The Need To Belong

¹ After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed. ² I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do. ³ I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses."

⁴ Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ⁵ So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

⁶ These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, ⁷ in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):
The list of the men of Israel:

⁸ the descendants of Parosh 2,172

⁹ of Shephatiah 372

¹⁰ of Arah 652

¹¹ of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818

¹² of Elam 1,254

¹³ of Zattu 845

¹⁴ of Zaccai 760

¹⁵ of Binnui 648

¹⁶ of Bebai 628

¹⁷ of Azgad 2,322

¹⁸ of Adonikam 667

¹⁹ of Bigvai 2,067

²⁰ of Adin 655

²¹ of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98

²² of Hashum 328

²³ of Bezai 324

²⁴ of Hariph 112

²⁵ of Gibeon 95

²⁶ the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188

²⁷ of Anathoth 128

²⁸ of Beth Azmaveth 42

²⁹ of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743

³⁰ of Ramah and Geba 621

³¹ of Micmash 122

³² of Bethel and Ai 123

³³ of the other Nebo 52

³⁴ of the other Elam 1,254

³⁵ of Harim 320

³⁶ of Jericho 345

³⁷ of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721

³⁸ of Senaah 3,930

³⁹ The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

⁴⁰ of Immer 1,052

⁴¹ of Pashhur 1,247

⁴² of Harim 1,017

⁴³ The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74

⁴⁴ The singers:
the descendants of Asaph 148

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers:
the descendants of
Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

⁴⁶ The temple servants:
the descendants of
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷ Keros, Sia, Padon,

⁴⁸ Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

⁴⁹ Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

⁵⁰ Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

⁵¹ Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

⁵² Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,

⁵³ Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

⁵⁴ Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

⁵⁵ Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

⁵⁶ Neziah and Hatipha

⁵⁷ The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of
Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

⁵⁸ Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

⁵⁹ Shephatiah, Hattil,
Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

⁶⁰ The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

⁶¹ The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

⁶² the descendants of
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642

⁶³ And from among the priests:
the descendants of
Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

⁶⁴ These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵ The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶ The whole company numbered 42,360, ⁶⁷ besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 245 men and women singers. ⁶⁸ There were 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹ 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰ Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmas of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. ⁷¹ Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. ⁷² The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

⁷³ The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

New International Version