Nehemiah 12

₁Many priests and Levites had returned from Babylonia with Zerubbabel and Joshua as their leaders. Those priests were Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, ₂Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, ₃Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, ₄Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, ₅Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, ₆Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, ₇Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and another Jedaiah. These were the leading priests and their assistants during the time of Joshua.

₈The Levites who returned were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. They and their assistants were responsible for the songs of praise, ₉while Bakbukiah and Unno, together with their assistants, were responsible for the choral responses.

₁₀Joshua was the father of Joiakim, the grandfather of Eliashib, and the great-grandfather of Joiada. ₁₁Joiada was the father of Jonathan and the grandfather of Jaddua.

₁₂When Joiakim was high priest, the following priests were leaders of their clans: Meraiah of the Seraiah clan, Hananiah of Jeremiah, ₁₃Meshullam of Ezra, Jehohanan of Amariah, ₁₄Jonathan of Malluchi, Joseph of Shebaniah, ₁₅Adna of Harim, Helkai of Meraioth, ₁₆Zechariah of Iddo, Meshullam of Ginnethon, ₁₇Zichri of Abijah, Piltai of Moadiah, ₁₈Shammua of Bilgah, Jehonathan of Shemaiah, ₁₉Mattenai of Joiarib, Uzzi of Jedaiah, ₂₀Kallai of Sallai, Eber of Amok, ₂₁Hashabiah of Hilkiah, and Nethanel of Jedaiah.

₂₂During the time of the high priests Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, and including the time that Darius was king of Persia, a record was kept of the heads of the Levite and priestly families. ₂₃However, no official record was kept of the heads of the Levite clans after the death of Johanan, the grandson of Eliashib.

₂₄Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their assistants organized two choirs of Levites to offer praises to God, just as King David, the man of God, had commanded.

₂₅Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were responsible for guarding the storerooms near the temple gates.

₂₆All these men lived during the time of Joiakim and during the time that I was governor and Ezra, a teacher of the Law of Moses, was priest.

₂₇When the city wall was dedicated, Levites from everywhere in Judah were invited to join in the celebration with songs of praise and with the music of cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. _28-29The Levite singers lived in villages around Jerusalem, and so they came from there, as well as from the villages around Netophah, Beth-Gilgal, Geba, and Azmaveth. ₃₀The priests and Levites held special ceremonies to make themselves holy, and then they did the same for the rest of the people and for the gates and walls of the city.

₃₁I brought the leaders of Judah to the top of the city wall and put them in charge of the two groups that were to march around on top of the wall, singing praises to God. One group marched to the right in the direction of Rubbish Gate. ₃₂Hoshaiah and half of the leaders followed them. ₃₃Then came the priests Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ₃₄Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, ₃₅all of them blowing trumpets. Next, there was Zechariah of the Asaph clan ₃₆and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They played musical instruments like those that had been played by David, the man of God. And they marched behind Ezra, the teacher of the Law. ₃₇When they reached Fountain Gate, they climbed the steps to David's City and went past his palace, before stopping at the Water Gate near the eastern wall of the city.

₃₈The second group of singers marched along the wall in the opposite direction, and I followed them, together with the other half of the leaders of Judah. We went past Oven Tower, Broad Wall, ₃₉Ephraim Gate, Old Gate, Fish Gate, Hananel Tower, Hundred Tower, and on to Sheep Gate. Finally, we stopped at Gate of the Guard, ₄₀where we stood in front of the temple with the other group, praising God. In the group with me were half of the leaders, ₄₁as well as the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, who were blowing trumpets. ₄₂Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer also stood there, as Jezrahiah led the singers. ₄₃God had made the people very happy, and so on that day they celebrated and offered many sacrifices. The women and children joined in the festivities, and joyful shouts could be heard far from the city of Jerusalem.

₄₄On that same day, some leaders were appointed to be responsible for the safekeeping of gifts for the temple and to be in charge of receiving the first part of the harvest and the ten per cent of the crops and livestock that was offered to God. These same leaders also collected the part of crops that the Law of Moses taught was to be given to the Levites.

Everyone was pleased with the work of the priests and Levites, ₄₅when they performed the ceremonies to make people acceptable to worship God. And the singers and the temple guards did their jobs according to the instructions given by David and his son Solomon. ₄₆In fact, ever since the days of David and Asaph, there had been song leaders and songs of praise and worship. ₄₇During the time when Zerubbabel and I were in charge, everyone in Israel gave what they were supposed to give for the daily needs of the singers and temple guards from the Levi tribe. Then the Levites would give the priests their share from what they had received.