Nehemiah 12
Priests and Levites listed
These are the priests and Levites who went with Zerubbabel (Shealtiel’s son) and Jeshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.
They were the leaders of the priests and their brothers in Jeshua’s time.
And these are the Levites:
Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah (who was in charge of the thankful songs with his brothers). Bakbukiah, Unni, and their brothers stood opposite of them in service. Jeshua fathered Joiakim who fathered Eliashib who fathered Joiada who fathered Jonathan who fathered Jaddua.
In Joiakim’s time, these were the priestly patriarchs:
Meraiah (from Seraiah), Hananiah (from Jeremiah), Meshullam (from Ezra), Jehohanan (from Amariah), Jonathan (from Malluchi), Joseph (from Shebaniah), Adna (from Harim), Helkai (from Meraioth), Zechariah (from Iddo), Meshullam (from Ginnethon), Zichri (from Abijah), Piltai (from Moadiah from Miniamin), Shammua (from Bilgah), Jehonathan (from Shemaiah), Mattenai (from Joiarib), Uzzi (from Jedaiah), Kallai (from Sallai), Eber (from Amok), and Hashabiah (from Hilkiah), Nethanel (from Jedaiah).
In the time period of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded as patriarchs, and so were the priests during Darius the Persian’s reign. Levi’s patriarchs were recorded in the Book of Chronicles until the time period of Johanan (Eliashib’s son). The Levite officials were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua (Kadmiel’s son), and their brothers who stood opposite of them. They praised and thanked God every shift just like David had ordered. Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were the gatekeepers who guarded the storage rooms. This was during the time period of Joiakim (Jeshua’s son and Jozadak’s grandson) and Nehemiah (the governor) and Ezra (the priest and scribe).
Israel’s dedication ceremony for the wall
When they were dedicating Jerusalem’s wall, they had all the Levites come to Jerusalem to celebrate and sing thankfully with cymbals, harps, and lyres. The sons of the singers came from the district surrounding Jerusalem, the Netophathite villages, Beth-gilgal, and the regions of Geba and Azmaveth. (They had built villages around Jerusalem.) The priests and Levites purified themselves, the people, the gates, and the wall.
Then I had Judah’s leader come up onto the wall and had two big choirs sing thanks, with one of them stationed south near Dung Gate. Hoshaiah went after them with half of Judah’s leaders including Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, and some of the priests’ sons who carried trumpets: Zechariah (son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph), his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani with David’s instruments. Ezra (the scribe) went ahead of them. When they reached the Fountain Gate, they went up the stairs above David’s house where the wall ascended to the Water Gate on the east.
The other choir went to the north on top of the wall, and I followed them along with half of the people. They walked over the Ovens Tower to the Broad Wall, over the Ephraim gate, past the Yeshanah Gate, past the Fish Gate, past the Hananel Tower, past the Tower of the Hundred, and they came to a halt at the Guard Gate.
So both choirs stood in God’s house along with myself, half of the officials who were with me, the priests with their trumpets (Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah), and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. They offered great sacrifices that day and God caused them to celebrate joyfully. The women and children also joined in on the celebration, and the noise could be heard from far away.
On that day, men were appointed to manage the storage rooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes. They were to collect the portions the Law required from each region and give them to the priests and Levites. Judah celebrated the priests and Levites who ministered for them. They held one service for God and another for the purification, and so did the singers and gatekeepers just like David and Solomon had ordered. In the days of David and Asaph, the singers had directors and they sung praises and thanks to God. Now in the time of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, Israel gave daily portions to the singers and gatekeepers, also setting apart the Levites’ portion who then set apart the portion for Aaron’s descendants.