Then he said unto them, Go, eat the fat, and drink sweet wine, and send portions unto those who have nothing prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord, and not sad; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.

And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the plaza that was before the water gate, and they spoke unto Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

and didst show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh and on all his slaves and on all the people of his land; for thou didst know that they had dealt proudly against them. So didst thou make thee a name, as it is this day.

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed before the God of the heavens

And Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites that caused the people to be attentive, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

And thou didst divide the sea before them so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou didst throw into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

and said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of the heavens, strong, great and terrible, who keeps covenant and mercy for those that love thee and observe thy commandments;

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy slave and to the prayer of thy slaves who desire to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy slave this day, and grant him grace before this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

let thine ear now be attentive and thine eyes open, that thou may hear the prayer of thy slave, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the sons of Israel, thy slaves, and I confess the sins of the sons of Israel, with which we have sinned against thee; both I and my father's house have sinned.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou didst command thy slave Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples;

We have dealt very corruptly against thee and have not kept the commandments nor the statutes nor the judgments, which thou didst command thy slave Moses.

And do not cover their iniquity, nor let their sin be blotted out from before thee, for they have become angry against the builders.

Now these are thy slaves and thy people, whom thou hast ransomed with thy great power and with thy strong hand.

The sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.

but if ye turn unto me and keep my commandments and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from there and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to cause my name to dwell there.

and said unto the king, Let the king live for ever; why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the house of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?

Moreover, thou didst lead them by day with a pillar of cloud and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light in the way by which they should go.

Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,

of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

and their brethren that did the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchiah,

And next to them Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Koz restored. And next to them Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel restored. And next to them Zadok, the son of Baana, restored.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my mercies that I have done for the house of my God and for its wards.

And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah! And now these words shall be heard by the king. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together.

And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

And all the people went to eat and to drink and to send portions and to rejoice with great joy because they had understood the words that were taught unto them.

The sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.

So the Levites caused all the people to be silent, saying, Be silent, for the day is holy; neither be ye sad.

Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

Then I meditated unto myself, and I rebuked the principals and the rulers and said unto them, Does each one of you exact usury of his brother? And I set a great assembly against them.

of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

And they found written in the law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month

and his brethren, princes of families, two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai, the son of Azareel, the son of Ahasai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,

And it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were sound and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.

of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

Thou didst come down upon Mount Sinai and didst speak with them from heaven and didst give them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments,

The heads of the people; Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani,

and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem and to hinder it.

And on the next day the princes of the families of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered together unto Ezra, the scribe, to understand the words of the law.

So the people went forth and brought them and made themselves booths, each one upon the roof of his house and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God and in the plaza of the water gate and in the plaza of the gate of Ephraim.

In those days I saw in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath and bringing in sheaves and lading asses with wine, grapes, figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I protested unto them the day in which they sold the food.

And next to them the Tekoites restored; but their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their Lord.

Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou dost feign them out of thine own heart.

And thou didst give them bread from heaven in their hunger and didst bring forth water for them out of the rock in their thirst and didst promise them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

and refused to hear; neither did they remember thy wonders that thou hadst done among them, but hardened their necks and in their rebellion thought to appoint a leader to return to their bondage; but thou art a God of pardons, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great mercy, for thou didst not leave them.

There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish and all manner of merchandise, and sold on the sabbath to the sons of Judah in Jerusalem.

and didst make known unto them the sabbath of thy holiness and didst prescribe for them commandments, statutes, and law by the hand of Moses, thy slave.

Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.

of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount and bring olive branches and pine branches and myrtle branches and palm branches and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.

Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,

But they and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their necks and did not hearken unto thy commandments

of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

Thou didst give thy good spirit to teach them and didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth and didst give them water for their thirst.

For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it not be done. Now, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish so that we are not able to build the wall.

The Levites in the days of Eliashib, of Joiada and of Johanan and of Jaddua, were recorded as heads of families; also the priests, until the reign of Darius, the Persian.

