Nehemiah 12

1These are the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra.

2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah

5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6Shemaiah, Joiarib, and Jedaiah.

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah—these were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

8The Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah over thanksgiving—he and his brothers.

9Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them in their charges.

10Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, and Eliashib fathered Joiada.

11Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.

12In the days of Joiakim, the priests who were heads of ancestral houses included Meraiah for Seraiah and Hananiah for Jeremiah.

13for Ezra, Meshullam; for Amariah, Jehohanan;

14of Malluch, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph.

15of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

16of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17for Abijah, Zichri; for Miniamin, for Moadiah, Piltai.

18for Bilgah, Shammua; for Shemaiah, Jonathan;

19of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

21of Hillkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

22The Levite family heads were recorded in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, along with the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian.

23The sons of Levi, heads of the fathers, were recorded in the book of the events of the days, up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.

24The heads of the Levites—Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them—to praise and give thanks according to the commandment of David the man of God, division opposite division.

25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at the storehouses of the gates.

26These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites from all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, thanksgivings, and singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps.

28The sons of the singers gathered from the plain surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites.

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

30The priests and the Levites cleansed themselves, and they cleansed the people, the gates, and the wall.

31I brought Judah's princes up onto the wall and stationed two great thanksgiving processions, one to the right along the top toward the Dung Gate.

32Hoshaiah and half the chiefs of Judah went after them.

33Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam

34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah

35and of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph.

36And his brothers Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, Judah, Hanani with David's musical instruments, the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

37At the Spring Gate opposite them, they went up the stairs of David's city by the ascent to the wall, above David's house, all the way to the Water Gate on the east.

38The other thanksgiving procession went opposite, and I followed it with half the people on the wall above the tower of the furnaces to the broad wall.

39And above the Ephraim Gate, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, past the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of Meah, even to the Sheep Gate; and they stood in the Guard Gate.

40The two thanksgiving companies stood in the house of God, and I, with half the rulers.

41And the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—with trumpets.

42Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer, along with the singers, sang out under Izrahiah their overseer.

43That day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had gladdened them with great joy; even the women and the children rejoiced, so the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

44On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the treasuries, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah found joy in the priests and the Levites who served.

45The singers and gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of purification, according to the commandment of David and Solomon his son.

46For in the days of David and Asaph long ago there were chiefs of the singers, along with songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, day by day as required, and they consecrated offerings for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the sons of Aaron.