Historical

The Exiles Return

7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,^(A) the gatekeepers,^(B) singers, and Levites were appointed. ² Then I put my brother Hanani^(C) in charge of Jerusalem,^(D) along with Hananiah,^(E) commander of the fortress,^(F) because he was a faithful man who feared God^(G) more than most. ³ I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”^(H)

⁴ The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.^{(I) 5} Then my God put it into my mind^(J) to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:^(K)

⁶ These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar^(L) of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.^{(M) 7} They came with Zerubbabel,^(N) Jeshua,^(O) Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men included^[a]

³⁹ The priests included

⁴³ The Levites^(Z) included

⁴⁴ The singers^(AA) included

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers^(AB) included

⁴⁶ The temple servants^(AC) included

⁵⁷ The descendants of Solomon’s servants^(AD) included

⁶¹ The following^(AF) are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families^[d] and their lineage were Israelite:

⁶³ and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. ⁶⁴ These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. ⁶⁵ The governor^(AG) ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.^(AH)

⁷⁰ Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,^[f] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. ⁷¹ Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. ⁷² The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. ⁷³ The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.^(AJ)

Public Reading of the Law

When the seventh month^(AK) came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

8 all the people gathered together^(AL) at the square in front of the Water Gate.^(AM) They asked the scribe Ezra^(AN) to bring the book of the law of Moses^(AO) that the Lord had given Israel. ² On the first day of the seventh month,^(AP) the priest Ezra^(AQ) brought the law^(AR) before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. ³ While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,^(AS) he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively^[g] to the book of the law.^{(AT) 4} The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform^(AU) made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵ Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶ Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted^(AV) all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” ^(AW) Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.^(AX)

⁷ Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,^(AY) who were Levites,^[h](AZ) explained the law^(BA) to the people as they stood in their places. ⁸ They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. ⁹ Nehemiah the governor,^(BB) Ezra the priest and scribe,^(BC) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day^(BD) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”^(BE) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,^(BF) since today^(BG) is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”^{[i](BH) 11} And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still,^(BI) since today^(BJ) is holy. Don’t grieve.” ¹² Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,^(BK) because they had understood the words that were explained to them.

Festival of Shelters Observed

¹³ On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,^(BL) assembled before the scribe Ezra^(BM) to study the words of the law. ¹⁴ They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.^{(BN) 15} So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make shelters, just as it is written.”^{(BO) 16} The people went out, brought back branches, and made shelters for themselves on each of their rooftops^(BP) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,^(BQ) and the square by the Ephraim Gate.^{(BR) 17} The whole community that had returned from exile^(BS) made shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.^(BT) And there was tremendous joy.^{(BU) 18} Ezra^[j] read out of the book of the law of God^(BV) every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.^(BW)