Nehemiah 12:22-47 ▼

22 The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded as heads of fathers and priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.

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

24 And the heads of the Levites were: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers standing in front of them, to praise and to give thanks, by the command of David the man of God, watch beside watch.

25 Mattaniah, and 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 son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe.

27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to make the dedication with gladness, and with praises, and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and with lyres.

28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the circuit around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathite,

29 and from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

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

31 Then I brought up the leaders of Judah upon the wall, and I made stand two great thanksgiving groups, and one went to the south upon the wall toward the Gate of the Dunghill.

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

33 and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

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

35 and some from the sons of the priests with the 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, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani—with instruments of song of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

37 And at the Gate of the Fountain and in front of them they went up on the stairs of the City of David, on the ascent to the wall, up above the house of David, and up to the Gate of the Water eastward.

38 And the second thanksgiving group was proceeding opposite, and I was behind it, and half of the people on the wall above the Tower of the Ovens and up to the Broad Wall.

39 And above the Gate of Ephraim, and above the Gate of Jeshanah, and above the Gate of the Fish, and the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, and up to the Gate of the Sheep, and they stood by the Gate of the Guard.

40 And the two thanksgiving groups stood in the house of God, and I, and half of the officials with me,

41 and the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah—with the trumpets;

42 and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang out, and Jezrahiah was the overseer.

43 And they sacrificed on that day great sacrifices, and they rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. And also the women and the sons rejoiced, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

44 And there were appointed men on that day over the rooms for the treasures, for the contributions, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and for the Levites. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who were standing,

45 and the singers and the gatekeepers, and they kept the service of their God and the service of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son.

46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old were heads of the singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah were giving the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, the matter of a day in its day, and they were consecrating for the Levites, and the Levites were consecrating for the sons of Aaron.