Wall of Jerusalem Celebration

This is a record of the Levites and priests that returned to Jerusalem. Their leaders appeared to be Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Several of the heads of the priests and Levites were also mentioned, as well as the descendants of Jeshua.

Another account mentioned here is the dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem. The priests and Levites were organized as were the singers and choir for the ceremony. The leaders in this ceremony were also mentioned including the singers and the musicians. Offerings were also collected and they were distributed to the priests, Levites as well as the singers and gatekeepers. The ceremony included lots of thanksgiving, praising and music.



Nehemiah 12

The Priests and Levites

 1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi,[a] Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
These were the heads of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.
8 Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in their duties.
10 Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, 11 Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Melichu,[b] Jonathan; of Shebaniah,[c] Joseph; 15 of Harim,[d] Adna; of Meraioth,[e] Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; the son of Minjamin;[f] of Moadiah,[g] Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai,[h] Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been heads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the chronicles.
24 And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give thanks, group alternating with group, according to the command of David the man of God. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. 26 These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,[i] and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

Nehemiah Dedicates the Wall
 
27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem. 30 Then the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 32 After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, 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 Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as the Water Gate eastward.
38 The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison.
40 So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin,[j] Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, JehohananMalchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.
43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

Temple Responsibilities
 
44 And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. 45 Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.

Nehemiah Registers Israelites Based on Geneology

Finally the walls of Jerusalem was rebuilt and Nehemiah organized that the gates be watch stations. Nehemiah then gathered the returned captives to be registered according to their genealogy. This chapter is therefore a historical records of the groups of people who returned to Judah.

The people grouped themselves under the name of their ancestors, however not everyone was able to trace their ancestry. The people with special roles or those who could not trace their ancestry were the groups of Levites, singers, gatekeepers, the Nethinim (foreigners who were Temple servants) and Solomon's servants.

The total number of people were 42,360 and 7,337 servants.


Nehemiah 7

 1 Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.
3 And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.”

The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem
 
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:
 6 These[a]are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city.
 7 Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth,[b] Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
   The number of the men of the people of Israel:
 8 the sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two;
 9 the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two;
 10 the sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two;
 11 the sons of Pahath-Moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen;
 12 the sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;
 13 the sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five;
 14 the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty;
 15 the sons of Binnui,[c] six hundred and forty-eight;
 16 the sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight;
 17 the sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two;
 18 the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven;
 19 the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven;
 20 the sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five;
 21 the sons of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;
 22 the sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight;
 23 the sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four;
 24 the sons of Hariph,[d] one hundred and twelve;
 25 the sons of Gibeon,[e] ninety-five;
 26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight;
 27 the men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight;
 28 the men of Beth Azmaveth,[f] forty-two;
 29 the men of Kirjath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three;
 30 the men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one;
 31 the men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two;
 32 the men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three;
 33 the men of the other Nebo, fifty-two;
 34 the sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;
 35 the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty;
 36 the sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five;
 37 the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one;
 38 the sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
 39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three;
 40 the sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two;
 41 the sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven;
 42 the sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the sons of Hodevah,[g] seventy-four.
 44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.
 45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum,
   the sons of Ater,
   the sons of Talmon,
   the sons of Akkub,
   the sons of Hatita,
   the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.
 46 The Nethinim: the sons of Ziha,
   the sons of Hasupha,
   the sons of Tabbaoth,
 47 the sons of Keros,
   the sons of Sia,[h]
   the sons of Padon,
 48 the sons of Lebana,[i]
   the sons of Hagaba,[j]
   the sons of Salmai,[k]
 49 the sons of Hanan,
   the sons of Giddel,
   the sons of Gahar,
 50 the sons of Reaiah,
   the sons of Rezin,
   the sons of Nekoda,
 51 the sons of Gazzam,
   the sons of Uzza,
   the sons of Paseah,
 52 the sons of Besai,
   the sons of Meunim,
   the sons of Nephishesim,[l]
 53 the sons of Bakbuk,
   the sons of Hakupha,
   the sons of Harhur,
 54 the sons of Bazlith,[m]
   the sons of Mehida,
   the sons of Harsha,
 55 the sons of Barkos,
   the sons of Sisera,
   the sons of Tamah,
 56 the sons of Neziah,
   and the sons of Hatipha.
 57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai,
   the sons of Sophereth,
   the sons of Perida,[n]
 58 the sons of Jaala,
   the sons of Darkon,
   the sons of Giddel,
 59 the sons of Shephatiah,
   the sons of Hattil,
   the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim,
   and the sons of Amon.[o]
 60 All the Nethinim, and the sons of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred and ninety-two.
 61 And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon,[p] and Immer, but they could not identify their father’s house nor their lineage, whether they were of Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah,
   the sons of Tobiah,
   the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two;
 63 and of the priests: the sons of Habaiah,
   the sons of Koz,[q]
   the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name.
 64 These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled. 65 And the governor[r] said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim.
 66 Altogether the whole assembly was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers. 68 Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, 69 their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
 70 And some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor[s] gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. 71 Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand two hundred silver minas. 72 And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly garments.
73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities.

Ezra Reads the Law
When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.