Those Who Made the Holy City Home
Jerusalem needs residents, so lots move one family in ten inside the walls, and the people bless those who volunteer. The chapter lists who lived there — leaders, priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers — and which villages the rest of Judah and Benjamin filled.
11 1Leaders lived in Jerusalem; the rest cast lots to bring one of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, leaving nine-tenths in the towns. 2And the people blessed all the men who freely offered to live in Jerusalem.
3These are the province's leaders who lived in Jerusalem; but in Judah's towns, each lived on his own property, in their towns—Israel, the priests, Levites, temple servants, and Solomon's servants' descendants. 4Some descendants of Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem. From Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, from the descendants of Perez; 5and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. 6All the descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem numbered 468 able men.
7From Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8and after him Gabbai and Sallai—928 in all. 9Joel son of Zichri oversaw them; Judah son of Hassenuah was second over the city.
10Of the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, chief officer of our Father's house; 12and their brothers who did the house's work: 822; and Adaiah son of Jeroham son of Pelaliah son of Amzi son of Zechariah son of Pashhur son of Malchijah, 13and his brothers, family heads—242; and Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14and their associates, able warriors—128; their overseer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.
15Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the heads of the Levites, oversaw the outside work of our Father's house; 17and Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18All the Levites in the holy city numbered 284.
19The gatekeepers—Akkub, Talmon, and their associates who kept watch at the gates—numbered 172.
20The rest of Israel, the priests, and the Levites were in all Judah's towns, each on his inheritance. 21The temple servants lived on Ophel, with Ziha and Gishpa over the temple servants.
22Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of Asaph's descendants, oversaw the Levites in Jerusalem, the singers responsible for the work of our Father's house. 23For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed daily allowance for the singers. 24Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of Zerah son of Judah's descendants, was at the king's hand for every matter about the people.
25As for the villages with their fields, some of Judah's descendants lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel and its settlements, 26in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth-pelet, 27in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, 28in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, 29in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its villages. So they settled from Beersheba to the Hinnom Valley. 31The descendants of Benjamin lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, 32Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35Lod, and Ono, the Valley of Craftsmen. 36And some divisions of the Levites from Judah were assigned to Benjamin.
