The Living Bible (156 page)

Nehemiah
10

I, Nehemiah the governor, signed the covenant. The others who signed it were: Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. (All those listed above were priests.)

    
^9-13
 These were the Levites who signed: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (son of Henadad), Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.

    
^14-27
 The political leaders who signed: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

    
²⁸
 These men signed on behalf of the entire nation—for the common people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the choir members, the Temple servants, and all the rest who, with their wives and sons and daughters who were old enough to understand, had separated themselves from the heathen people of the land in order to serve God.
²⁹
 For we all heartily agreed to this oath and vowed to accept the curse of God unless we obeyed God’s laws as issued by his servant Moses.

    
³⁰
 We also agreed not to let our daughters marry non-Jewish men and not to let our sons marry non-Jewish girls.

    
³¹
 We further agreed that if the heathen people in the land should bring any grain or other produce to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we would refuse to buy it. And we agreed not to do any work every seventh year and to forgive and cancel the debts of our brother Jews.

    
³²
 We also agreed to charge ourselves annually with a Temple tax so that there would be enough money to care for the Temple of our God;
³³
 for we needed supplies of the special Bread of the Presence, as well as grain offerings and burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moon feasts, and the annual feasts. We also needed to purchase the other items necessary for the work of the Temple and for the atonement of Israel.

    
³⁴
 Then we tossed a coin
*
to determine when—at regular times each year—the families of the priests, Levites, and leaders should supply the wood for the burnt offerings at the Temple as required in the law.

    
³⁵
 We also agreed always to bring the first part of every crop to the Temple—whether it be a ground crop or from our fruit and olive trees.

    
³⁶
 We agreed to give to God our oldest sons and the firstborn of all our cattle, herds, and flocks, just as the law requires; we presented them to the priests who minister in the Temple of our God.
³⁷
 They stored the produce in the Temple of our God—the best of our grain crops, and other contributions, the first of our fruit, and the first of the new wine and olive oil. And we promised to bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produced, for the Levites were responsible to collect the tithes in all our rural towns.
³⁸
 A priest—a descendant of Aaron—would be with the Levites as they received these tithes, and a tenth of all that was collected as tithes was delivered to the Temple and placed in the storage areas.
³⁹
 The people and the Levites were required by law to bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple and place them in the sacred containers for use by the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the choir singers.

    
So we agreed together not to neglect the Temple of our God.

Nehemiah
11

The Israeli officials were living in Jerusalem, the Holy City, at this time; but now a tenth of the people from the other cities and towns of Judah and Benjamin were selected by lot to live there too.
²
 Some who moved to Jerusalem at this time were volunteers, and they were highly honored.

    
³
 Following is a list of the names of the provincial officials who came to Jerusalem (though most of the leaders, the priests, the Levites, the Temple assistants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants continued to live in their own homes in the various cities of Judah).

    
^4-6
 Leaders from the tribe of Judah:

    
Athaiah (son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez);

    
Maaseiah (son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite).

    
These were the 468 stalwart descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem.

    
^7-9
 Leaders from the tribe of Benjamin:

    
Sallu (son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah).

    
The 968 descendants of Gabbai and Sallai. Their chief was Joel, son of Zichri, who was assisted by Judah, son of Hassenuah.

    
^10-14
 Leaders from among the priests:

    
Jedaiah (son of Joiarib);

    
Jachin;

    
Seraiah (son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub the chief priest).

    
In all, there were 822 priests doing the work at the Temple under the leadership of these men. And there were 242 priests under the leadership of Adaiah (son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah).

    
There were also 128 stalwart men under the leadership of Amashsai (son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer), who was assisted by Zabdiel (son of Haggedolim).

    
^15-17
 Levite leaders:

    
Shemaiah (son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni);

    
Shabbethai and Jozabad, who were in charge of the work outside the Temple;

    
Mattaniah (son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph) was the one who began the thanksgiving services with prayer;

    
Bakbukiah and Abda (son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun) were his assistants.

    
¹⁸
 In all, there were 284 Levites in Jerusalem.

    
¹⁹
 There were also 172 gatekeepers, led by Akkub, Talmon, and others of their clan.
²⁰
 The other priests, Levites, and people lived wherever their family inheritance was located.
²¹
 However, the Temple workers (whose leaders were Ziha and Gishpa) all lived in Ophel.

    
^22-23
 The supervisor of the Levites in Jerusalem and of those serving at the Temple was Uzzi (son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica), a descendant of Asaph, whose clan became the Tabernacle singers. He was appointed by King David,
*
who also set the pay scale of the singers.

    
²⁴
 Pethahiah (son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah, a son of Judah) assisted in all matters of public administration.

    
^25-30
 Some of the towns where the people of Judah lived were: Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel (and their surrounding villages), Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beersheba (and its surrounding villages), Ziklag, Meconah and its villages, En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, Zanoah, Adullam (and their surrounding villages), Lachish and its nearby fields, Azekah and its towns.

