1 These are the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their brothers in Jeshua's time.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the thanksgiving songs.
9 Their brothers Bakbukiah and Unni stood across from them in the services.
10 Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, Eliashib fathered Joiada,
11 Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.
12 In the time of Joiakim, these priests were heads of fathers' houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites were registered, and those of the priests, up to the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites were registered in the book of the chronicles up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brothers standing across from them to give praise and thanks, one section answering another, as David the man of God had ordered.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who stood guard at the storerooms by the gates.
26 They served in the time of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the time of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
27 For the dedication of Jerusalem's wall they searched out the Levites from wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully with songs of thanks and with music of cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28 The singers were brought together from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,
29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
30 After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall, and I assigned two large choirs to give thanks and walk in procession. One went to the right along the top of the wall toward the Dung Gate.
32 Behind them walked Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah,
33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,
35 along with some priests with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,
36 and his brothers Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the way before them.
37 At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the stairs of the City of David on the ascent of the wall, past the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second choir went the opposite way, and I followed them along the top of the wall with half the people, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
39 over the Ephraim Gate, the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard.
40 Then the two choirs that gave thanks took their places in the house of God, and so did I, together with half the officials,
41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.
43 On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, because God had given them great joy. The women and children rejoiced too, and the rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
44 That day men were put in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, to bring into them from the fields around the towns the portions the law required for the priests and Levites; for Judah was glad about the priests and Levites who were serving.
45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had ordered.
46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the singers and for songs of praise and thanks to God.
47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah all Israel provided the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.