The Book of Nehemiah

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- Chapter 7 -

After the wall had been finished and we had put the gates in their places, we assigned to the temple guards and to the members of the sacred choir and the other descendants of Levi the work that they were to do.

I appointed my brother Hanani as governor of Jerusalem. He was a faithful man who respected God and honored him, more than many others. In addition, Hananiah was appointed commander of the fortress there in Jerusalem.

I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. And close the gates and put the bars across the doors only when gatekeepers are guarding the gates.” I also told them to appoint some people who live in Jerusalem to be guards, and to assign some of them to guard stations around the city, and some would guard near their own houses.”

The captives who returned to Jerusalem

(Ezra 2:1-67)

The city of Jerusalem covered a large area, but at that time not many people lived in the city, and they had not rebuilt any of the houses.

God gave me the idea to summon the leaders and officials and other people, and to enroll them by their families in the books of the records of the families. I also found the records of the people who had been the first ones to return to Jerusalem. This is what I found written in those records.

“This is a list of the people who returned to Jerusalem and to other places in Judea. They had been living in Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah. Each one who returned went back to his own city where his ancestors had lived before the exile.

They came back with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The number of men from the people who returned to Judah are listed next.

From the descendants of Parosh, 2,172,

from the descendants of Shephatiah, 372,

from the descendants of Arah, 652.

From the descendants of Pahathmoab, the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818,

from the descendants of Elam, 1,254,

from the descendants of Zattu, 845,

from the descendants of Zakkai, 760.

From the descendants of Bani, 648,

from the descendants of Bebai, 628,

from the descendants of Azgad, 2,322,

from the descendants of Adonikam, 667.

From the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067,

from the descendants of Adin, 655,

from the descendants of Ater, whose other name is Hezekiah, 98,

from the descendants of Hashum, 328.

From the descendants of Bezai, 324,

from the descendants of Hariph, whose other name is Jorah, 112,

from the descendants of Gibeon, whose other name is Gibbar, ninety-five.

Men whose ancestors had lived in these towns also returned: Men from Bethlehem and Netophah, 188.

There were also men from Anathoth, 128,

men from Beth Azmaveth, forty-two,

men from Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth, 743,

men from Ramah and Geba, 621.

There were men from Micmash, 122,

men from Bethel and Ai, 123,

men from Nebo, fifty-two,

men from Elam, 1,254.

There were men from Harim, 320,

men from Jericho, 345,

men from Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721,

men from Senaah, 3,930. These priests also returned:

The descendants of Jedaiah, who are the family of Jeshua, 973,

the descendants of Immer, 1,052,

the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247,

the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

Descendants of Levi who returned were: The descendants of Jeshua, Kadmiel, Binnui, and Hodeva, seventy-four,

singers who were descendants of Asaph, 148.

Also 138 temple gatekeepers from the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, returned.

Temple workers who returned were descendants of these men: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

Keros, Sia, Padon,

Lebanah, Hagabah, Shalmai,

Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

Besai, Meunim, Ephusesim who is also called Nephushesim,

Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

Bazluth who is also called Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

Neziah, and Hatipha.

Descendants of the servants of King Solomon who returned were: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth Hazzebaim, the descendants of Amon.

Altogether, there were 392 temple workers and descendants of Solomon’s servants who returned.

Another group of 642 people from the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda returned from the towns of Telmelah, Telharsha, Kerub, Addon, also known as Addon, and Immer in Babylonia.

But they could not prove that they were descendants of Israel.

Priests from the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai also returned. Barzillai had married a woman who is a descendant of a man named Barzillai from the region of Gilead, and he had taken his wife’s family name.

They searched in the records that contained the names of people’s ancestors, but they could not find the names of those families, so they were not allowed to have the rights and duties that priests had. They did not qualify to be priests because they could not trace their family history.

The governor told them they should not be allowed to eat the priests’ share of the food, taken from the sacrifices, and they should come to who could use the marked stones to find what God said about their being priests once more.

Altogether, there were 42,360 people who returned to Judea.

