Nehemiah 12

1. And 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. Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4. Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

5. Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6. Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

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

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

9. And Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were opposite them in the service divisions.

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

11. And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

12. And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: from the house of Seraiah was Meraiah; from Jeremiah, Hananiah;

13. From Ezra, Meshullam; from Amariah, Jehohanan;

14. From Melichu, Jonathan; from Shebaniah, Joseph;

15. From Harim, Adna; from Meraioth, Helkai;

16. From Iddo, Zechariah; from Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17. From Abijah, Zichri; from Minjamin of Moadiah, Piltai;

18. From Bilgah, Shammua; from Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

19. And from Joiarib, Mattenai; from Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20. From Sallai, Kallai; from Amok, Eber;

21. From Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and from Jedaiah, Nethanel.

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

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

24. And the chief of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers next to them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the command of David the man of God, section corresponding to section.

25. Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were guarding the gates at the thresholds 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, the scribe.

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

28. And the sons of the singers gathered themselves, both out of the plain country around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathi;

29. And from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth (for the singers had built themselves villages all 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 rulers of Judah onto the wall, and also chose two great choirs that gave thanks and went in procession to the right upon the wall toward the Dung Gate.

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

33. And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

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

35. And certain 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, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and with Ezra the scribe before them.

37. And at the Fountain Gate, across from them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even to the Water Gate eastward.

38. And the second choir went in the opposite direction, and I after them, with half of the people upon the wall, past the Tower of the Furnaces even to the Broad Wall,

39. And from above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, and by the Fish Gate, and the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of Meah, even to the Sheep Gate. And they stood still in the Prison Gate.

40. So stood the two praise choirs to give thanks in the house of God, and I and half of the rulers with me.

41. And the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah were with trumpets;

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

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

44. And at that time some were chosen over the rooms for the treasuries, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of 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. And they kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification along with the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and of 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. And all Israel gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, every day its portion, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah. And they set the holy things apart for the Levites, and the Levites set them apart for the children of Aaron.