12:1 These were the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
12:3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
12:4 Iddo, Ginnethon, [Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Neh. 12:16) most Hebrew manuscripts Ginnethoi] Abijah,
12:5 Mijamin, [A variant of Miniamin] Moadiah, Bilgah,
12:6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.
12:8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.
12:9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.
12:10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada,
12:11 Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.
12:12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of Seraiah’s family, Meraiah of Jeremiah’s, Hananiah
12:13 of Ezra’s, Meshullam of Amariah’s, Jehohanan
12:14 of Malluch’s, Jonathan of Shecaniah’s, [Very many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also Neh. 12:3) most Hebrew manuscripts Shebaniah’s] Joseph
12:15 of Harim’s, Adna of Meremoth’s, [Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Neh. 12:3) Hebrew Meraioth’s] Helkai
12:16 of Iddo’s, Zechariah of Ginnethon’s, Meshullam
12:17 of Abijah’s, Zicri of Miniamin’s and of Moadiah’s, Piltai
12:18 of Bilgah’s, Shammua of Shemaiah’s, Jehonathan
12:19 of Joiarib’s, Mattenai of Jedaiah’s, Uzzi
12:20 of Sallu’s, Kallai of Amok’s, Eber
12:21 of Hilkiah’s, Hashabiah of Jedaiah’s, Nethanel.
12:22 The family heads of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, as well as those of the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian.
12:23 The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals.
12:24 And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
12:25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.
12:26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
12:27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to 1146 Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.
12:28 The singers also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem from the villages of the Netophathites,
12:29 from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
12:30 When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.
12:31 I had the leaders of Judah go up on top [Or go alongside] of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top [Or proceed alongside] of the wall to the right, towards the Dung Gate.
12:32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them,
12:33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
12:34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
12:35 as well as some priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,
12:36 and his associates Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani with musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession.
12:37 At the Fountain Gate they continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
12:38 The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top [Or them alongside] of the wall, together with half the people past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
12:39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah [Or Old] Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the 1147 Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.
12:40 The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God so did I, together with half the officials,
12:41 as well as the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah with their trumpets
12:42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah.
12:43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
12:44 At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, f
12:45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon.
12:46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
12:47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.