1 And now the wall had been rebuilt, the gates had all been put in place, and the Temple guards, the members of the sacred choir, and the other Levites had been assigned their work. 2 I put two men in charge of governing the city of Jerusalem: my brother Hanani and Hananiah, commanding officer of the fortress. Hananiah was a reliable and God-fearing man without equal. 3 I told them not to have the gates of Jerusalem opened in the morning until well after sunrise and to have them closed and barred before the guards went off duty at sunset. I also told them to appoint guards from among the people who lived in Jerusalem and to assign some of them to specific posts and others to patrol the area around their own houses.
The List of Those Who Returned from Exile
(Ezra 2.1-70)4 Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people were living in it, and not many houses had been built yet. 5 God inspired me to assemble the people and their leaders and officials and to check their family records. I located the records of those who had first returned from captivity, and this is the information I found:
6 Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own hometown. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners. 7 Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
8-25 This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:
Parosh - 2,172Shephatiah - 372Arah - 652Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,818Elam - 1,254Zattu - 845Zaccai - 760Binnui - 648Bebai - 628Azgad - 2,322Adonikam - 667Bigvai - 2,067Adin - 655Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98Hashum - 328Bezai - 324Hariph - 112Gibeon - 95
26-38 People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:
Bethlehem and Netophah - 188Anathoth - 128Beth Azmaveth - 42Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743Ramah and Geba - 621Michmash - 122Bethel and Ai - 123The other Nebo - 52The other Elam - 1,254Harim - 320Jericho - 345Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 721Senaah - 3,930
39-42 This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:
Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973Immer - 1,052Pashhur - 1,247Harim - 1,017
43-45 Clans of Levites who returned from exile:
Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 148Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 138
46-56 Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,Keros, Sia, Padon,Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim,Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,Barkos, Sisera, Temah,Neziah, and Hatipha.
57-59 Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:
Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.
60 The total number of descendants of the Temple workers and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.
61-62 There were 642 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.
63-64 The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. 65 The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.
66-69 Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360.
Their male and female servants - 7,337Male and female musicians - 245Horses - 736Mules - 245Camels - 435Donkeys - 6,720
70-72 Many of the people contributed to help pay the cost of restoring the Temple:
The governor 270 ounces of gold50 ceremonial bowls530 robes for priestsHeads of clans 337 pounds of gold3,215 pounds of silverThe rest of the people 337 pounds of gold2,923 pounds of silver67 robes for priests
73 The priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the musicians, many of the ordinary people, the Temple workers—all the people of Israel—settled in the towns and cities of Judah.
1 After the wall had been rebuilt and the gates hung, then the temple guards, the singers, and the other Levites were assigned their work. 2 I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, because Hananiah could be trusted, and he respected God more than most people did. 3 I said to them, “Don't let the gates to the city be opened until the sun has been up for a while. And make sure that they are closed and barred before the guards go off duty at sunset. Choose people from Jerusalem to stand guard at different places around the wall and others to stand guard near their own houses.”
A List of Exiles Who Returned
(Ezra 2.1-70)4 Although Jerusalem covered a large area, not many people lived there, and no new houses had been built. 5-6 So God gave me the idea to bring together the people, their leaders, and officials and to check the family records of those who had returned from captivity in Babylonia, after having been taken there by King Nebuchadnezzar. About this same time, I found records of those who had been the first to return to Jerusalem from Babylon Province. By reading these records, I learned that they settled in their own hometowns, 7 and that they had come with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
8-25 This is a list of how many returned from each family group: 2,172 from Parosh; 372 from Shephatiah; 652 from Arah; 2,818 from Pahath Moab, who were all descendants of Jeshua and Joab; 1,254 from Elam; 845 from Zattu; 760 from Zaccai; 648 from Binnui; 628 from Bebai; 2,322 from Azgad; 667 from Adonikam; 2,067 from Bigvai; 655 from Adin; 98 from Ater, also known as Hezekiah; 328 from Hashum; 324 from Bezai; 112 from Hariph; and 95 from Gibeon.
26-38 This is a list of how many returned whose ancestors had come from the following towns: 188 from Bethlehem and Netophah; 128 from Anathoth; 42 from Beth-Azmaveth; 743 from Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth; 621 from Ramah and Geba; 122 from Michmas; 123 from Bethel and Ai; 52 from Nebo; 1,254 from Elam; 320 from Harim; 345 from Jericho; 721 from Lod, Hadid, and Ono; and 3,930 from Senaah.
39-42 This is a list of how many returned from each family of priests: 973 descendants of Jeshua from Jedaiah; 1,052 from Immer; 1,247 from Pashhur; and 1,017 from Harim.
43-45 This is a list of how many returned from the families of Levites: 74 descendants of Hodevah from the families of Jeshua and Kadmiel; 148 descendants of Asaph from the temple musicians; and 138 descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai from the temple guards.
46-56 These are the names of the families of temple workers whose descendants returned: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Sia, Padon, Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah, and Hatipha.
57-59 Here are the names of Solomon's servants whose descendants returned: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.
60 A total of 392 descendants of temple workers and of Solomon's servants returned.
61-62 There were 642 who returned from the families of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, though they could not prove they were Israelites. They had lived in the Babylonian towns of Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer.
63-64 The families of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai could not prove they were priests. The ancestor of the family of Barzillai had married the daughter of Barzillai from Gilead and had taken his wife's family name. But the records of these three families could not be found, and none of them were allowed to serve as priests. 65 In fact, the governor told them, “You cannot eat the food offered to God until he lets us know if you really are priests.”
66-69 There were 42,360 who returned, in addition to 7,337 servants and 245 musicians, counting both men and women. Altogether, they brought with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70-72 Many people gave gifts to help pay for the materials to rebuild the temple. The governor himself gave 8 kilograms of gold, 50 bowls to be used in the temple, and 530 robes for the priests. Family leaders gave 153 kilograms of gold and 1,458 kilograms of silver. The rest of the people gave 153 kilograms of gold, 1,325 kilograms of silver, and 67 robes for the priests.
73 And so, by the seventh month, priests, Levites, temple guards, musicians, workers, and many of the ordinary people had settled in the towns of Judah.
