And when the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and Levites had been appointed,

I gave my brother Hanani, as well as Hananiah the commander of the citadel, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than most.

And I said to them, Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while some are standing guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them; and appoint watches from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his own watch and each opposite his own house.

Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few in it and no houses had been built.

Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the rulers and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who had first come up, and I found this written in it:

These are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away and who returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each man to his city;

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

The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

The children of Arah, six hundred fifty-two.

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

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

The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.

The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

The children of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.

The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.

The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.

The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.

The children of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.

The children of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.

The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty-eight.

The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.

The children of Hariph, one hundred twelve.

The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.

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

The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.

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

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

The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

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

The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.

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

The children of Harim, three hundred twenty.

The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

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

The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.

The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

The children of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

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

The children of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah, seventy-four.

The singers: the children of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.

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

The temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,

The children of Lebanah, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,

The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,

The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,

The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah,

The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim,

The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,

The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the children of Amon.

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

And these were those who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not give evidence of their fathers' houses nor their descendants, whether they were of Israel:

The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.

And of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife from among the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called after their name.

These sought their registry among those who were enrolled by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were considered defiled and were excluded from the priesthood.

And the governor told them that they should not eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.

The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

Besides their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred forty-five male singers and female singers.

 ¹Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;

Their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.

And some from among the heads of fathers' houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priests' garments.

And some of the heads of fathers' houses gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.

And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand minas of silver and sixty-seven priests' garments.

So the priests and the Levites and the gatekeepers and the singers and some of the people and the temple servants and all Israel dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.

And all the people gathered as one man in the open area that was before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the  ¹law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel.

And  ¹Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

And he read in it before the open area that was before the Water Gate from first light until midday in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

And Ezra the scribe stood upon a wooden platform that had been made for that purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah at his right hand; and at his left hand, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people); and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

And Ezra blessed Jehovah the great God; and all the people answered,  ¹Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.

Also Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites helped the people understand the law; and the people stood in their place.

And they read in the book, in the law of God, interpreting and giving the sense, so that they understood the reading.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who helped the people understand said to all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; do not mourn or weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Then he said to them, Go your way; eat the fat, and drink the sweet wine, and send portions to him for whom nothing has been prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.

So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Be quiet, for the day is holy; and do not be grieved.

And all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

And on the second day the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe, that is, in order to gain  ¹insight into the words of the law.

And they found it written in the law that Jehovah had commanded through Moses that the children of Israel dwell in  ¹booths during the feast in the seventh month,

And that they publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain and bring olive branches and wild olive branches and myrtle branches and palm branches and branches of other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.

So the people went out and brought them, and all made booths for themselves on their roofs and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God and in the open area before the Water Gate and in the open area before the Gate of Ephraim.

And all the assembly of those who returned from the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths, for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the children of Israel had not done so; and there was very great rejoicing.

And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they held the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the  ¹ordinance.

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, with earth  ¹on their heads.

And the descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

And they stood up in their place and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God for a fourth part of the day, and for another fourth part they confessed and worshipped Jehovah their God.

Then Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood up on the Levites' platform and cried out with a loud voice to Jehovah their God.

Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless Jehovah your God from eternity to eternity:
And may Your glorious name be blessed,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

You are Jehovah,
You alone;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens with all its host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them;
And You give life to all of them;
And the host of heaven worships You.

You are Jehovah God,
Who chose Abram
And brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldees
And gave him the name Abraham.

And You found his heart faithful before You
And made a covenant with him,
To give him the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
And the Perizzites and the Jebusites and the Girgashites,
To give it to his seed.
And You have fulfilled Your promises,
For You are righteous.

And You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt
And heard their cry by the Red Sea,

And You performed signs and wonders on Pharaoh,
And on all his servants, and on all the people of his land;
For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them;
And You made Yourself a name, as it is to this day.

And You divided the sea before them,
So that they might pass through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
But their pursuers You threw into the depths,
Like a stone into mighty waters.

Then in a pillar of cloud You led them by day,
And in a pillar of fire by night,
To light the way for them,
On which they should go.

And You came down upon Mount Sinai
And spoke with them from heaven.
And You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.

And You made known to them
Your holy Sabbath
And prescribed commandments and statutes and a law for them
Through Moses Your servant.

And You gave them bread from heaven
For their hunger,
And You made water come forth from a rock for them
For their thirst.
And You told them to enter
In order to possess the land,
Which You swore
To give them.

But they and our fathers acted arrogantly
And stiffened their neck and would not listen to Your commandments.

And they refused to listen
And would not remember Your wondrous acts,
Which You had done among them.
And they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader
To return to their slavery in Egypt.
But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Long-suffering and abounding in lovingkindness;
So You did not forsake them.

Indeed when they made for themselves
A molten calf,
And said, This is your God,
Who brought you up out of Egypt,
And showed great contempt;

You, in Your great compassion,
Did not forsake them in the wilderness;
The pillar of cloud did not depart from over them by day,
To guide them on their way;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To light the way for them, on which they should go.

And You gave Your good Spirit
To instruct them,
And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And gave them water for their thirst.

Indeed for forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
They did not lack;
Their clothes did not wear out,
And their feet did not swell.

And You gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And divided these to them as boundaries.
So they took possession of the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.

And their children You multiplied
Like the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
That You told their fathers
To enter and possess.

And the children entered
And possessed the land;
And You subdued before them
The inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites;
And You gave them into their hand,
With their kings and the peoples of the land,
That they might do with them as they pleased.

And they took their fortified cities
And a fertile land,
And took possession of their houses,
Full of every good thing,
Hewn cisterns, vineyards, and olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance;
And they ate and were satisfied and grew fat,
And they delighted in Your great goodness.

But they were disobedient and rebelled against You
And cast Your law behind their back.
And they slew Your prophets,
Who had testified against them
In order to turn them back to You;
And they showed great contempt.

Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their oppressors,
And they oppressed them;
But when they cried out to You in the time of their oppression,
You heard from heaven,
And according to Your great compassions You gave them deliverers,
Who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors.

Then after they had rest,
They again did evil before You;
And You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies,
And they had dominion over them.
But when they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven
And delivered them many times
According to Your compassions.

And You testified against them in order to turn them back to Your law,
But they acted arrogantly and would not listen to Your commandments;
And they sinned against Your ordinances
(By which, if a man does them, he will live),
And they turned a stubborn shoulder
And stiffened their neck and would not listen.

Yet You bore with them
For many years
And testified to them by Your Spirit
Through Your prophets,
But they would not give heed;
So You delivered them
Into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

Nevertheless in Your abundant compassions
You did not make an end of them;
And You did not forsake them,
For You are a gracious and compassionate God.

And now, our God,
The great, the mighty, and the awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,
Do not let all the hardship seem small in Your sight
Which has come upon us, on our kings, on our rulers,
And on our priests and on our prophets
And on our fathers and on all Your people,
Since the days of the kings of Assyria
Until this day.

But You are righteous
In all that has come upon us,
For You have acted faithfully
While we have acted wickedly;

And our kings, our rulers, our priests, and our fathers
Have not performed Your law
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
By which You testified against them.

But they, in their kingdom and in Your great goodness,
Which You gave them,
And in the broad and fat land
That You put before them,
Did not serve You, nor did they turn
From their evil works.

Here we are, slaves today;
And as for the land that You gave to our fathers
To eat of its fruit and its goodness,
Here we are, slaves upon it.

And its bundant aproduce is for the kings
Whom You have put over us because of our sins;
And they rule over our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure,
And we are in great distress.

And because of all this we are making a firm covenant and setting it in writing, and upon the sealed document are the names of our rulers, our Levites, and our priests.