MSB NEH Chapter 7

Securing the City

When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.

2 

Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. 3 And I told them,“Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.”

4 

The List of Returning Exiles

(Ezra 2:1–67)

Now the city was large and spacious but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned and I found the following written in it:

6 

These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar [its] king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.[fn]

[This is] the count of the men of Israel:

8 

• the descendants of Parosh,2,172
9 
• the descendants of Shephatiah,372
10 
• the descendants of Arah,652
11 
• the descendants vvv 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,[fn]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,[fn]112
25 
• the descendants of Gibeon,[fn]95
26 
• the men of Bethlehem and Netophah,188
27 
• the men of Anathoth,128
28 
• the men vvv of Beth-azmaveth,[fn]42
29 
• the men vvv of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth,743
30 
• the men of Ramah and Geba,621
31 
• the men of Michmash,122
32 
• the men of Bethel and Ai,123
33 
• the men of the other Nebo,[fn]52
34 
• the descendants of the other Elam,[fn]1,254
35 
• the descendants of Harim,320
36 
• the men[fn] of Jericho,345
37 
• the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono,721
38 
• and 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 
• and the descendants of Harim,1,017
43 

The Levites:

• the descendants of Jeshua( through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah[fn]),74
44 

The singers:

• the descendants of Asaph,148
45 

The gatekeepers:

• the descendants of Shallum,
• the descendants of Ater,
• the descendants of Talmon,
• the descendants of Akkub,
• the descendants of Hatita,
• and the descendants of Shobai,
  • 138 [in all]
  46 

The temple servants:[fn]

• the descendants of Ziha,
• the descendants of Hasupha,
• the descendants of Tabbaoth,
47 
• the descendants of Keros,
• the descendants of Sia,[fn]
• the descendants of Padon,
48 
• the descendants of Lebanah,
• the descendants of Hagabah,
• the descendants of Shalmai,
49 
• the descendants of Hanan,
• the descendants of Giddel,
• the descendants of Gahar,
50 
• the descendants of Reaiah,
• the descendants of Rezin,
• the descendants of Nekoda,
51 
• the descendants of Gazzam,
• the descendants of Uzza,
• the descendants of Paseah,
52 
• the descendants of Besai,
• the descendants of Meunim,
• the descendants of Nephushesim,[fn]
53 
• the descendants of Bakbuk,
• the descendants of Hakupha,
• the descendants of Harhur,
54 
• the descendants of Bazlith,[fn]
• the descendants of Mehida,
• the descendants of Harsha,
55 
• the descendants of Barkos,
• the descendants of Sisera,
• the descendants of Temah,
56 
• the descendants of Neziah,
• and the descendants of Hatipha.
57 

The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

• the descendants of Sotai,
• the descendants of Sophereth,
• the descendants of Perida,[fn]
58 
• the descendants of Jaala,
• the descendants of Darkon,
• the descendants of Giddel,
59 
• the descendants of Shephatiah,
• the descendants of Hattil,
• the descendants vvv of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
• and the descendants of Amon.[fn]
60 
• The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon [numbered] 392 in all.
61 

The following came up vvv from Tel-melah, vvv Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon,[fn] and Immer, but they could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:

62 

• the descendants of Delaiah,
• the descendants of Tobiah,
• and the descendants of Nekoda,
  • 642 [in all].
  63 
• And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah,
• the descendants of Hakkoz,
• and the descendants of Barzillai( who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
64 
• These [men] searched for their family records but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood {as unclean}. 65 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.[fn]
66 

The whole assembly [numbered] 42,360 {} 67 in addition to their7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 245 male and female singers 68 [ They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ][fn] 69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

70 

Offerings by the Exiles

(Exodus 38:21–31, Ezra 2:68–70)

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 {} darics of gold,[fn]50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. 71 And some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the project 20,000 {} darics of gold[fn] and 2,200 minas of silver.[fn] 72 The rest of the people gave [a total of] 20,000 {} darics of gold, 2,000 {} minas of silver,[fn] and 67 priestly garments.

73 

So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.