1 After we finished building the wall and put the doors in the gates, we chose the men who would guard the gates and the men to sing in the Temple and help the priests.2 Next, I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem. I chose another man named Hananiah to be the commander of the fort. I picked Hanani because he was a very honest man and he feared God more than most people do.3 Then I said to Hanani and Hananiah, "Each day you must wait until the sun has been up for several hours before you open the gates of Jerusalem. You must shut and lock the gates before the sun goes down. Also choose people who live in Jerusalem as guards. Put some of them at special places to guard the city, and put the other people near their own houses."4 Now the city was large and there was plenty of room. But there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.5 So my God put it in my heart to have all the people meet together. I called together all the important people, the officials, and the common people. I did this so that I could make a list of all the families. I found the family lists of the people who had been the first to return from captivity. This is what I found written there:6 These are the people of the province who came back from captivity. In the past, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took them as prisoners to Babylon. These people came back to Jerusalem and Judah. They all went to their own towns.7 They returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. This is the list of names and numbers of men from Israel who came back:8 The descendants of Parosh 21729 the descendants of Shephatiah 37210 the descendants of Arah 65211 the descendants of Pahath Moab of the family line of Jeshua and Joab 281812 the descendants of Elam 125413 the descendants of Zattu 84514 the descendants of Zaccai 76015 the descendants of Binnui 64816 the descendants of Bebai 62817 the descendants of Azgad 232218 the descendants of Adonikam 66719 the descendants of Bigvai 206720 the descendants of Adin 65521 the descendants of Ater through the family of Hezekiah 9822 the descendants of Hashum 32823 the descendants of Bezai 32424 the descendants of Hariph 11225 the descendants of Gibeon 9526 from the towns of Bethlehem and Netophah 18827 from the town of Anathoth 12828 from the town of Beth Azmaveth 4229 from the towns of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth 74330 from the towns of Ramah and Geba 62131 from the town of Micmash 12232 from the towns of Bethel and Ai 12333 from the other town of Nebo 5234 from the other town of Elam 125435 from the town of Harim 32036 from the town of Jericho 34537 from the towns of Lod, Hadid, and Ono 72138 from the town of Senaah 393039 These are the priests: The descendants of Jedaiah through the family of Jeshua 97340 the descendants of Immer 105241 the descendants of Pashhur 124742 the descendants of Harim 101743 These are the people from the tribe of Levi: The descendants of Jeshua through Kadmiel through the family of Hodeiah 7444 These are the singers: The descendants of Asaph 14845 These are the gatekeepers: The descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai 13846 These are the special Temple servants: The descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,47 Keros, Sia, Padon,48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,49 Hanan, Giddel, Gaher,50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,52 Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,56 Neziah, and Hatipha.57 These are the descendants of the servants of Solomon: Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.60 The Temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants 39261 Some people came to Jerusalem from these towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But these people could not prove that their families really came from the Israelites:62 The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda 64263 From the family of priests there were the descendants of: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (If a man married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead, he was counted as a descendant of Barzillai.)64 These people searched for their family histories, but they could not find them. They could not prove that their ancestors were priests, so they could serve as priests. Their names were not included in the list of priests.65 The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most holy food until a priest could use the Urim and Thummim to ask God what to do.66 All together, there were 42,360 people in the group who came back. This is not counting their 7337 men and women slaves. They also had 245 men and women singers with them.6768 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6720 donkeys.6970 Some of the family leaders gave money to support the work. The governor gave 19 pounds of gold to the treasury. He also gave 50 bowls and 530 pieces of clothing for the priests.71 The family leaders gave 375 pounds of gold to the treasury to support the work. They also gave 2750 pounds of silver.72 All together the other people gave 375 pounds of gold, 2500 pounds of silver, and 67 pieces of clothing for the priests.73 So the priests, the people from the tribe of Levi, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Temple servants settled down in their own towns. And all the other Israelites settled down in their own towns. By the seventh month of the year, all the Israelites had settled down in their own towns.