Now these are the priests and the Levites that came up with Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

And Mattaniah, the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer; and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren, and Abda, the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the principals of the Levites, overseers of the exterior work of the house of God.

These were in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the captain, and of Ezra, the priest and scribe.

The overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi, the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha of singers, the sons of Asaph, over the work of the house of God.

And Ezra read in the book of the law of God each day, from the first day unto the last day. And they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch over the builders day and night because of them.

Moreover, the porters, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren, guards at the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two.

yet thou in thy manifold mercies didst not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither did the pillar of fire by night, to illuminate the way in which they should go.

Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do and profane thus the sabbath day?

The heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, the son of Kadmiel, and their brethren before them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the statute of David, the man of God, keeping each one their ward.

of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

And the residue of Israel, of the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each one in his inheritance.

The sons of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.

Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

And the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, , and Ziha and Gispa were over the Nethinims.

All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.

The sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,

Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall and appointed two great choirs which went in procession, one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate.

Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates.

So the wall was finished the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

And of the Levites: Shemaiah, the son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

Now it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem, the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates),

Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek,

And the sons of the singers were gathered together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem and from the villages of Netophathi;

of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,

Also I said, What you do is not good, do you not walk in the fear of our God, that ye not be the reproach of our enemies the Gentiles?

For he was bribed to make me be thus afraid and sin and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

and in Hazarshual and in Beersheba and in its villages

and in Ziklag and in Mekonah and in its villages,

and in Jeshua and in Moladah and in Bethphelet

Then the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? So the matter pleased the king, and he sent me; and I set him a time.

For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah, the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.

The sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.

And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren, the Jews who had been sold unto the Gentiles; and will ye even sell your brethren? And shall they be sold unto us? Then they remained silent, for they had nothing to answer.

And I said unto the king, If it pleases the king, and if thy slave has found favour in thy sight, that thou would send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may rebuild it.

Even when they had made themselves a molten calf and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had committed great abominations;

Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wax old, and their feet did not swell.

They also reported his good deeds before me and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

The sons of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

and a letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace of the house and for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of the LORD upon me.

and their brethren, mighty men of valour, one hundred and twenty-eight; and their captain was Zabdiel, the son of Gedolim.

Moreover, the old gate was restored by Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.

Did not your fathers do this, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

And they took strong cities and fertile land and inherited houses full of all goods, hewn cisterns, vineyards and oliveyards and many trees of good fruit; so they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

I, likewise, and my brethren and my servants, have lent them money and grain; let us now release them from this burden.

So neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, each one put them off only for washing.

But it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was wroth and took great indignation and mocked the Jews.

In those days I also saw Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;

And I said unto the principals and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

When Sanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah, the slave, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

Restore, I pray you, to them, today, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, and even the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

The sons of Pahathmoab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.

And next to them restored Melatiah, the Gibeonite, and Jadon, the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, on behalf of the captain of the king over the land on this side the river.

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgiving and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.

Then Eliashib, the high priest, rose up with his brethren, the priests, and they built the sheep gate; they sanctified it and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

Afterward I came in secret unto the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they are coming to slay thee; yea, tonight they will come to slay thee.

Moreover, I said unto the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the captains on the other side of the river, that they may convey me over until I come into Judah,

And our adversaries said, They shall not know or see until we come in the midst among them and slay them and cause the work to cease.

Then there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren, the Jews.

Then I testified and protested against them and said unto them, Why do ye lodge about the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came no more on the sabbath.

And I told the Levites that they should cleanse themselves and that they should come and guard the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; but the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city and nine parts to dwell in the other cities.

And all the congregation of those that returned out of the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths, for since the days of Jeshua, the son of Nun, unto that day, the sons of Israel had not done so. And there was very great joy.

Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,

Then I looked and rose up and said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, Do not be afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

Then I came to the captains of the other side of the river and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent princes of the army and horsemen with me.

Next to them Uzziel, the son of Harhaiah, of the refiners restored. Next unto him Hananiah, the son of one of the apothecaries, also restored, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.

