Nehemiah 7

Modern English Version

7 Once the wall was rebuilt and I had erected the doors, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed. ² Over Jerusalem, I put in charge both my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the palace commander, because each was a faithful man and feared God more than many. ³ I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun is hot. Until guards are posted, the doors should be closed and bolted. Likewise, appoint guards from Jerusalem’s inhabitants—each at his post, across from his own house.”

⁴ Now the city was large and spacious, yet the people in it were few since there had been no houses built.

The List of Returned Exiles^(A)

⁵ So my God put an idea in my mind, and I gathered the nobles, the officials, and the people together to conduct a genealogy registration. When I found the book of the genealogical register, it contained the list of those who first came back. I found written in it:

⁶ These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away, but came back to Jerusalem and to Judah, everyone to his city. ⁷ Those who came with Zerubbabel were Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

Priestly Leaders

⁶¹ These were they who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not show their fathers’ houses nor their lineage—whether they were of Israel:

⁶³ Of the priests:

⁶⁴ These sought for their fathers’ registration in the genealogical registry, but it was not found. Therefore, they were considered as unclean and removed from the priesthood. ⁶⁵ The magistrate said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things until there was an appointed priest with Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶ The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, ⁶⁷ besides their male and female servants, which numbered seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five male and female singers. ⁶⁸ Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five; ⁶⁹ their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; the donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

⁷⁰ Some of the chiefs of the fathers’ households gave to the work. The magistrate gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas,^[a] fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priests’ garments. ⁷¹ Others of the chiefs of the fathers’ households gave to the treasury for the work twenty thousand gold drachmas^[b] and two thousand two hundred silver minas.^{[c] 72} What the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas,^[d] and sixty-seven priests’ garments.

⁷³ So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.