¹When the wall had been rebuilt and I had positioned the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,

²I 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.[#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.; #tn Some have suggested that “Hananiah” is another name for Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, so that only one individual is mentioned here. However, the third person plural in v. 3 indicates two people are in view.]

³I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning, until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them. Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some near their homes.”[#tc The present translation (along with most English versions) reads with the Qere, a Qumran text, and the ancient versions וָאֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, which reads וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).; #tn Heb “until the heat of the sun.” The phrase probably means that the gates were to be opened only after the day had progressed a bit, not at the first sign of morning light (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV). It is possible, however, that the Hebrew preposition עַד (’ad), here translated as “until,” has a more rare sense of “during.” If so, this would mean that the gates were not to be left open and unattended during the hot part of the day when people typically would be at rest (cf. NLT).; #tn Presumably this would mean the gates were not to be opened until later in the morning and were to remain open until evening. Some, however, have understood Nehemiah’s instructions to mean that the gates were not to be left open during the hottest part of the day, but must be shut and locked while the guards are still on duty. See J. Barr, “Hebrew עַד, especially at Job i.18 and Neh vii.3,” JJS 27 (1982): 177-88.]

⁴Now the city was spread out and large, and there were not a lot of people in it. At that time houses had not been rebuilt.[#tn Heb “wide of two hands.”; #tn Heb “the people were few in its midst.”]

⁵My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders, the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record:[#tn Heb “nobles”; NCV “important men.”; #tn Heb “the book of genealogy.”; #tn Heb “in it”; the referent (the genealogical record) has been specified in the translation for clarity.]

⁶These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city.[#tn Heb “the sons of”; KJV, ASV “the children of”; NAB “the inhabitants of.”; #tn Heb “who were going up.”; #tc One medieval Hebrew manuscript has “to Babylon.” Cf. Ezra 2:1.]

⁷They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelite men was as follows:

⁸the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;[#tn Heb “the sons of.”]

⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

¹⁰the descendants of Arah, 652;

¹¹the descendants of Pahath-Moab (from the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;[#tn Heb “to the sons of.”]

¹²the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

¹³the descendants of Zattu, 845;

¹⁴the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

¹⁵the descendants of Binnui, 648;

¹⁶the descendants of Bebai, 628;

¹⁷the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

¹⁸the descendants of Adonikam, 667;

¹⁹the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

²⁰the descendants of Adin, 655;

²¹the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;

²²the descendants of Hashum, 328;

²³the descendants of Bezai, 324;

²⁴the descendants of Harif, 112;

²⁵the descendants of Gibeon, 95;

²⁶The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;[#map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.]

²⁷the men of Anathoth, 128;

²⁸the men of the family of Azmaveth, 42;[#tc The translation reads בְּנֵי (bÿne, “the sons of”) rather than the MT reading בֵית אַנְשֵׁי (’anshey vet, “men of the house of”). Cf. Ezra 2:24.]

²⁹the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

³¹the men of Micmash, 122;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;[#map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.]

³³the men of the other Nebo, 52;

³⁴the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;

³⁵the descendants of Harim, 320;

³⁶the descendants of Jericho, 345;

³⁷the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

³⁸the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua), 973;

⁴⁰the descendants of Immer, 1,052;

⁴¹the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

⁴²the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodaviah), 74.

⁴⁴The singers:

the descendants of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers:

the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶The temple servants:

the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,

⁴⁸the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai,

⁴⁹the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,

⁵⁰the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda,

⁵¹the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah,

⁵²the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephussim,

⁵³the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,

⁵⁴the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,

⁵⁵the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah,

⁵⁶the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.

⁵⁷The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida,

⁵⁸the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,

⁵⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon.

⁶⁰All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon, 392.

⁶¹These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify their family connection or their ancestry, as to whether they were really from Israel):[#tn Heb “relate.”; #tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”; #tn Heb “their seed.”]

⁶²the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642.

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

⁶⁴They searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but none were found. They were therefore excluded from the priesthood.[#tn Heb “they were desecrated.”]

⁶⁵The governor instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.[#tn The Hebrew term תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshata’; KJV “Tirshatha”) is the official title of a Persian governor in Judea. In meaning it may be similar to “excellency” (cf. NAB). See further BDB 1077 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395; HALOT 1798 s.v.; #tn Heb “stood.”]

⁶⁶The entire group numbered 42,360,

⁶⁷not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers.

⁶⁸They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

⁶⁹(7:68) 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.[#tc Most Hebrew MSS omit 7:68 ET, which reads “They had 736 horses, 245 mules,” and thus have one less verse in chap. 7, ending the chapter at 7:72. This verse is included in the LXX and most English versions. Cf. Ezra 2:66.]

⁷⁰Some of the family leaders contributed to the work. The governor contributed to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments.[#tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”; #tn Heb “darics” (also in vv. 71, 72).]

⁷¹Some of the family leaders gave to the project treasury 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas.

⁷²What the rest of the people gave amounted to 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.

⁷³The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.