1Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel—for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. 3And I said to them, ‘The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot; while the gatekeepers7.3 Heb while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their watch-posts, and others before their own houses.’ 4The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few and no houses had been built.

Lists of the Returned Exiles

5Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people, to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who were the first to come back, and I found the following written in it:

6These are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried into exile; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 7They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.

The number of the Israelite people: 8the descendants of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two. 9Of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two. 10Of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two. 11Of Pahath-moab, namely the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen. 12Of Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four. 13Of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five. 14Of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty. 15Of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight. 16Of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight. 17Of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two. 18Of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven. 19Of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven. 20Of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five. 21Of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, ninety-eight. 22Of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight. 23Of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four. 24Of Hariph, one hundred and twelve. 25Of Gibeon, ninety-five. 26The people of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred and eighty-eight. 27Of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight. 28Of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two. 29Of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three. 30Of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one. 31Of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two. 32Of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three. 33Of the other Nebo, fifty-two. 34The descendants of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty-four. 35Of Harim, three hundred and twenty. 36Of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five. 37Of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one. 38Of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

39The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. 40Of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two. 41Of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven. 42Of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

43The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the descendants of Hodevah, seventy-four. 44The singers: the descendants of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight. 45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, of Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.

46The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, of Hasupha, of Tabbaoth, 47of Keros, of Sia, of Padon, 48of Lebana, of Hagaba, of Shalmai, 49of Hanan, of Giddel, of Gahar, 50of Reaiah, of Rezin, of Nekoda, 51of Gazzam, of Uzza, of Paseah, 52of Besai, of Meunim, of Nephushesim, 53of Bakbuk, of Hakupha, of Harhur, 54of Bazlith, of Mehida, of Harsha, 55of Barkos, of Sisera, of Temah, 56of Neziah, of Hatipha.

57The descendants of Solomon's servants: of Sotai, of Sophereth, of Perida, 58of Jaala, of Darkon, of Giddel, 59of Shephatiah, of Hattil, of Pochereth-hazzebaim, of Amon.

60All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants were three hundred and ninety-two.

61The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their ancestral houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62the descendants of Delaiah, of Tobiah, of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two. 63Also, of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, of Hakkoz, of Barzillai (who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean; 65the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until a priest with Urim and Thummim should come.

66The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 67besides their male and female slaves, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five singers, male and female. 68They had seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five mules,7.68 Ezra 2.66 and the margins of some Hebrew Mss: MT lacks They had…forty-five mules 69four hundred and thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys.

70Now some of the heads of ancestral houses contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly robes. 71And some of the heads of ancestral houses gave into the building fund twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two hundred minas of silver. 72And what the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly robes.

73So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.

Ezra Summons the People to Obey the Law

When the seventh month came—the people of Israel being settled in their towns—