service.

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

11And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

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

13Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

14Of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

15Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

16Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

18Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

19And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

21Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded heads of the fathers' houses: also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian.

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

24And the heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch corresponding with watch.

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

26These 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, the scribe.

Dedication of the Wall

27And 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 thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, lyres, and harps.

28And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the countryside round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites;

29Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had built them villages round about Jerusalem.

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

31Then I brought up the leaders of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, of which one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the refuse gate:

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

33And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

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

35And certain of the priests' sons with trumpets; namely, 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:

36And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe went before them.

37And at the fountain gate, which was opposite them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.

38And the other company of them that gave thanks went the opposite of them, and I followed them, with half of the people upon the wall, going past the tower of the ovens even unto the broad wall;

39And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of the hundred, even unto the sheep gate: and they stopped at the gate of the guard.

40So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and half of the rulers with me:

41And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

42And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loudly, with Jezrahiah as their leader.

43Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

44And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the stores, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who ministered.

45And both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.

46For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a leader of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.

47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, every day their portion: and they set apart holy things for the Levites; and the Levites set them apart for the children of Aaron.