Nehemia 7

Gates, guards and an empty city

¹When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, and the gatekeepers, the singers and the Levites had been appointed to their duties, ²I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, together with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. ³I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened until the sun is hot, and while the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Appoint guards from the people who live in Jerusalem, some at their posts and some in front of their own houses.”^{a 4}The city was spacious and large, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not been rebuilt. ⁵Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by their family lines. I found the genealogical record of those who had come back first, and this is what I found written in it:

The people of the province who came up from captivity

⁶These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town. ⁷They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

⁸the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

¹⁰the descendants of Arah, 652;

¹¹the descendants of Pahath-moab, of the line of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818;

¹²the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

¹³the descendants of Zattu, 845;

¹⁴the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁵the descendants of Binnui, 648;

¹⁶the descendants of Bebai, 628;

¹⁷the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

¹⁸the descendants of Adonikam, 667;

¹⁹the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

²⁰the descendants of Adin, 655;

²¹the descendants of Ater, that is, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;

²²the descendants of Hashum, 328;

²³the descendants of Bezai, 324;

²⁴the descendants of Hariph, 112;

The men counted by their towns

²⁵the people of Gibeon, ninety-five;

²⁶the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

²⁷the men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁸the men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two;

²⁹the men of Kiriath-jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth, 743;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

³¹the men of Micmash, 122;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

³³the men of the other Nebo, fifty-two;

³⁴the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;

³⁵the descendants of Harim, 320;

³⁶the people of Jericho, 345;

³⁷the people of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 721;

³⁸the people of Senaah, 3,930.

Priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants

³⁹The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973;

⁴⁰the descendants of Immer, 1,052;

⁴¹the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

⁴²the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the line of Hodevah, seventy-four.

⁴⁴The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon, ⁴⁸the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai, ⁴⁹the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, ⁵⁰the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, ⁵¹the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah, ⁵²the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephishesim, ⁵³the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, ⁵⁴the descendants of Bazlith, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, ⁵⁵the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, ⁵⁶the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha. ⁵⁷The descendants of Solomon’s servants: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida, ⁵⁸the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, ⁵⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth-hazzebaim, the descendants of Amon. ⁶⁰All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants: 392.

Those who could not prove their descent

⁶¹These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show their family or their descent, whether they were from Israel: ⁶²the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, the descendants of Nekoda, 642.

⁶³And of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai, who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name. ⁶⁴These searched for their record among those enrolled by genealogy, but it could not be found, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵The governor told them that they were not to eat any of the most holy food until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim. ⁶⁶The whole assembly together numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷not counting their male and female slaves, who numbered 7,337. They also had 245 male and female singers.

⁶⁸There were 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.^{bc 69}Some of the heads of families gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold darics, fifty bowls and 530 garments for priests. ⁷⁰Some of the heads of families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 gold darics and about 2,750 pounds of silver. ⁷¹What the rest of the people gave was 20,000 gold darics, about 2,500 pounds of silver and sixty-seven garments for priests.

⁷²So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants and all Israel settled in their towns. When the seventh month came, the Israelites were in their towns.