Nehemiah appoints watchmen in Jerusalem. The list of those who came first from Babylon.

¹ Then, after the wall was built, and I set up the double doors, and I enrolled the gatekeepers, and the singing men, and the Levites,

² I instructed Hanani, my brother, and Hananiah, the leader of the house of Jerusalem, (for he seemed to be a truthful man, fearing God more than the others,)

³ and I said to them: “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot.” And while they were standing there, the gates were closed and barred. And I stationed guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each one in his turn, and each one opposite his own house.

⁴ Now the city was great and very wide, and the people in its midst were few, and the houses were not yet built.

⁵ But God had given to my heart, and I gathered the nobles, and the magistrates, and the common people, so that I might enroll them. And I found a book of the census of those who first went up, and in it there was found written:

⁶ These are the sons of the province, who ascended from the captivity of the transmigration, those whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had taken away, and who returned into Jerusalem and Judea, each one to his own city.

⁷ They arrived with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

⁸ The sons of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

⁹ The sons of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

¹⁰ The sons of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.

¹¹ The sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and of Joab, two thousand eight hundred eighteen.¹

1. 7:11Why is this line attributed to two men, Jeshua and Joab? One possibility is that one man died with no children, or at least no sons, and his brother, in accord with Mosaic Law, married his widow in order to raise up sons to his brother. So the sons of the second husband of the woman would be attributed to the lineage of both men. This Biblical principle, that biological descent is not necessary for a lineage, is also found in Matthew’s Gospel, where he recounts the lineage of Joseph, even though Jesus is not the biological son of Joseph.(Conte)

¹² The sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

¹³ The sons of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.

¹⁴ The sons of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

¹⁵ The sons of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.

¹⁶ The sons of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.

¹⁷ The sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.

¹⁸ The sons of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.

¹⁹ The sons of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.

²⁰ The sons of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.

²¹ The sons of Ater, sons of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

²² The sons of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.

²³ The sons of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.

²⁴ The sons of Hariph, one hundred twelve.

²⁵ The sons of Gibeon, ninety-five.

²⁶ The sons of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight.

²⁷ The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

²⁸ The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.

²⁹ The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.

³⁰ The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

³¹ The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

³² The men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred twenty-three.

³³ The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

³⁴ The men of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

³⁵ The sons of Harim, three hundred twenty.

³⁶ The sons of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

³⁷ The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.

³⁸ The sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.

³⁹ The priests: the sons of Jedaiah in the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

⁴⁰ The sons of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

⁴¹ The sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

⁴² The sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.

⁴³ The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, the sons

⁴⁴ of Hodaviah, seventy-four. The singing men:

⁴⁵ the sons of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.

⁴⁶ The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.

⁴⁷ The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁸ the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Shalmai,¹

1. 7:48Shalmai is listed as Shamlai in Ezra.(Conte)

⁴⁹ the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,

⁵⁰ the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,

⁵¹ the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,

⁵² the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim,

⁵³ the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,

⁵⁴ the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,

⁵⁵ the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

⁵⁶ the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The sons of the servants of Solomon: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,

⁵⁸ the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,

⁵⁹ the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth, who was born from Hazzebaim, the son of Amon.

⁶⁰ All the temple servants and the sons of the servants of Solomon, three hundred ninety-two.

⁶¹ Now these are the ones who ascended from Telmelah, Telharsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; and they were not able to indicate the house of their fathers and their offspring, whether they were of Israel:

⁶² the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two;

⁶³ and among the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai, a Gileadite, and he was called by their name.

⁶⁴ These sought their writing in the census, and they did not find it, and so they were cast out of the priesthood.

⁶⁵ And the cupbearer said to them that they should not eat from the Holy of Holies, until a priest would stand up who was learned and skillful.

⁶⁶ The entire multitude, which was like one man, was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

⁶⁷ aside from their men and women servants, who were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven, and among them were singing men and singing women, two hundred forty-five.

⁶⁸ Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules were two hundred forty-five.

⁶⁹ Their camels were four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys were six thousand seven hundred twenty.¹

1. 7:69Hitherto is related what was written in the record. From this place forward goes on the history of Nehemiah.(Challoner)

⁷⁰ Now several of the leaders of the families gave to the work. The cupbearer gave to the treasury one thousand drachmas of gold, fifty bowls, and five hundred thirty priestly garments.¹

1. 7:70Athersatha: That is, Nehemiah; as appears from chap. 12. Either that he was so called at the court of the king of Persia, where he was cupbearer: or that, as some think, this name signifies governor; and he was at that time governor of Judea.(Challoner)

⁷¹ And some of the leaders of the families gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand drachmas of gold, and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.

⁷² And what the remainder of the people gave was twenty thousand drachmas of gold, and two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments.

⁷³ Now the priests, and the Levites, and the gatekeepers, and the singing men, and the rest of the common people, and the temple servants, and all of Israel dwelt in their own cities.