    
So the people spread from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.

    
^31-35
 The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived at: Geba, Michmash, Aija, Bethel (and its surrounding villages), Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, Lod, Ono (the Valley of the Craftsmen).

    
³⁶
 Some of the Levites who lived in Judah were sent to live with the tribe of Benjamin.

Nehemiah
12

Here is a list of the priests who accompanied Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.

    
⁸
 The Levites who went with them were: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah—who was the one in charge of the thanksgiving service.

    
⁹
 Bakbukiah and Unni, their fellow clansmen, helped them during the service.

    
^10-11
 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim;

    
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib;

    
Eliashib was the father of Joiada;

    
Joiada was the father of Jonathan;

    
Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

    
^12-21
 The following were the clan leaders of the priests who served under the High Priest Joiakim:

    
Meraiah, leader of the Seraiah clan;

    
Hananiah, leader of the Jeremiah clan;

    
Meshullam, leader of the Ezra clan;

    
Jehohanan, leader of the Amariah clan;

    
Jonathan, leader of the Malluchi clan;

    
Joseph, leader of the Shebaniah clan;

    
Adna, leader of the Harim clan;

    
Helkai, leader of the Meraioth clan;

    
Zechariah, leader of the Iddo clan;

    
Meshullam, leader of the Ginnethon clan;

    
Zichri, leader of the Abijah clan;

    
Piltai, leader of the Moadiah and Miniamin clans;

    
Shammua, leader of the Bilgah clan;

    
Jehonathan, leader of the Shemaiah clan;

    
Mattenai, leader of the Joiarib clan;

    
Uzzi, leader of the Jedaiah clan;

    
Kallai, leader of the Sallai clan;

    
Eber, leader of the Amok clan;

    
Hashabiah, leader of the Hilkiah clan;

    
Nethanel, leader of the Jedaiah clan.

    
²²
 A genealogical record of the heads of the clans of the priests and Levites was compiled during the reign of King Darius of Persia, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua—all of whom were Levites.
²³
 In
The Book of the Chronicles
the Levite names were recorded down to the days of Johanan, the son of Eliashib.

    
²⁴
 These were the chiefs of the Levites at that time: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua (son of Kadmiel).

    
Their fellow clansmen helped them during the ceremonies of praise and thanksgiving, just as commanded by David, the man of God.

    
²⁵
 The gatekeepers who had charge of the collection centers at the gates were: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub.

    
²⁶
 These were the men who were active in the time of Joiakim (son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak), and when I was the governor, and when Ezra was the priest and teacher of religion.

    
²⁷
 During the dedication of the new Jerusalem wall, all the Levites throughout the land came to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies and to take part in the joyous occasion with their thanksgiving, cymbals, psaltries, and harps.
²⁸
 The choir members also came to Jerusalem from the surrounding villages and from the villages of the Netophathites;
²⁹
 they also came from Beth-gilgal and the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own villages as suburbs of Jerusalem.
³⁰
 The priests and Levites first dedicated themselves, then the people, the gates, and the wall.

    
^31-32
 I led the Judean leaders to the top of the wall and divided them into two long lines to walk in opposite directions along the top of the wall, giving thanks as they went. The group which went to the right toward the Dung Gate consisted of half of the leaders of Judah,
³³
 including Hoshaiah, Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
³⁴
 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.

    
^35-36
 The priests who played the trumpets were Zechariah (son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph), Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. (They used the original musical instruments of King David.) Ezra the priest led this procession.
³⁷
 When they arrived at the Fountain Gate they went straight ahead and climbed the stairs that go up beside the castle to the old City of David; then they went to the Water Gate on the east.

    
³⁸
 The other group, of which I was a member, went around the other way to meet them. We walked from the Tower of Furnaces to the Broad Wall,
³⁹
 then from the Ephraim Gate to the Old Gate, passed the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and went on to the gate of the Tower of the Hundred; then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and stopped at the Prison Gate.

    
^40-41
 Both choirs then proceeded to the Temple. Those with me were joined by the trumpet-playing priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah,
⁴²
 and by the singers—Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer.

    
They sang loudly and clearly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choirmaster.

    
⁴³
 Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given us cause for great joy. The women and children rejoiced, too, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem was heard far away!

    
⁴⁴
 On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the treasuries, the wave offerings, the tithes, and first-of-the-harvest offerings, and to collect these from the farms as decreed by the laws of Moses. These offerings were assigned to the priests and Levites, for the people of Judah appreciated the priests and Levites and their ministry.
⁴⁵
 They also appreciated the work of the singers and gatekeepers, who assisted them in worshiping God and performing the purification ceremonies as required by the laws of David and his son Solomon.
⁴⁶
 (It was in the days of David and Asaph that the custom began of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanks to God.)
⁴⁷
 So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, the people brought a daily supply of food for the members of the choir, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion of what they received to the priests.
*