There were also 7,337 of their servants, and two-hundred and forty-five singers, counting both men and women.

The Israelites also brought back from Babylonia 736 horses, 245 mules,

435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

(Exodus 38:21-31; Ezra 2:68-70)

Some of the leaders of the clans gave gifts for the work of rebuilding the temple. The governor gave eight and one-half kilograms of gold, fifty bowls to be used in the temple, and five-hundred and thirty robes for the priests.

The other leaders gave to the treasury one-hundred and seventy kilograms of gold, and the leaders of the clans gave a total of one and one-fifth metric tons of silver.

The rest of the people gave one-hundred and seventy kilograms of gold, and one metric ton of silver, and sixty-seven robes for the priests.

So the priests, the Levites who helped the priests, the temple guards, the musicians, the temple workers, and many ordinary people, who were all Israelites, started to live in the towns and cities of Judea where their ancestors had lived. By the seventh month the people of Israel had gone to their cities and they were living in them.

Now when the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

I put my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.

I said to them, “Don’t let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them; and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, with everyone near his house.”

The captives who returned to Jerusalem

(Ezra 2:1-67)

Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not built.

My God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be listed by genealogy. I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found this written in it:

These are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, everyone to his city,

who 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:

The children of Parosh: two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

The children of Shephatiah: three hundred seventy-two.

The children of Arah: six hundred fifty-two.

The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab: two thousand eight hundred eighteen.

The children of Elam: one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

The children of Zattu: eight hundred forty-five.

The children of Zaccai: seven hundred sixty.

The children of Binnui: six hundred forty-eight.

The children of Bebai: six hundred twenty-eight.

The children of Azgad: two thousand three hundred twenty-two.

The children of Adonikam: six hundred sixty-seven.

The children of Bigvai: two thousand sixty-seven.

The children of Adin: six hundred fifty-five.

The children of Ater: of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

The children of Hashum: three hundred twenty-eight.

The children of Bezai: three hundred twenty-four.

The children of Hariph: one hundred twelve.

The children of Gibeon: ninety-five.

The men of Bethlehem and Netophah: one hundred eighty-eight.

The men of Anathoth: one hundred twenty-eight.

The men of Beth Azmaveth: forty-two.

The men of Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth: seven hundred forty-three.

The men of Ramah and Geba: six hundred twenty-one.

The men of Michmas: one hundred twenty-two.

The men of Bethel and Ai: one hundred twenty-three.

The men of the other Nebo: fifty-two.

The children of the other Elam: one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

The children of Harim: three hundred twenty.

The children of Jericho: three hundred forty-five.

The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: seven hundred twenty-one.

The children of Senaah: three thousand nine hundred thirty.

The priests: The children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua: nine hundred seventy-three.

The children of Immer: one thousand fifty-two.

The children of Pashhur: one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

The children of Harim: one thousand seventeen.

The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah: seventy-four.

The singers: the children of Asaph: one hundred forty-eight.

The gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai: one hundred thirty-eight.

The temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,

the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,

the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,

the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,

the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah,

the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim,

the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,

the children of Neziah, and the children of Hatipha.

The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth Hazzebaim, and the children of Amon.

All the temple servants and the children of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety-two.

These were those who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers’ houses, nor their offspring,(a) whether they were of Israel:

The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda: six hundred forty-two.

Of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.

These searched for their genealogical records, but couldn’t find them. Therefore they were deemed disqualified and removed from the priesthood.

The governor told them not to eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up to minister with Urim and Thummim.

The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

in addition to their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven. They had two hundred forty-five singing men and singing women.

Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;

their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.

(Exodus 38:21-31; Ezra 2:68-70)

Some from among the heads of fathers’ households gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold,(b) fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priests’ garments.

Some of the heads of fathers’ households gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred minas

(c)

of silver.

That which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, plus two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priests’ garments.

So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities. When the seventh month had come, the children of Israel were in their cities.

Footnotes

(a)7:61 or, seed

(b)7:70 a daric was a gold coin issued by a Persian king, weighing about 8.4 grams or about 0.27 troy ounces each.