Nehemiah - The Old Testament

¹ Now, when the wall had been rebuilt and I had hung the doors, the gatekeepers (the singers and the Levites) were then appointed.

² I entrusted the administration of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and to Hananiah the commander of the citadel, for he was a more trustworthy, God-fearing man than many others.

³ I said to them, 'The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened until the sun gets hot; and the doors must be shut and barred before it begins to go down. Detail guards from the residents of Jerusalem, each to his post, in front of his own house.'

⁴ The city was large and spacious but the population was small, and the houses had not been rebuilt.

⁵ My God then inspired me to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people for the purpose of taking a census by families. I discovered the genealogical register of those who had returned in the first group, and there I found entered:

⁶ These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the Exile, those whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had deported, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town.

⁷ They were the ones who arrived with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

⁸ sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two;

⁹ sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two;

¹⁰ sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two;

¹¹ sons of Pahath-Moab, that is to say sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen;

¹² sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

¹³ sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five;

¹⁴ sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty;

¹⁵ sons of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight;

¹⁶ sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight;

¹⁷ sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two;

¹⁸ sons of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven;

¹⁹ sons of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven;

²⁰ sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five;

²¹ sons of Ater, that is to say of Hezekiah, ninety-eight;

²² sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight;

²³ sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four;

²⁴ sons of Hariph, one hundred and twelve;

²⁵ sons of Gibeon, ninety-five;

²⁶ men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight;

²⁷ men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight;

²⁸ men of Beth-Azmaveth, forty-two;

²⁹ men of Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three;

³⁰ men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one;

³¹ men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two;

³² men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three;

³³ men of the other Nebo, fifty-two;

³⁴ sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four;

³⁵ sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty;

³⁶ sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five;

³⁷ sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one;

³⁸ sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

³⁹ The priests: sons of Jedaiah, of the House of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three;

⁴⁰ sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two;

⁴¹ sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven;

⁴² sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

⁴³ The Levites: sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodiah, seventy-four.

⁴⁴ The singers: sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers: sons of Shallum, sons of Ater, sons of Talmon, sons of Akkub, sons of Hatita, sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.

⁴⁶ The temple slaves: sons of Ziha, sons of Hasupha, sons of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷ sons of Keros, sons of Sia, sons of Padon,

⁴⁸ sons of Lebana, sons of Hagaba, sons of Shalmai,

⁴⁹ sons of Hanan, sons of Giddel, sons of Gahar,

⁵⁰ sons of Reaiah, sons of Rezin, sons of Nekoda,

⁵¹ sons of Gazzam, sons of Uzza, sons of Paseah,

⁵² sons of Besai, sons of the Meunites, sons of the Nephusites,

⁵³ sons of Bakbuk, sons of Hakupha, sons of Harhur,

⁵⁴ sons of Bazlith, sons of Mehida, sons of Harsha,

⁵⁵ sons of Barkos, sons of Sisera, sons of Temah,

⁵⁶ sons of Nezaiah, sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The sons of Solomon's slaves: sons of Sotai, sons of Sophereth, sons of Perida,

⁵⁸ sons of Jaala, sons of Darkon, sons of Giddel,

⁵⁹ sons of Shephatiah, sons of Hattil, sons of Pochereth-ha-Zebaim, sons of Amon.

⁶⁰ The total of the temple slaves and the sons of Solomon's slaves: three hundred and ninety-two.

⁶¹ The following, who came from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer, could not prove that their families and ancestry were of Israelite origin:

⁶² the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda: six hundred and forty-two.

⁶³ And among the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai -- who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, whose name he adopted.

⁶⁴ These had looked for their entries in the official genealogies but were not to be found there, and were hence disqualified from the priesthood.

⁶⁵ Consequently, His Excellency forbade them to eat any of the consecrated food until a priest appeared who could consult urim and thummim.

⁶⁶ The whole assembly numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people,

⁶⁷ not counting their slaves and maidservants to the number of seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven. They also had two hundred and forty-five male and female singers.

⁶⁸ They had four hundred and thirty-five camels and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys.

⁶⁹ A certain number of heads of families contributed to the work. His Excellency contributed one thousand gold drachmas, fifty bowls, and thirty priestly robes to the fund.

⁷⁰ And heads of families gave twenty thousand gold drachmas and two thousand two hundred silver minas to the work fund.

⁷¹ The gifts made by the rest of the people amounted to twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly robes.

⁷² The priests, the Levites and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and thereabouts; the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple slaves in their appropriate towns; and all the other Israelites, in their own towns. Now when the seventh month came round --