Nehemiah 7

Chapter 7.

7 ¹ After the wall was rebuilt and I set up the doors, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. ² I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, with Hananiah commander of the fortress, since he was faithful and feared our Father more than many. ³ I told them, "Don't open Jerusalem's gates until the sun is hot; and while the guards are on watch, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint watchmen from Jerusalem's residents, each at his post, each opposite his own house."

⁴ The city was large, but the people in it were few, with no houses yet rebuilt.

The Father's People Counted Home

⁵ Then my Father put it in my heart to gather the nobles, the officials, and the people to register by genealogy. I found the genealogy record of the first returnees, and found written in it:

⁶ These are the province's people who returned from exile, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away, back to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. ⁷ coming with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah — the count of the men of Israel's people:

⁸ The descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

⁹ The descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

¹⁰ The descendants of Arah, 652;

¹¹ The descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;

¹² The descendants of Elam, 1,254;

¹³ The descendants of Zattu, 845;

¹⁴ The descendants of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁵ The descendants of Binnui, 648;

¹⁶ The descendants of Bebai, 628;

¹⁷ The descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

¹⁸ The descendants of Adonikam, 667;

¹⁹ The descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

²⁰ The descendants of Adin, 655;

²¹ The descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;

²² The descendants of Hashum, 328;

²³ The descendants of Bezai, 324;

²⁴ The descendants of Hariph, 112;

²⁵ The descendants of Gibeon, 95;

²⁶ The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

²⁷ The men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁸ The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;

²⁹ The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

³⁰ The men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

³¹ The men of Michmas, 122;

³² The men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

³³ The men of the other Nebo, 52;

³⁴ The descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;

³⁵ The descendants of Harim, 320;

³⁶ The descendants of Jericho, 345;

³⁷ The descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

³⁸ The descendants of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹ The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;

⁴⁰ The descendants of Immer, 1,052;

⁴¹ The descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

⁴² The descendants of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³ The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel and the line of Hodevah), 74.

⁴⁴ The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶ The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷ Keros, Sia, Padon, ⁴⁸ Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, ⁴⁹ Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, ⁵⁰ Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, ⁵¹ Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, ⁵² Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim, ⁵³ Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵⁴ Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵⁵ Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁶ Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The descendants of Solomon's servants: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, ⁵⁸ Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁹ Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-hazzebaim, and Amon. ⁶⁰ All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants numbered 392.

⁶¹ These came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, unable to show their father's house or lineage, whether from Israel:

⁶² The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 642.

⁶³ From the priests: descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai — who married one of Barzillai the Gileadite's daughters and took that family's name.

⁶⁴ These looked for their genealogical records, but found none, so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵ The governor told them not to eat the most holy food until a priest could consult Urim and Thummim. ^a a v65 The Urim and Thummim were sacred objects kept by the high priest, used to seek a clear decision from God on difficult questions.

⁶⁶ The whole assembly together numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷ besides their 7,337 male and female servants; and they had 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸ They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹ 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰ Some family heads gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. ⁷¹ Some family heads gave the work's treasury 20,000 gold coins and about 2,750 pounds of silver. ⁷² The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, about 2,500 pounds of silver, and 67 priestly garments.

⁷³ The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns. By the seventh month, Israel's people were in their towns.