Nehemiah 11

¹ …Then the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people drew lots: one man in ten was to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their towns.

² And the people blessed all those who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

³ These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem-and those who settled in the towns of Judah. So Israel, the priests, the Levites, the oblates and the sons of Solomon’s slaves, made their homes in their appropriate towns, each man on his own property.

⁴ In Jerusalem there lived some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mehalalel, of the descendants of Perez;

⁵ Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, descendant of Shelah.

⁶ The total number of the descendants of Perez living in Jerusalem was four hundred and sixty-eight adult men.

⁷ These are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,

⁸ and his kinsmen, adult men: nine hundred and twenty-eight.

⁹ Joel son of Zichri was in charge of them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command of the city.

¹⁰ Of the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiakim, son of

¹¹ Seraiah, son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, prefect of the Temple of God,

¹² and his kinsmen who were responsible for the Temple liturgy: eight hundred and twenty-two; Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah,

¹³ and his kinsmen, heads of families: two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,

¹⁴ and his kinsmen, adult men: one hundred and twenty-eight. Zabdiel son of Haggadol was in charge of them.

¹⁵ Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni;

¹⁶ Shabbethai and Jozabad, the levitical leaders responsible for the outside work of the Temple of God;

¹⁷ Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who directed the hymns and, at prayer, intoned the thanksgiving; Bakbukiah, the second in rank among his kinsmen; Obadiah son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.

¹⁸ The total number of Levites in the holy city: two hundred and eighty-four.

¹⁹ The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon and their kinsmen, who kept watch at the gates: one hundred and seventy-two.

²¹ The oblates lived at Ophel; Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of the oblates.

²² The head of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica; he belonged to the sons of Asaph who were responsible for the chanted parts of the liturgy in the Temple of God;

²³ there was a royal decree relating to the cantors, embodying regulations for their attendance day by day.

²⁴ Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, belonging to the sons of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s commissioner for all such matters as concerned the people.

²⁰ The rest of the Israelites, priests and Levites made their homes throughout the towns of Judah, each man in his own inheritance,

²⁵ and in the hamlets situated in rural districts of their own.

²⁶ in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet,

²⁷ Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages,

²⁸ in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,

²⁹ in Enrimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,

³⁰ Zanoah, Adullam and their hamlets, Lachish and its countryside, Azekah and its villages: thus, they settled from Beersheba as far as the Valley of Hinnom.

³¹ Some of the sons of Benjamin made their homes in Geba, Michmash, Aija, in Bethel and its villages,

³² Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

³⁵ Lod and Ono, and the Valley of the Craftsmen.

³⁶ Some groups of Levites settled in Judah as well as in Benjamin.