The Priests and Levites Who Returned to Judah
1Some priests and Levites returned to Judah with Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. Here are the names of those priests and Levites.
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2Amariah, Malluk, Hattush,
3Shekaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
5Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,
6Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah
All of them were the leaders of the priests and those who helped them. They lived in the days of Joshua.
8The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah and Judah. There were also Mattaniah and those who helped him. They were in charge of the songs for giving thanks. 9Bakbukiah and Unni helped them. They stood and sang across from them during the services.
10Joshua was the father of Joiakim.
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib.
Eliashib was the father of Joiada.
11Joiada was the father of Jonathan.
And Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12Here are the names of the family leaders of the priests. They were the leaders in the days of Joiakim.
Meraiah was from Seraiah’s family.
Hananiah was from Jeremiah’s family.
13Meshullam was from Ezra’s family.
Jehohanan was from Amariah’s family.
14Jonathan was from Malluk’s family.
Joseph was from Shekaniah’s family.
15Adna was from Harim’s family.
Helkai was from Meremoth’s family.
16Zechariah was from Iddo’s family.
Meshullam was from Ginnethon’s family.
17Zikri was from Abijah’s family.
Piltai was from Miniamin’s and Moadiah’s family.
18Shammua was from Bilgah’s family.
Jehonathan was from Shemaiah’s family.
19Mattenai was from Joiarib’s family.
Uzzi was from Jedaiah’s family.
20Kallai was from Sallu’s family.
Eber was from Amok’s family.
21Hashabiah was from Hilkiah’s family.
And Nethanel was from Jedaiah’s family.
22The names of the family leaders of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua were written down. So were the names of the family leaders of the priests. That happened while Darius ruled over Persia. 23The names of the leaders in Levi’s family line up to the time of Johanan were written down. They were written in the official records. Johanan was the son of Eliashib. 24The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua. Jeshua was the son of Kadmiel. Those who helped them stood across from them to sing praises and give thanks. One group would sing back to the other. That’s what David, the man of God, had ordered.
25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub stood at the gates of the temple. They guarded the storerooms at the gates. 26They served in the days of Joiakim. He was the son of Joshua. Joshua was the son of Jozadak. They also served in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra. Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law.
The Wall of Jerusalem Is Set Apart to God
27The wall of Jerusalem was set apart to God. For that occasion, the Levites were gathered together from where they lived. They were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate that happy occasion. They celebrated the fact that the wall was being set apart to God. They did it by singing and giving their thanks to him. They celebrated by playing music on cymbals, harps and lyres. 28The musicians were also brought together. Some of them came in from the area around Jerusalem. Others came from the villages where the people of Netophah lived. 29Others came from Beth Gilgal. Still others came from the area of Geba and Azmaveth. The musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30The priests and Levites made themselves pure. Then they made the people, the gates and the wall pure and “clean.”
31I, Nehemiah, had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also appointed two large choirs to sing and give thanks. I told one of them to walk south on top of the wall. That was toward the Dung Gate. 32Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them. 33Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah also followed them. 35Some priests who had trumpets followed them. So did Zechariah. He was the son of Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of Shemaiah. Shemaiah was the son of Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Micaiah. Micaiah was the son of Zakkur. Zakkur was the son of Asaph. 36Those who helped Zechariah also marched along. They were Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani. They brought musical instruments with them. That’s what David, the man of God, had ordered. Ezra led the group that was marching south. He was the teacher of the Law. 37At the Fountain Gate they continued straight up the steps of the City of David. The steps went up to the wall. Then the group passed above the place where David’s palace had been. They continued on to the Water Gate on the east.
38The second choir went north. I followed them on top of the wall. Half of the people went with me. They went past the Tower of the Ovens. They went to the Broad Wall. 39They marched over the Gate of Ephraim. They went over the Jeshanah Gate and the Fish Gate. They went past the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred. They continued on to the Sheep Gate. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.
40Then the two choirs that sang and gave thanks took their places in God’s house. So did I. So did half of the officials. 41And so did the priests. They were Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah. They had their trumpets with them. 42Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer were also there. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. 43On that day large numbers of sacrifices were offered. The people were glad because God had given them great joy. The women and children were also very happy. The joyful sound in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
Nehemiah Makes Some Final Changes
44At that time some men were put in charge of the storerooms. That’s where all the gifts the people brought were placed. Those gifts included the first shares of their crops. They also included a tenth of everything the Law required. Crops were harvested from the fields around the towns. The people had to bring the shares of those crops that were required by the Law. They gave them to the priests and Levites. That’s because the people of Judah were pleased with the priests and Levites who were serving God. 45The priests and Levites did everything their God wanted them to do. They made things pure and “clean.” The musicians and the men who guarded the temple gates also served God. Everything was done just as David and his son Solomon had commanded. 46A long time ago there had been directors for the musicians. There had also been directors for the songs for giving thanks and praise to God. It was in the time of David and Asaph. 47So now in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all the people of Israel brought their gifts. They gave the musicians and the men who guarded the gates what they were supposed to give them every day. They also set apart the shares for the other Levites. And the Levites set apart the shares for the priests in the family line of Aaron.