So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless, strange women caused even him to offend.

Therefore, I set in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I set the people by families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib, the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore, I chased him from me.

and their sons spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and according to the language of each people; for they could not speak in the Jews' language.

And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither did I tell any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, except the beast that I rode upon.

Likewise that if the peoples of the land bring merchandise or any food on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not take anything from them on the sabbath or on the holy day, and that we would leave the seventh year and remit every debt.

But the former captains that had been before me had charged the people and had taken of them for bread and wine, upon forty shekels of silver; and in addition to this their servants bore rule over the people; but I did not do so because of the fear of God.

And I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me, for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

And I contended with them and cursed them and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

Moreover, from the day that I was appointed by the king to be their captain in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the captain.

Hosea, Hananiah, Hashub,

And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the fountain of the dragon and to the dung port and considered the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.

and in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

And Ezra, the priest, brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

After him restored Nehemiah, the son of Azbuk, the prince of half the region of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David and to the pool that was made and unto the house of the mighty.

Strengthened with their brethren, their nobles, they came forward in an oath with a curse that they would walk in God's law, which was given by the hand of Moses, the slave of God, and observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;

Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and its gates are burned with fire; come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no longer in reproach.

And the priests and the Levites purified themselves and purified the people and the gates and the wall.

Also I shook my lap and said, Thus will God shake out each man from his house and from his labour, that does not perform this promise, even thus shall he be shaken out and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.

and that we would not give our daughters unto the peoples of the land nor take their daughters for our sons.

Then I told them how the hand of my God was good upon me and likewise the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they comforted their hands for good.

And next unto them, Jedaiah, the son of Harumaph restored, and over against his house. And next unto him Hattush, the son of Hashabniah, restored.

Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month, the sons of Israel were assembled with fasting and with sackcloth and earth upon them.

But when Sanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah, the slave, the Ammonite, and Geshem, the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?

And the rulers did not know where I had gone or what I had done; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews nor to the priests nor to the nobles nor to the rulers nor to the rest that did the work.

And in the days of Joiakim the priests, the heads of the families were of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

But it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt among them came, they advised us ten times of all the places from which they would come upon us.

And the Levites: both Jeshua, the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;

My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works and on the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets, that did things to put me in fear.

And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his brethren officiated in the songs of praise.

And next unto them Rephaiah, the son of Hur, prince of the half part of Jerusalem, restored.

Shallun, the son of Colhozeh, the prince of the region of Mizpah, restored the gate of the fountain; he built it, covered it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Siloah of the king's garden, unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all those that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge and having understanding;

and Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands; and they humbled themselves and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Then I said, Should such a man as I flee? And who is there as I who could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.

The valley gate was restored by Hanun with the inhabitants of Zanoah; they rebuilt it and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and a thousand cubits in the wall unto the dung gate.

And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu, the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jesaiah.

Malchijah, the son of Harim, and Hashub, the son of Pahathmoab, restored the other piece and the tower of the furnaces.

Then went I up in the night by the brook and considered the wall and turned back and entered by the gate of the valley and so returned.

And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah, the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the sons of Perez;

Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange women?

The sons of Levi, heads of families, were written in the book of the chronicles, until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

And Pethahiah, the son of Meshezabeel, of the sons of Zerah, the son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people.

Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin.

The sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.

And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

Then they said, We will return it and will require nothing of them; so we will do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests and caused them to sware that they should do according to this promise.

and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets: namely, Zechariah, the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph;

and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

also from the house of Gilgal and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages round about Jerusalem.

Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,

Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

And next to them restored Shallum, the son of Halohesh, prince of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

And Joel, the son of Zichri, was their overseer; and Judah, the son of Senuah, was second over the city.

and Maaseiah, the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni.

Now these are the heads of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem; but in the cities of Judah each one dwelt in his possession in their cities, of Israel, of the priests, the Levites, and the Nethinims, and of the sons of Solomon's slaves.

Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.

And the sons of Hassenaah built the fish gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.

And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,

For there was a commandment of the king concerning them and a determination of the singers for each day.

All the sons of Perez that dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.

the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but brokenness of heart. Then I was very sore afraid

Those that built on the wall and those that bore burdens and those that laded wrought with one hand in the work and with the other held a weapon.

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the princes of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

After him restored the Levites, Rehum, the son of Bani. Next unto him Hashabiah, prince of half the region of Keilah, restored in his part.

and in Enrimmon and in Zareah and in Jarmuth,

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain and to the king's pool, but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

And regarding the villages with their lands, some of the sons of Judah dwelt in Kirjatharba and in its villages and in Dibon and in its villages and in Jekabzeel and in its villages,

Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Is this to be permitted them? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish on time? Will they resurrect the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which were burned?

And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, Levites, caused the people to be silent that they might understand the law; and the people were in their place.

Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were before them in the watches.

Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, in Lachish and its lands, in Azekah and in its villages. And they dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

Seraiah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, prince of the house of God,

And after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight.

Then I gave them a reply and said unto them, The God of the heavens, he will prosper us; therefore, we, his slaves, will arise and build; but ye have no portion nor righteousness, nor memorial in Jerusalem.

Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah;

And it came to pass from that time forth that half of the young men wrought in the work, and the other half of them held spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail; and the princes were behind all the house of Judah.

Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,

And next unto him the men of Jericho built. And next to them built Zaccur, the son of Imri.

Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

And it came to pass when our enemies heard that we had understood it, God brought their counsel to nought, and we returned all of us to the wall, each one unto his work.

After him Baruch, the son of Zabbai, earnestly restored the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib, the high priest.

Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

And the Nethinims were in Ophel, , unto the place over against the water gate toward the east and the tower that lies out.

Thus I cleansed them from all strangers and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, each one in his work,

And Malchiah, the son of Rechab, prince of the province of Bethhaccerem, restored the dung gate; he built it and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.

Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

In whatever place that you hear the voice of the shofar, join us there; our God shall fight for us.

And next to him Ezer, the son of Jeshua, prince of Mizpah, restored another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall.

And he read in the book before the plaza that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

So we laboured in the work, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

After him their brethren, Bavai, the son of Henadad, prince of the half the region of Keilah restored.

And Ezra, the scribe, stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchiah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

After him, Hananiah, the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, restored another piece. After him Meshullam, the son of Berechiah restored over against his chamber.

and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

After him, Malchiah, the son of the refiner, restored unto the place of the Nethinims and of the merchants, over against the gate of judgment and to the going up of the corner.

In addition to this, I restored my part in the work of this wall, neither did we buy any inheritance; and all my servants were gathered together unto the work.

After them the Tekoites restored another piece, over against the great tower that lies out, unto the wall of Ophel.

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

The sons of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.

that I commanded my brother Hanani, and Hananiah, the prince of the palace in Jerusalem (for he was as a man of truth and feared God above many);

After him, Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, restored another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

Palal, the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lies out from the king's high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah, the son of Parosh.

Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah: these were priests.

After them Benjamin and Hashub restored over against their house. After them Azariah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, restored by his house.

Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

The sons of Hariph, one hundred and twelve.

The sons of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.

Now it came to pass, when the wall was built and I had set up the doors and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

Now Tobiah, the Ammonite, was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox were to go up it, he would break down their stone wall.

Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let each one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that by night they may be a guard to us, and labour by day.

Remember me, my God, for good and all that I have done for this people.

After him, Binnui, the son of Henadad, restored another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.

For the builders, each one had his sword girded by his side, and so they built. And he that sounded the shofar was by me.

Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and every ten days wine in all abundance; yet with all this I did not require the bread of the captain because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

And after him the priests, the men of the plain, restored.

Thou didst give them kingdoms and peoples and didst divide them into corners; so they possessed the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og, king of Bashan.

Nevertheless, they were contentious and rebelled against thee and cast thy law behind their backs and slew thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great abominations.

