Online Bible: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

1 And these were the priests and the Levites that went up with Ze·rub´ba·bel the son of She·al´ti·el and Jesh´u·a: Se·rai´ah, Jeremiah, Ez´ra, 2 Am·a·ri´ah, Mal´luch, Hat´tush, 3 Shec·a·ni´ah, Re´hum, Mer´e·moth, 4 Id´do, Gin´ne·thoi, A·bi´jah, 5 Mij´a·min, Ma·a·di´ah, Bil´gah, 6 She·mai´ah, and Joi´a·rib, Je·da´iah, 7 Sal´lu, A´mok, Hil·ki´ah, Je·da´iah. These were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jesh´u·a.

8 And the Levites were Jesh´u·a, Bin´nu·i, Kad´mi·el, She·re·bi´ah, Judah, Mat·ta·ni´ah, over the giving of thanks, he and his brothers. 9 And Bak·bu·ki´ah and Un´ni their brothers were opposite them for guard duties. 10 Jesh´u·a himself became father to Joi´a·kim, and Joi´a·kim himself became father to E·li´a·shib, and E·li´a·shib to Joi´a·da. 11 And Joi´a·da himself became father to Jon´a·than, and Jon´a·than himself became father to Jad´du·a.

12 And in the days of Joi´a·kim there happened to be priests, the heads of the paternal houses: for Se·rai´ah, Me·rai´ah; for Jeremiah, Han·a·ni´ah; 13 for Ez´ra, Me·shul´lam; for Am·a·ri´ah, Je·ho·ha´nan; 14 for Mal´lu·chi, Jon´a·than; for Sheb·a·ni´ah, Joseph; 15 for Ha´rim, Ad´na; for Me·ra´ioth, Hel´kai; 16 for Id´do, Zech·a·ri´ah; for Gin´ne·thon, Me·shul´lam; 17 for A·bi´jah, Zich´ri; for Mi·ni´a·min, ——; for Mo·a·di´ah, Pil´tai; 18 for Bil´gah, Sham·mu´a; for She·mai´ah, Je·hon´a·than; 19 and for Joi´a·rib, Mat·te´nai; for Je·da´iah, Uz´zi; 20 for Sal·la´i, Kal´lai; for A´mok, E´ber; 21 for Hil·ki´ah, Hash·a·bi´ah; for Je·da´iah, Ne·than´el.

22 The Levites in the days of E·li´a·shib, Joi´a·da and Jo·ha´nan and Jad´du·a were recorded as heads of paternal houses, also the priests, down till the kingship of Da·ri´us the Persian.

23 The sons of Le´vi as heads of the paternal houses were recorded in the book of the affairs of the times, even down till the days of Jo·ha´nan the son of E·li´a·shib. 24 And the heads of the Levites were Hash·a·bi´ah, She·re·bi´ah and Jesh´u·a the son of Kad´mi·el and their brothers opposite them to offer praise [and] give thanks according to the commandment of David the man of the [true] God, guard group corresponding with guard group. 25 Mat·ta·ni´ah and Bak·bu·ki´ah, O·ba·di´ah, Me·shul´lam, Tal´mon, Ak´kub were keeping guard as gatekeepers, a guard group by the stores of the gates. 26 These were in the days of Joi´a·kim the son of Jesh´u·a the son of Jo´za·dak and in the days of Ne·he·mi´ah the governor and Ez´ra the priest, the copyist.

27 And at the inauguration of the wall of Jerusalem they looked for the Levites, to bring them out of all their places to Jerusalem to carry on an inauguration and a rejoicing even with thanksgivings and with song, cymbals [and] stringed instruments and with harps. 28 And the sons of the singers proceeded to gather themselves even from the District, from all around Jerusalem and from the settlements of the Ne·toph´a·thites, 29 and from Beth-gil´gal and from the fields of Ge´ba and Az´ma·veth, for there were settlements that the singers had built for themselves all around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites proceeded to cleanse themselves and cleanse the people and the gates and the wall.

31 Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall. Further, I appointed two large thanksgiving choirs and processions, [and the one was walking] to the right upon the wall to the Gate of the Ash-heaps. 32 And Ho·shai´ah and half of the princes of Judah began to walk behind them, 33 also Az·a·ri´ah, Ez´ra and Me·shul´lam, 34 Judah and Benjamin and She·mai´ah and Jeremiah; 35 also of the sons of the priests with the trumpets Zech·a·ri´ah the son of Jon´a·than the son of She·mai´ah the son of Mat·ta·ni´ah the son of Mi·cai´ah the son of Zac´cur the son of A´saph, 36 and his brothers She·mai´ah and Az´ar·el, Mil´a·lai, Gil´a·lai, Ma´ai, Ne·than´el and Judah, Ha·na´ni, with the instruments of song of David the man of the [true] God; and Ez´ra the copyist before them. 37 And at the Fountain Gate and straight ahead of them they went up on the Stairway of the City of David by the ascent of the wall above the House of David and clear to the Water Gate to the east.

38 And the other thanksgiving choir was walking in front, and I after it, also half of the people, upon the wall up over the Tower of the Bake Ovens and on to the Broad Wall, 39 and up over the Gate of E´phra·im and on to the Gate of the Old [City] and clear to the Fish Gate and the Tower of Ha·nan´el and the Tower of Me´ah and on to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a stand at the Gate of the Guard.

40 At length the two thanksgiving choirs came to a stand at the house of the [true] God, also I and half of the deputy rulers with me, 41 and the priests E·li´a·kim, Ma·a·sei´ah, Mi·ni´a·min, Mi·cai´ah, Eli·o·e´nai, Zech·a·ri´ah, Han·a·ni´ah with the trumpets, 42 and Ma·a·sei´ah and She·mai´ah, and El·e·a´zar and Uz´zi and Je·ho·ha´nan and Mal·chi´jah and E´lam and E´zer. And the singers with Iz·ra·hi´ah the overseer kept making themselves heard.

43 And they proceeded to sacrifice on that day great sacrifices and to rejoice, for the [true] God himself caused them to rejoice with great joy. And also the women and the children themselves rejoiced, so that the rejoicing of Jerusalem could be heard far away.

44 Further, there were appointed on that day men over the halls for the stores, for the contributions, for the firstfruits and for the tenths, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions [called for by] the law for the priests and the Levites; for the rejoicing of Judah was because of the priests and of the Levites who were in attendance. 45 And they began taking care of the obligation of their God and the obligation of the purification, also the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David [and] Sol´o·mon his son. 46 For in the days of David and A´saph in bygone time there were heads of the singers and the song of praise and thanksgivings to God. 47 And all Israel during the days of Ze·rub´ba·bel and during the days of Ne·he·mi´ah were giving the portions of the singers and of the gatekeepers according to the daily need and were sanctifying [them] to the Levites; and the Levites were sanctifying [them] to the sons of Aaron.