祭司和利未人的名單
1以下是與撒拉鐵的兒子所羅巴伯和耶書亞一起回來的祭司和利未人：
祭司有西萊雅、耶利米、以斯拉、 2亞瑪利雅、瑪鹿、哈突、 3示迦尼、利宏、米利末、 4易多、近頓、亞比雅、 5米雅民、瑪底雅、璧迦、 6示瑪雅、約雅立、耶大雅、 7撒路、亞木、希勒迦和耶大雅。這些人在耶書亞的時代是祭司和他們弟兄的首領。
8利未人有耶書亞、賓內、甲篾、示利比、猶大和瑪他尼。瑪他尼及其弟兄負責感恩詩歌。 9他們的弟兄八布迦和烏尼站在他們對面供職。
耶書亞大祭司的後代
10耶書亞生約雅金，約雅金生以利亞實，以利亞實生耶何耶大， 11耶何耶大生約拿單，約拿單生押杜亞。
做族長的祭司
12在約雅金時代，祭司家族的族長有西萊雅家族的米拉雅，耶利米家族的哈拿尼雅， 13以斯拉家族的米書蘭，亞瑪利雅家族的約哈難， 14米利古家族的約拿單，示巴尼家族的約瑟， 15哈琳家族的押拿，米拉約家族的希勒愷， 16易多家族的撒迦利亞，近頓家族的米書蘭， 17亞比雅家族的細基利，米拿民家族的無名氏，摩亞底家族的毗勒太， 18璧迦家族的沙姆亞，示瑪雅家族的約拿單， 19約雅立家族的瑪特乃，耶大雅家族的烏西， 20撒來家族的加萊，亞木家族的希伯， 21希勒迦家族的哈沙比雅，耶大雅家族的拿坦業。
祭司和利未家族的記錄
22在以利亞實、耶何耶大、約哈難和押杜亞的時代，利未人的族長都列入名冊；在波斯王大流士執政期間，祭司的族長也都列入名冊。 23做族長的利未子孫的名字都記錄在歷代志上，直到以利亞實的兒子約哈難的時代。
聖殿供職的班次
24哈沙比雅、示利比和甲篾的兒子耶書亞是利未人的首領。他們的弟兄站在他們對面，照上帝僕人大衛的吩咐一班一班地讚美、稱頌上帝。 25負責守衛庫房的是瑪他尼、八布迦、俄巴底亞、米書蘭、達們和亞谷。 26他們任職時正值約撒達的孫子、耶書亞的兒子約雅金，尼希米省長和律法教師以斯拉祭司的時代。
尼希米奉獻新城牆
27在耶路撒冷的城牆典禮之際，民眾把各處的利未人請到耶路撒冷，來稱頌、歌唱、敲鈸、鼓瑟、彈琴，歡慶典禮。 28歌樂手的子孫從耶路撒冷周圍地區，尼陀法的村莊， 29伯·吉甲，以及迦巴和押瑪弗地區被招聚起來，因為歌樂手已在耶路撒冷周圍為自己建立了村莊。 30祭司和利未人自潔，然後潔淨民眾、城門和城牆。
31我率猶大的首領上到城牆上，使稱頌的歌樂手分成兩大隊，一隊從城牆上向右前往糞廠門， 32跟在他們後面的有何沙雅和半數的猶大首領， 33還有亞撒利雅、以斯拉、米書蘭、 34猶大、便雅憫、示瑪雅和耶利米， 35還有一些吹號的祭司，包括約拿單的兒子撒迦利亞——約拿單是示瑪雅的兒子，示瑪雅是瑪他尼的兒子，瑪他尼是米該亞的兒子，米該亞是撒刻的兒子，撒刻是亞薩的兒子—— 36還有撒迦利亞的弟兄示瑪雅、亞撒利、米拉萊、基拉萊、瑪艾、拿坦業、猶大、哈拿尼，他們都拿著上帝僕人大衛的樂器。隊伍由律法教師以斯拉帶領。 37他們經過泉門，沿大衛城的臺階，順城牆的地勢而上，經過大衛的宮殿，走到東面的水門。
38第二隊稱頌的歌樂手向左走，我和半數的民眾在城牆上跟著他們，經過爐樓一直走到寬牆， 39然後又經過以法蓮門、古門、魚門、哈楠業樓、哈米亞樓，遠至羊門，之後停在護衛門。 40這兩隊稱頌的歌樂手站在上帝的殿裡，我和半數的首領也站在那裡， 41同時還有吹號的祭司以利亞金、瑪西雅、米拿民、米該雅、以利約乃、撒迦利亞和哈楠尼亞， 42以及瑪西雅、示瑪雅、以利亞撒、烏西、約哈難、瑪基雅、以攔和以謝。歌樂手在伊斯拉希雅的領導下高聲歌唱。 43那天，眾人獻上許多祭物，滿心歡喜，因為上帝賜給他們極大的喜樂，連婦孺也都歡喜，以致耶路撒冷的歡聲遠處可聞。
預備聖殿的需要
44那天，有人被委派管理庫房，把舉祭、初熟之物和十一奉獻收集在庫房裡。他們要照律法的規定從各城田地收集祭司和利未人當得的份，因為猶大人對祭司和利未人的供職很滿意。 45祭司和利未人遵行上帝的吩咐，遵守潔淨的禮。歌樂手和殿門守衛也遵照大衛和他兒子所羅門的命令行事。 46遠在大衛和亞薩的時代就有歌樂手，並有讚美、稱頌上帝的詩歌。 47在所羅巴伯和尼希米的時代，全體以色列人供應歌樂手和殿門守衛的日常需用，並分出一份給利未人，利未人又分出一份給亞倫的子孫。
