Hanani, who was one of my relatives, along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.

Please, O Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man." Now I was cupbearer for the king.

I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me, except for the one I was riding.

The men of Jericho built adjacent to it, and Zaccur son of Imri built adjacent to them.

The men of Tekoa worked on the section adjacent to them, but their town leaders would not assist with the work of their master.

Adjacent to them worked Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, who were men of Gibeon and Mizpah. These towns were under the jurisdiction of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.

After him the priests worked, men of the nearby district.

After them the men of Tekoa worked on another section, from opposite the great protruding tower to the wall of Ophel.

From that day forward, half of my men were doing the work and half of them were taking up spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were behind all the people of Judah

The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter remained with me.

At that time I instructed the people, "Let every man and his coworker spend the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by day.

Then there were those who said, "We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards.

Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral!

This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil."

But I replied, "Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life? I will not go!"

I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani and Hananiah the chief of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do.

They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The number of Israelite men was as follows:

The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;

the men of Anathoth, 128;

the men of the family of Azmaveth, 42;

the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

the men of Micmash, 122;

the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

the men of the other Nebo, 52;

So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and women and all those able to understand what they heard. (This happened on the first day of the seventh month.)

So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law.

You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst.

The people gave their blessing on all the men who volunteered to settle in Jerusalem.

The sum total of the descendants of Perez who were settling in Jerusalem was 468 exceptional men.

and his colleagues who were exceptional men -- 128. The officer over them was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim.

And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their colleagues, who stood opposite them to offer praise and thanks, one contingent corresponding to the other, as specified by David the man of God.

and his colleagues -- Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani -- with musical instruments of David the man of God. (Ezra the scribe led them.)

On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, first fruits, and tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions prescribed by the law for the priests and the Levites, for the people of Judah took delight in the priests and Levites who were ministering.

When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.

Also in those days I saw the men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, "You will not marry off your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!