There were also some that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.

I also had at my table one hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those that came unto us from among the Gentiles that are around us.

Hear, O our God; for we are despised; and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of their captivity.

The sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.

And my God put it into my heart to gather together the principals and the rulers and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found the register of the genealogy of those who had come up before and found written therein:

And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard of it, all the Gentiles that were about us feared, and they were much cast down in their own eyes, and they knew that this work was wrought of our God.

After them Zadok, the son of Immer, restored over against his house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate restored.

From the horse gate the priests restored, each one over against his house.

The sons of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.

The sons of Adonikam, six hundred and seventy-seven.

who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they had thought to do me evil.

For there were some that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many; therefore we have bought grain that we may eat and live.

Thou, O LORD, art alone; thou hast made the heavens and the heavens of the heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein, and thou givest life to them all; and the host of the heavens worship thee.

The sons of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.

Yet now, given that the flesh of our brethren is as our flesh and their sons as our sons, behold, we subject our sons and our daughters to slavery, and there are some of our daughters in bondage already; neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?

The sons of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.

Thou art, O LORD, the God who didst choose Abram and didst bring him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees and didst give him the name of Abraham

These are the sons of the province, that came up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away and returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each one unto his city,

The sons of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.

Likewise, in those days the principals of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.

in which was written, It is reported among the Gentiles, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou dost build the wall, that thou may be their king, according to these words.

and I said unto them, Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot and even with the guards present, let them shut the doors and bar them. And appoint guards of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each one in his watch and each one to be in front of his house.

So the sons came in and possessed the land, and thou didst humble the inhabitants of the land before them, the Canaanites, and didst give them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

And there were some that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Then Sanballat sent his slave to say the same thing for the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,

The sons of Gibeon, ninety-five.

Now the city was large and great, but there were few people in it, and the houses were not rebuilt.

Therefore, thou didst deliver them into the hand of their enemies, who afflicted them; and in the time of their tribulation, they cried unto thee, thou didst hear them from the heavens; and according to thy manifold mercies thou didst give them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

And the seed of Israel had separated themselves from all strangers and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight.

Thou didst multiply their sons as the stars of heaven and didst introduce them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to inherit it.

The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.

Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.

The men of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight.

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king, that as wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it unto the king. And as I had not been sad before in his presence,

Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same manner.

The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan, the palace,

Yet many years didst thou forbear them and didst protest against them with thy spirit by the hand of thy prophets; yet they did not hear; therefore, thou didst give them into the hand of the peoples of the land.

and didst protest unto them, that they return unto thy law; yet they dealt proudly and did not hearken unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments (which if a man shall do, in them he shall live) and withdrew the shoulder and hardened their neck and would not hear.

And they stood up in their place and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed and worshipped the LORD their God.

The men of Bethazmaveth, forty-two.

and didst find his heart faithful before thee and didst make a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it, to his seed and hast performed thy word; for thou art righteous.

The men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two.

The men of Ramah and of Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.

But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee; therefore, thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried unto thee, thou didst hear them from the heavens; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies

And thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and didst hear their cry by the Red sea

And it came to pass, that when shadow came to the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut and charged that they should not be opened until after the sabbath; and I set some of my servants at the gates, that no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.

So they read in the book in the law of God clearly and paid attention, and understood the reading.

On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and it was found written therein that the Ammonites and the Moabites should not come into the congregation of God forever

But we built the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof, for the people were motivated to work.

that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

And before this, Eliashib, the priest, had been the overseer of the chamber of the house of our God, and was related to Tobiah,

And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them and that the Levites and the singers, that did the work, had fled each one to his inheritance.

Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God,

Now, therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and terrible God, who keeps covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

and he had prepared for him a great chamber, where before they had kept the present, the frankincense, the vessels, the tithe of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, to the singers and the porters and the offerings of the priests.

