These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel
the 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. These were the chiefs of the priests
and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.
And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and
Mattaniah, who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of
thanksgiving. And Bakbukiah and Unni and their brothers stood
opposite them in the service. And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim,
Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada,
Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.
And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers'
houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; of Ezra,
Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; of Malluchi, Jonathan; of
Shebaniah, Joseph; of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; of Iddo,
Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin,
of Moadiah, Piltai; of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; of
Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok,
Eber; of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites
were recorded as heads of fathers' houses; so too were the priests
in the reign of Darius the Persian. As for the sons of Levi, their
heads of fathers' houses were written in the Book of the Chronicles
until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And the chiefs of
the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel,
with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and to give
thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch
by watch. Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and
Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the
gates. These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of
Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra, the
priest and scribe.
And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the
Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to
celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with
singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. And the sons of the
singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem
and from the villages of the Netophathites; also from Beth-gilgal
and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built
for themselves villages around Jerusalem. And the priests and the
Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the
gates and the wall.
Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and
appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south
on the wall to the Dung Gate. And after them went Hoshaiah and half
of the leaders of Judah, and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah,
Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, and certain of the priests' sons
with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son
of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph; and his
relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel,
Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of
God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. At the Fountain Gate
they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of
David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the
Water Gate on the east.
The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I
followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower
of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall, and above the Gate of Ephraim, and
by the Gate of Yeshanah, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of
Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they
came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. So both choirs of those
who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the
officials with me; and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin,
Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; and
Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and
Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. And they
offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made
them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced.
And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the
contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them
the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the
Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced
over the priests and the Levites who ministered. And they performed
the service of their God and the service of purification, as did
the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David
and his son Solomon. For long ago in the days of David and Asaph
there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise
and thanksgiving to God. And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel
and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers
and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the
Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of
Aaron.
