Nehemiah 7

Nehemiah appoints leaders and checks genealogies

Construction on the wall was finally completed. It’s doors were installed, and and the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were all stationed to their positions. I put Hanani (my brother) and Hananiah (the castle governor) in charge over Jerusalem because they were more faithful and God-fearing than most. I told them, “Don’t open Jerusalem’s gates until the sun is hot, and keep them guarded until they’re closed. Draft Jerusalem’s citizens as guards and station them in front of their posts and communities.” They city was large, but it didn’t have many inhabitants, and none of the houses had been rebuilt yet.

Then my God prompted me to organize the nobles, officials, and common people by genealogy. I found the genealogy records of the first batch of people who returned from Babylon, and it said:

These are the people who were captured by Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and returned to Jerusalem and Judah. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

Israelites:
2,172 of Paroah’s descendants
372 of Shephatiah’s descendants
652 of Arah’s descendants
2,818 of Pahath-moab’s descendants (mostly through Jeshua and Joab)
1,254 of Elam’s descendants
845 of Zattu’s descendants
760 of Zaccai’s descendants
648 of Binnui’s descendants
628 of Bebai’s descendants
2,322 of Azgad’s descendants
667 of Adonikam’s descendants
2,067 of Bigvai’s descendants
655 of Adin’s descendants
98 of Ater’s descendants (mostly through Hezekiah)
328 of Hashum’s descendants
324 of Bezai’s descendants
112 of Hariph’s descendants
95 of Gibeon’s descendants
188 from Bethlehem and Netophah
128 from Anathoth
42 from Beth-azmaveth
743 from Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth
621 from Ramah and Geba
122 from Michmas
123 from Bethel and Ai
52 from the other Nebo
1,254 of the other Elam’s descendants
320 of Harim’s descendants
345 of Jericho’s descendants
721 of Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s descendants
3,930 of Senaah’s descendants

Priests:
973 of Jedaiah’s descendants (mostly through Jeshua)
1,052 of Immer’s descendants
1,247 of Pashhur’s descendants
1,017 of Harim’s descendants

Levites:
74 of Jeshua’s descendants (mostly through Hodevah’s descendant Kadmiel)

Singers:
148 of Asaph’s descendants

Gatekeepers:
138 sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai

Temple servants:
The sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

Descendants of Solomon’s servants:
392 total: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.

People who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer but couldn’t prove their ancestry from Israel:
642 sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda
Priests: sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took on their name)
They claimed to be in our genealogies but weren’t verified, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor told them that they couldn’t eat the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim arose.

The whole caravan was made up of:
42,360 men
7,337 servants (male and female)
245 singers (male and female)
736 horses
245 mules
437 camels
6,720 donkeys

Some of the patriarchs donated to the work
The governor gave 1,000 gold coins (weighing 18.7 pounds), 50 basins, 30 priests’ outfits, 625 pounds of silver. Some of the patriarchs donated 374 pounds of gold coins and 2,750 pounds of silver. The rest of the people gave 374 pounds of gold coins, 2500 pounds of silver, and 67 priests’ outfits.

So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, some of the common people, the temple servants, and all the Israelites lived in their towns. When the seventh month had come, the Israelites were all in their towns.