1 And these are the priests {kohanim: temple ministers} and the Levites who went up {alu: ascending pilgrimage} with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra
2 Amariah, Malluk {mallukh: kingly lineage}, Hattush
3 Shekhaniah, Rechum, Meremoth {meremot: descendant among the priests}
4 Iddo, Ginnethon {ginnethon: priestly family name}, Abijah {aviyah: Yah Is Father}.
5 Mijamin {miyamin: right hand}, Moadiah, Bilgah {bilgah: lighthearted joy}
6 Shemaiah {Shema’yah: hears of Yah}, Joiarib, and {wə: connecting particle} Jedaiah.
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah were the heads of the priests {kohanim: sacred ministers} and their brothers {acheihem: priestly kin} in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites {leviyim: Temple singers} were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, together with his brothers, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving {huyedot: liturgical praises}.
9 And Bakbukiyah, Anu, and Unnī, their brothers {acheyhem: kin group}, stood opposite them for the watches {lemishmarot: priestly shifts}.
10 And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada {holid: genealogical linkage}.
11 And Joiada fathered {holid: caused to be born} Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua {yaddua‘: known one}.
12 And in the days of Joiakim {Yoyaqim: post-exilic leader}, the priests {kohanim: ritual mediators} were the heads of the ancestral houses of Seraiah, Meraiah; and of Jeremiah, Hananiah.
13 Of Ezra {ezra: Founding Ancestor}, Meshullam; of Amaryah {amaryah: Priestly Head}, Jehohanan.
14 Of Malluchi {malluchi: priestly family line}, Jonathan; of Shebanyah {shebanyah: priestly lineage}, Joseph.
15 Of Harim, Adna {adna: name meaning “delight”}; of Meraioth, Helkai {chelkai: name meaning “my share”}.
16 Of Iddo {iddo: line founder}, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam {meshullam: trusted overseer}.
17 Of Abijah, Zikri {zikhri: remembered one}; of Miniamin, of Moadiah {mo‘adyah: appointed by Yah}, Piltai.
18 Of Bilgah’s {levilgah: priestly division}, Shammua; of Shemaiah’s, Jehonathan {yehonatan: Yahweh has given}.
19 Of Joiarib, Mattenai {mattenay: given one}; of Jedaiah, Uzzi {uzzi: strong}.
20 Of Sallai, Kallai {kallay: priestly descendant}; of Amok, Eber {ever: founding ancestor}.
21 Of Hilkiah {lekhilqiyyah: to Hilkiah} was Hashabiah {chashavyah: Yahweh has considered}; of Jedaiah was Nethanel.
22 The Levites {haleviyim: temple ministers} in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, together with the priests, were recorded as heads of the fathers’ houses {rashei avot: familial overseers} during the reign of Darius the Persian.
23 The sons of Levi, the heads {rashei: Family Leaders} of the fathers’ houses, were written in the book {sefer: Official Annals} of the words of the days and until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24 And the heads {roshei: chiefs} of the Levites—Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel and their brothers—stood opposite them to praise and to give thanks, by the command of David the man of God {Elohim, Divine Appointer}; one division corresponding to another.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were keepers {shomrim: assigned watchmen}, gatekeepers of the guard at the storehouses {asupim: specialized storage chambers} of the gates.
26 These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor {pechah: Provincial Governor} and Ezra the priest, the scribe {sofer: Legal Expert}.
27 And for the dedication {chanuka: consecration} of Jerusalem’s wall, they searched for the Levites in all their places and brought them to Jerusalem, to mark the dedication with rejoicing {simcha: public celebration}, with thanksgivings, and with singing—using cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28 And the sons of the singers {meshorerim: temple musicians} assembled from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites {netophathi: descendants of Netophah}.
29 And also from Beth-Gilgal {gilgal: rolling circle} and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, because the singers had built villages {chatserim: small settlements} for themselves around Jerusalem.
30 The priests {kohanim: ritual officiants} and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, the gates, and the wall {chomah: defensive rampart}.
31 And I brought up the leaders of Judah onto the wall, and I arranged two large thanksgivings {todot: praise choirs} and processions; one went to the right along the wall in the direction of the Dung Gate {ha-ashpot: refuse exit}.
32 Hoshaiah went after them {achareihem: procession sequence}, and half of the leaders {sarei: princely officers} of Judah followed.
33 And Azariah, Ezra {ezra: help}, and Meshullam {meshullam: at peace}.
34 Judah {Yehudah: praised one} and Benjamin and Shemaiah and Jeremiah {Yirmeyah: Yahweh exalts}
35 And from the sons of the priests {kohanim: hereditary temple ministers}, with trumpets {chatzotzerot: silver-blown instruments for sacred processions}, was Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zakkur, and son of Asaph.
36 And his brothers—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—were with the musical instruments of David, the man of God {Elohim, Divine Representative}; and Ezra the scribe {sofer: law expert} went before them.
37 And at the Fountain Gate {sha'ar ha-ayin: Jerusalem’s water source}, in front of them, they went up by the steps {ma'alot: terraced pathway} of the City of David, ascending to the wall above the House of David, and on to the Water Gate eastward.
38 And the second thanksgiving choir {todah: musical offering} went opposite them, to the left, and I went behind it; and half of the people were on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, and on toward the Broad Wall {rechavah: defensive expanse}.
39 Then they passed above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, by the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred {meah: numeric designation}, and continued on to the Sheep Gate, where they halted at the Guard Gate {matarah: watch post}.
40 And the two choirs of thanksgiving took their stand in the house of God {Elohim: the One worshiped}, and I, along with half of the officials {saganim: appointed leaders}, stood with them.
41 And the priests {kohanim: hereditary ministers}—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—were with the trumpets {chatzotzerot: ceremonial instruments}.
42 And Maaseiah and Shemaiah and Eleazar and Uzzi and Jehohanan and Malkijah and Elam and Ezer, and the singers made their voices heard {vayashmi‘u: caused to be heard}, with Jezrahiah the overseer {pakid: chief officer}.
43 And that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God {Elohim, Joy-Giver} gave them great joy; the women also and the children rejoiced, and the sound of Jerusalem’s joy was heard from afar {merachok: distant places}.
44 And on that day men were appointed over the chambers {haneshakhot: storage rooms} for the treasuries, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions of the Law for the priests and for the Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and over the Levites standing {ha-omdim: those standing in service}.
45 And they kept the charge of their God {Eloheihem, Worship Center} and the charge of purification {hatahorah: ritual cleanness}, as well as the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and his son Solomon.
46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old, chiefs {rashei: appointed heads} of the singers and of the songs of praise and of the thanksgivings to God {Elohim, Recipient of Praise} were appointed.
47 And all Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions {menayot: assigned portions} for the singers and for the gatekeepers—the daily portion {devar-yom: daily requirement} for each day. And they set apart holy portions for the Levites, and the Levites set apart holy portions for the sons of Aaron.