Nehemiah 7
Chapter 7
1 After the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in the gates, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.2 I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
3 I said to them, “Do not leave the gates open during the hottest part of the day.t And even while the gatekeepers are on duty, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own homes.”
Nehemiah Registers the People
4 At that time the city was large and spacious, but the population was small, and none of the houses had been rebuilt.
5 So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there:
6 Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived.7 Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah,t Reelaiah,t Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar,t Bigvai, Rehum,t and Baanah.
This is the number of the men of Israel who returned from exile:8 The family of Parosh2,1729 The family of Shephatiah37210 The family of Arah65211 The family of Pahath-moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab)2,81812 The family of Elam1,25413 The family of Zattu84514 The family of Zaccai76015 The family of Banit64816 The family of Bebai62817 The family of Azgad2,32218 The family of Adonikam66719 The family of Bigvai2,06720 The family of Adin65521 The family of Ater (descendants of Hezekiah)9822 The family of Hashum32823 The family of Bezai32424 The family of Joraht11225 The family of Gibbart9526 The people of Bethlehem and Netophah18827 The people of Anathoth12828 The people of Beth-azmaveth4229 The people of Kiriath-jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth74330 The people of Ramah and Geba62131 The people of Micmash12232 The people of Bethel and Ai12333 The people of West Nebot5234 The citizens of West Elamt1,25435 The citizens of Harim32036 The citizens of Jericho34537 The citizens of Lod, Hadid, and Ono72138 The citizens of Senaah3,93039 These are the priests who returned from exile:
The family of Jedaiah (through the line of Jeshua)97340 The family of Immer1,05241 The family of Pashhur1,24742 The family of Harim1,01743 These are the Levites who returned from exile:
The families of Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviaht)7444 The singers of the family of Asaph14845 The gatekeepers of the families of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai13846 The descendants of the following Temple servants returned from exile:
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,47 Keros, Siaha,t Padon,48 Lebanah, Hagabah, Shalmai,49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,52 Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,t53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,54 Bazluth,t Mehida, Harsha,55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,56 Neziah, and Hatipha.57 The descendants of these servants of King Solomon returned from exile:
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,t58 Jaalah,t Darkon, Giddel,59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-hazzebaim, and Ami.t60 In all, the Temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants numbered 392.61 Another group returned at this time from the towns of Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Kerub, Addan,t and Immer. However, they could not prove that they or their families were descendants of Israel.62 This group included the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda—a total of 642 people.63 Three families of priests—Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai—also returned. (This Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai of Gilead, and he had taken her family name.)64 They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests.65 The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the LORD about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim—the sacred lots.66 So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah,67 in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 singers, both men and women.68 They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules,t69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.70 Some of the family leaders gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins,t 50 gold basins, and 530 robes for the priests.71 The other leaders gave to the treasury a total of 20,000 gold coinst and some 2,750 poundst of silver for the work.72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, about 2,500 poundst of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel. In October,t when the Israelites had settled in their towns, In print editions of the NLT, the preceding sentence fragment is included at the beginning of 8:1
NEHEMIAH 7
1 After the wall had been rebuilt and the gates hung, then the temple guards, the singers, and the other Levites were assigned their work. 2 I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, because Hananiah could be trusted, and he respected God more than most people did.
3 I said to them, “Don't let the gates to the city be opened until the sun has been up for a while. And make sure that they are closed and barred before the guards go off duty at sunset. Choose people from Jerusalem to stand guard at different places around the wall and others to stand guard near their own houses.”A List of Exiles //Who Returned
(Ezra 2.1-70)
4 Although Jerusalem covered a large area, not many people lived there, and no new houses had been built. 5-6 So God gave me the idea to bring together the people, their leaders, and officials and to check the family records of those who had returned from captivity in Babylonia, after having been taken there by King Nebuchadnezzar.t About this same time, I found records of those who had been the first to return to Jerusalem from Babylon Province.t By reading these records, I learned that they settled in their own hometowns,
7 and that they had come with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
8-25 This is a list of how many returned from each family group: 2,172 from Parosh; 372 from Shephatiah; 652 from Arah; 2,818 from Pahath Moab, who were all descendants of Jeshua and Joab; 1,254 from Elam; 845 from Zattu; 760 from Zaccai; 648 from Binnui; 628 from Bebai; 2,322 from Azgad; 667 from Adonikam; 2,067 from Bigvai; 655 from Adin; 98 from Ater, also known as Hezekiah; 328 from Hashum; 324 from Bezai; 112 from Hariph; and 95 from Gibeon.
26-38 This is a list of how many returned whose ancestors had come from the following towns: 188 from Bethlehem and Netophah; 128 from Anathoth; 42 from Beth-Azmaveth; 743 from Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth; 621 from Ramah and Geba; 122 from Michmas; 123 from Bethel and Ai; 52 from Nebo;t 1,254 from Elam;t 320 from Harim; 345 from Jericho; 721 from Lod, Hadid, and Ono; and 3,930 from Senaah.
39-42 This is a list of how many returned from each family of priests: 973 descendants of Jeshua from Jedaiah; 1,052 from Immer; 1,247 from Pashhur; and 1,017 from Harim.
43-45 This is a list of how many returned from the families of Levites: 74 descendants of Hodevah from the families of Jeshua and Kadmiel; 148 descendants of Asaph from the temple musicians; and 138 descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai from the temple guards.
46-56 These are the names of the families of temple workers whose descendants returned: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Sia, Padon, Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah, and Hatipha.
57-59 Here are the names of Solomon's servants whose descendants returned: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.
60 A total of 392 descendants of temple workers and of Solomon's servants returned.
61-62 There were 642 who returned from the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, though they could not prove they were Israelites. They had lived in the Babylonian towns of Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer.
63-64 The families of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai could not prove they were priests. The ancestor of the family of Barzillai had married the daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and had taken his wife's family name. But the records of these three families could not be found, and none of them were allowed to serve as priests.
65 t In fact, the governor told them, “You cannot eat the food offered to God until he lets us know if you really are priests.”t
66-69 There were 42,360 who returned, in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 musicians, counting both men and women. Altogether, they brought with them 736 horses, 245 mules, t 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70-72 Many people gave gifts to help pay for the materials to rebuild the temple. The governor himself gave 8 kilograms of gold, 50 bowls to be used in the temple, and 530 robes for the priests. Family leaders gave 153 kilograms of gold and 1,458 kilograms of silver. The rest of the people gave 153 kilograms of gold, 1,325 kilograms of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.
73 t And so, by the seventh month, t priests, Levites, temple guards, musicians, workers, and many of the ordinary people had settled in the towns of Judah.
