Nehemiah 7

Securing the City

¹When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.

²Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. ³And I told them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.”

The List of Returning Exiles// Ezra 2:1–67

⁴Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ⁵Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it:

• NEH 7:4[NOTE]A BIG, EMPTY CITY. The walls were up, but few people lived inside. Chapter 11 fixes that.
• NEH 7:5[HEART]God put it into Nehemiah's heart to gather the people and count the families.

⁶These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, ⁷accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

• NEH 7:6[NOTE]THE SAME LIST. 7:6 to 73 repeats the list of Ezra 2, with small differences in names and numbers. Both totals are 42,360. See the 2:64 note in Ezra.

This is the count of the men of Israel:

⁸the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

¹⁰the descendants of Arah, 652;

¹¹the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;

¹²the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

¹³the descendants of Zattu, 845;

¹⁴the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁵the descendants of Binnui, 648;

¹⁶the descendants of Bebai, 628;

¹⁷the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

¹⁸the descendants of Adonikam, 667;

¹⁹the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

²⁰the descendants of Adin, 655;

²¹the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;

²²the descendants of Hashum, 328;

²³the descendants of Bezai, 324;

²⁴the descendants of Hariph, 112;

²⁵the descendants of Gibeon, 95;

²⁶the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

²⁷the men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁸the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;

²⁹the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

³¹the men of Michmash, 122;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

³³the men of the other Nebo, 52;

³⁴the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;

³⁵the descendants of Harim, 320;

³⁶the men of Jericho, 345;

³⁷the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

³⁸and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;

⁴⁰the descendants of Immer, 1,052;

⁴¹the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

⁴²and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah), 74.

⁴⁴The singers:

the descendants of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers:

the descendants of Shallum,

the descendants of Ater,

the descendants of Talmon,

the descendants of Akkub,

the descendants of Hatita,

and the descendants of Shobai,

138 in all.

⁴⁶The temple servants:

the descendants of Ziha,

the descendants of Hasupha,

the descendants of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷the descendants of Keros,

the descendants of Sia,

the descendants of Padon,

⁴⁸the descendants of Lebanah,

the descendants of Hagabah,

the descendants of Shalmai,

⁴⁹the descendants of Hanan,

the descendants of Giddel,

the descendants of Gahar,

⁵⁰the descendants of Reaiah,

the descendants of Rezin,

the descendants of Nekoda,

⁵¹the descendants of Gazzam,

the descendants of Uzza,

the descendants of Paseah,

⁵²the descendants of Besai,

the descendants of Meunim,

the descendants of Nephushesim,

⁵³the descendants of Bakbuk,

the descendants of Hakupha,

the descendants of Harhur,

⁵⁴the descendants of Bazlith,

the descendants of Mehida,

the descendants of Harsha,

⁵⁵the descendants of Barkos,

the descendants of Sisera,

the descendants of Temah,

⁵⁶the descendants of Neziah,

and the descendants of Hatipha.

⁵⁷The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of Sotai,

the descendants of Sophereth,

the descendants of Perida,

⁵⁸the descendants of Jaala,

the descendants of Darkon,

the descendants of Giddel,

⁵⁹the descendants of Shephatiah,

the descendants of Hattil,

the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,

and the descendants of Amon.

⁶⁰The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.

⁶¹The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:

⁶²the descendants of Delaiah,

the descendants of Tobiah,

and the descendants of Nekoda,

642 in all.

⁶³And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah,

the descendants of Hakkoz,

and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).

⁶⁴These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶The whole assembly numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Offerings by the Exiles// Exodus 38:21–31; Ezra 2:68–70

⁷⁰Some of the heads of the families contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. ⁷¹And some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the project 20,000 gold coins and 2,750 pounds of silver. ⁷²The rest of the people gave a total of 20,000 gold coins, 2,500 pounds of silver, and 67 priestly garments.

• NEH 7:70[FIELD NOTES]See the Persian Gold Coins Field Notes page in Ezra.

⁷³So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.