1 So, we finished building the wall. Then we put the doors in the gates. Then we chose the men that would guard the gates. And we chose the men to sing in the temple and help the priests. 2 Next, I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem. I chose another man named Hananiah to be the commander of the fort. I picked Hanani because he was a very honest man and he feared God more than most men do. 3 Then I said to Hanani and Hananiah, “Each day you must wait until the sun has been up for several hours before you open the gates of Jerusalem. And you must shut and lock the gates before the sun goes down. Also choose people that live in Jerusalem as guards. Put some of those people at special places to guard the city. And put the other people near their own houses.” 4 Now the city was large and there was plenty of room. But there were few people in it and the houses had not yet been built again. 5 So my God put it in my heart to have all the people meet together. I called together all the important people, the officials, and the common people. I did this so I could make a list of all the families. I found the family lists of the people that had been the first to return from captivity. This is what I found written there: 6 These are the people of the province that came back from captivity. In the past, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took these people as prisoners to Babylon. These people came back to Jerusalem and Judah. Each person went to his own town. 7 These people returned with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. This is the list of names and numbers of men from Israel that came back: 8 The descendants of Parosh 2,172 9 the descendants of Shephatiah 372 10 the descendants of Arah 652 11 the descendants of Pahath Moab of the family 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 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 the family of Hezekiah 98 22 the descendants of Hashum 328 23 the descendants of Bezai 324 24 the descendants of Hariph 112 25 the descendants of Gibeon 95 26 from the towns of Bethlehem and Netophah 188 27 from the town of Anathoth 128 28 from the town of Beth Azmaveth 42 29 from the towns of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth 743 30 from the towns of Ramah and Geba 621 31 from the town of Micmash 122 32 from the towns of Bethel and Ai 123 33 from the other town of Nebo 52 34 from the other town of Elam 1,254 35 from the town of Harim 320 36 from the town of Jericho 345 37 from the towns of Lod, Hadid, and Ono 721 38 from the town of Senaah 3,930 39 These are the priests: The descendants of Jedaiah through the family of Jeshua 973 40 the descendants of Immer 1,052 41 the descendants of Pashhur 1,247 42 the descendants of Harim 1,017 43 These are the people from the family group of Levi: The descendants of Jeshua through Kadmiel through the family of Hodeiah 74 44 These are the singers: The descendants of Asaph 148 45 These are the gatekeepers: The descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai 138 46 These are the special temple servants: The descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, 47 Keros, Sia, Padon, 48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, 49 Hanan, Giddel, Gaher, 50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, 51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, 52 Besai, Meunim, Nephussim, 53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, 54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 56 Neziah and Hatipha. 57 These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, 58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, 59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth Hazzebaim, and Amon. 60 The temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392 61 Some people came to Jerusalem from these towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But these people could not prove that their families really came from the people of Israel: 62 The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642 63 From the family of priests there were the descendants of: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (If a man married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead, that man was counted as a descendant of Barzillai.) 64 These people searched for their family histories, but they could not find them. They could not prove that their ancestors were priests, so they could serve as priests. Their names were not included in the list of priests. 65 The governor ordered these people to not eat any of the most holy food. They could not eat any of this food until the ˻high˼ priest could use the Urim and Thummim to ask God what to do. 66 - 67 All together, there were 42,360 people in the group that came back. This is not counting their 7,337 men and women servants. They also had 245 men and women singers with them. 68 - 69 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 70 Some of the family leaders gave money to support the work. The governor gave 19 pounds of gold to the treasury. He also gave 50 bowls and 530 pieces of clothing for the priests. 71 The family leaders gave 375 pounds of gold to the treasury to support the work. And they also gave 1,1/3 tons of silver. 72 And all together the other people gave 375 pounds of gold, 1,1/3 tons of silver, and 67 pieces of clothing for the priests. 73 So, the priests, the people from the family group of Levi, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the temple servants settled down in their own towns. And all the other people of Israel settled down in their own towns. And by the seventh month of the year all the people of Israel had settled down in their own towns.