And the Tirshatha said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy things until there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

for the showbread and for the continual present and for the continual burnt offering, and of the sabbaths and of the new moons, for the appointed feasts and for the holy things and for the atonement for sin to reconcile Israel and for all the work of the house of our God.

because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them; howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.

So the priests and the Levites and the porters and the singers and those of the people and the Nethinims and all Israel dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

And at that time men were appointed over the chambers of the treasures, of the offerings, of the firstfruits, and of the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the legal portions for the priests and the Levites; for the joy of Judah was upon the priests and the Levites that served.

And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests seal unto it.

And that we would also bring the firstfruits of our dough and of our offerings and the fruit of every tree, of the wine and of the oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tenths of our labours in all the cities.

Howbeit thou art just in all that has come upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly;

And I made treasurers over the store houses, Shelemiah, the priest, and Zadok, the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.

Nevertheless, for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

And that the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall offer the tithe of the tithes in the house of our God, to the chambers, in the treasure house.

and for the wood offering, at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

The sons of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash and Aija and Bethel and in their villages

And after them went Hoshaiah and half of the princes of Judah,

and from the gate of Ephraim, to the old gate, and to the fish gate, to the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, unto the sheep gate; and they stood still in the gate of the guards.

Remember them, O my God because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.

For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, unto the chambers where are the vessels of the sanctuary and the priests that minister and the porters and the singers; and we will not forsake the house of our God.

neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, with which thou didst testify against them.

and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David, the man of God, and Ezra, the scribe, before them.

Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, regarding the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law.

But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went unto the king, and after certain days I was sent by the king.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

The whole congregation united as one man was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,

Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women also and the children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil unto the store houses.

And I came to Jerusalem and understood the evil that Eliashib had done attending Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

And of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz, the sons of Barzillai, who took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.

Then I contended with the rulers and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their place.

Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers; and I caused the vessels of the house of God to be brought there again, with the present and the frankincense.

and the priests: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, each thing in its day; and they sanctified them unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them unto the sons of Aaron.

And it grieved me sore; therefore, I cast forth all the household vessels of Tobiah out of the chamber.

And that each year we would bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, unto the house of the LORD.

And some of the princes of the families gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave for the treasure one thousand drams of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priests' garments.

And the second choir went over against them, and I after them with half of the people upon the wall, from the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall,

not counting their menslaves and their maidslaves, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers.

The men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three.

The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the sons of Hodevah, seventy-four.

The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.

And these were they which came up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not show their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.

For from the time of David and Asaph of old there were princes of the singers, and songs and praise and thanksgiving unto God.

And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, from the house of David unto the water gate eastward.

And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate, the refiners and the merchants restored.

Likewise, the firstborn of our sons and of our beasts, as it is written in the law and that we would bring the firstlings of our cows and of our sheep to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God.

For they did not serve thee in their kingdom and in thy great goodness that thou didst give them and in the large and fat land which thou didst deliver before them; neither did they turn from their wicked works.

The sons of Solomon's slaves: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,

the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,

the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephishesim,

The porters: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.

Then the two choirs stood in the house of God, and I and half of the rulers with me;

Behold, we are slaves this day, behold us here, slaves in the land which thou didst give unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof.

And the princes of the families gave for the treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver.

Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

The Nethinims: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hashupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

The sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore, were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.

The sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.

And it multiplies its fruit for the kings, whom thou hast set over us because of our sins, who have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle, according to their will, and we are in great distress.

The sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.

The sons of Pashur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven.

the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah,

And they kept the ward of their God and the ward of the purification, and the singers and the porters, according to the statute of David and of Solomon, his son.

the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,

And of the Levites there were divisions in Judah, and in Benjamin.

the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,

the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim, the sons of Amon.

The sons of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

The singers: the sons of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.

the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Phaseah,

the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

The sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.

the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold and two thousand pounds of silver and sixty-seven priests' garments.

the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,

The sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

The sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four.

All the Nethinims, and the sons of Solomon's slaves, were three hundred and ninety-two.

Their horses, seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five:

Their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.