Nehemiah 12

Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

1Here are the priests and Levites who came home with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Priests helped people worship God. Levites helped at God's house. The list starts with Seraiah, Jeremiah, and Ezra.

2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

2Also Amariah, Malluch, and Hattush.

3Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

3Also Shechaniah, Rehum, and Meremoth.

4Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,

4Also Iddo, Ginnetho, and Abijah.

5Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

5Also Miamin, Maadiah, and Bilgah.

6Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

6Also Shemaiah, Joiarib, and Jedaiah.

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

7Also Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These men led the priests and the other workers when Jeshua was alive.

8Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, which was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

8The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. Mattaniah and his helpers led the thank-you songs.

9Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them in the watches.

9Bakbukiah and Unni were their fellow workers. They stood across from them during the singing.

10And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,

10Jeshua was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada.

11And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

11Joiada was the father of Jonathan. Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

12And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

12When Joiakim was alive, these men led the priests' families. Meraiah led Seraiah's family. Hananiah led Jeremiah's family.

13Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

13Meshullam led Ezra's family. Jehohanan led Amariah's family.

14Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

14Jonathan led Melicu's family. Joseph led Shebaniah's family.

15Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

15Adna led Harim's family. Helkai led Meraioth's family.

16Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

16Zechariah led Iddo's family. Meshullam led Ginnethon's family.

17Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

17Zichri led Abijah's family. Piltai led the families of Miniamin and Moadiah.

18Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

18Shammua led Bilgah's family. Jehonathan led Shemaiah's family.

19And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

19Mattenai led Joiarib's family. Uzzi led Jedaiah's family.

20Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

20Kallai led Sallai's family. Eber led Amok's family.

21Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

21Hashabiah led Hilkiah's family. Nethaneel led Jedaiah's family.

22The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers: also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian.

22The family leaders of the Levites were written down in a list. So were the priests. This happened while Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua lived. It was during the time King Darius of Persia ruled.

NoteThe KJV says the leaders were "recorded." That means their names were written down in an official list.

23The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

23The family leaders from Levi's family were written in a record book. The list went up to the time of Johanan, son of Eliashib.

24And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward.

24The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel. Their helpers stood facing them. One group sang, then the other group sang back. They did this to praise and thank God. King David, a man who loved God, had told them to do it this way.

25Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates.

25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers. They guarded the storerooms by the gates.

26These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

26These men worked when Joiakim was alive. He was the son of Jeshua and grandson of Jozadak. They also worked when Nehemiah was governor, the leader of the land. Ezra the priest was there too. He was a scribe, a man who studied and copied God's law.

27And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.

27The people were ready to give the new wall to God. So they looked for the Levites in all their towns. They brought them to Jerusalem for a glad celebration. There were thank-you songs and singing. They played cymbals, harps, and lyres.

28And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi;

28The singers came together from the land around Jerusalem. Some came from the villages of Netophathi.

29Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem.

29Others came from Beth Gilgal and the fields of Geba and Azmaveth. The singers had built villages for themselves near Jerusalem.

30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

30The priests and Levites made themselves clean, the way God's law said. Then they made the people clean too. They also made the gates and the wall clean.

31Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:

31Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall. I chose two big choirs to sing thank-you songs. One choir walked right along the wall, toward the Dung Gate.

NoteThe KJV calls these groups "companies of them that gave thanks." They were choirs, groups of people singing together.

32And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah,

32Hoshaiah walked behind them. So did half the leaders of Judah.

33And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

33Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam went too.

34Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

34So did Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.

35And certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets; namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph:

35Some sons of the priests came with trumpets. One was Zechariah, son of Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of Shemaiah, whose father was Mattaniah. Mattaniah's father was Michaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph.

36And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

36His fellow workers came too. They were Shemaiah, Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, Judah, and Hanani. They carried the music instruments David had chosen. Ezra the scribe walked in front of them.

37And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.

37At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps. These steps led into the City of David and up to the wall. They passed above David's house and reached the Water Gate on the east.

38And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;

38The second choir walked the other way along the wall. I followed them with half the people. We went past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall.

39And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.

39We went above the Ephraim Gate, the Old Gate, and the Fish Gate. We passed the Tower of Hananeel and the Tower of the Hundred. We kept going to the Sheep Gate. Then we stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

NoteThe KJV calls the last gate the "prison gate." It was the gate where guards stood watch.

40So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:

40The two thank-you choirs stood in God's house. I stood there too. So did half the leaders who were with me.

41And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

41The priests with trumpets were there. They were Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah.

42And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

42Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer were there too. The singers sang out loud. Jezrahiah was their leader.

43Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

43That day they gave many animals to God as gifts. The people were full of joy, because God had made them glad. The women and children were happy too. People far away could hear the happy sounds of Jerusalem.

44And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.

44That same day, men were chosen to care for the storerooms. These rooms held gifts, first crops, and tithes. A tithe was one part out of ten that people gave to God. The gifts came in from the fields around the towns. God's law said these gifts belonged to the priests and Levites. The people of Judah were glad for the priests and Levites who served.

45And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.

45The singers and gatekeepers did the work God gave them. They also did the work of keeping things clean and holy. King David and his son Solomon had planned it this way.

46For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.

46Long before, when David and Asaph lived, there were leaders for the singers. There were also songs to praise and thank God.

47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron.

47In the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel gave food to the singers and gatekeepers. They gave a share every day. They also set apart gifts for the Levites. The Levites then set apart gifts for the family of Aaron.