The Berean Pursuit
When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.
Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. And I told them, "Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes."
Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it:
These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
This is the count of the men of Israel:
the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
the descendants of Arah, 652;
the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;
the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
the descendants of Zattu, 845;
the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
the descendants of Binnui, 648;
the descendants of Bebai, 628;
the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;
the descendants of Adonikam, 667;
the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;
the descendants of Adin, 655;
the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;
the descendants of Hashum, 328;
the descendants of Bezai, 324;
the descendants of Hariph, 112;
the descendants of Gibeon, 95;
the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
the men of Anathoth, 128;
the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;
the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Michmash, 122;
the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;
the men of the other Nebo, 52;
the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;
the descendants of Harim, 320;
the men of Jericho, 345;
the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;
and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.
The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah), 74.
The singers:
the descendants of Asaph, 148.
The gatekeepers:
the descendants of Shallum,
the descendants of Ater,
the descendants of Talmon,
the descendants of Akkub,
the descendants of Hatita,
and the descendants of Shobai,
138 in all.
The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha,
the descendants of Hasupha,
the descendants of Tabbaoth,
the descendants of Keros,
the descendants of Sia,
the descendants of Padon,
the descendants of Lebanah,
the descendants of Hagabah,
the descendants of Shalmai,
the descendants of Hanan,
the descendants of Giddel,
the descendants of Gahar,
the descendants of Reaiah,
the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda,
the descendants of Gazzam,
the descendants of Uzza,
the descendants of Paseah,
the descendants of Besai,
the descendants of Meunim,
the descendants of Nephushesim,
the descendants of Bakbuk,
the descendants of Hakupha,
the descendants of Harhur,
the descendants of Bazlith,
the descendants of Mehida,
the descendants of Harsha,
the descendants of Barkos,
the descendants of Sisera,
the descendants of Temah,
the descendants of Neziah,
and the descendants of Hatipha.
The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai,
the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Perida,
the descendants of Jaala,
the descendants of Darkon,
the descendants of Giddel,
the descendants of Shephatiah,
the descendants of Hattil,
the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
and the descendants of Amon.
The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:
the descendants of Delaiah,
the descendants of Tobiah,
and the descendants of Nekoda,
642 in all.
And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah,
the descendants of Hakkoz,
and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.
The whole assembly numbered 42,360, in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 245 male and female singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Some of the heads of the families contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. And some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the project 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. The rest of the people gave a total of 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priestly garments.
So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.
At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand. So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand.
And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, "Amen, Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
The Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah-instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places. So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, "This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep."
For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.
Then Nehemiah told them, "Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve."
Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law. And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
So they proclaimed this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written."
And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the court of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole assembly who had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated like this. And there was great rejoicing.
Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.
And the Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani-stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God. Then the Levites-Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah-said, "Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting:
Blessed be Your glorious name,
and may it be exalted
above all blessing and praise.
You alone are the LORD.
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all things,
and the host of heaven worships You.
You are the LORD,
the God who chose Abram,
who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans
and gave him the name Abraham.
You found his heart faithful before You,
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites and Hittites,
of the Amorites and Perizzites,
of the Jebusites and Girgashites-
to give it to his descendants.
You have kept Your promise,
because You are righteous.
You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt;
You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,
for You knew they had acted with arrogance
against our fathers.
You made a name for Yourself
that endures to this day.
You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into raging waters.
You led them with a pillar of cloud by day
and a pillar of fire by night,
to light for them the way
in which they should travel.
You came down on Mount Sinai
and spoke with them from heaven.
You gave them just ordinances, true laws,
and good statutes and commandments.
You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath
and gave them commandments and statutes and laws
through Your servant Moses.
In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven;
in their thirst You brought them water from the rock.
You told them to go in and possess the land
which You had sworn to give them.
But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked
and did not obey Your commandments.
They refused to listen and failed to remember
the wonders You performed among them.
They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader
to return them to their bondage in Egypt.
But You are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in loving devotion,
and You did not forsake them.
Even when they cast for themselves
an image of a calf and said,
'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,'
and when they committed terrible blasphemies,
You in Your great compassion
did not forsake them in the wilderness.
By day the pillar of cloud never turned away
from guiding them on their path;
and by the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.
You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them.
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths,
and You gave them water for their thirst.
For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness,
so that they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out
and their feet did not swell.
You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and allotted to them every corner of the land.
So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon
and of Og king of Bashan.
You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of heaven
and brought them to the land
You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
So their descendants went in and possessed the land;
You subdued before them the Canaanites dwelling in the land.
You delivered into their hands the kings and peoples of the land,
to do with them as they wished.
They captured fortified cities and fertile land
and took houses full of all goods,
wells already dug,
vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled;
they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.
But they were disobedient and rebelled against You;
they flung Your law behind their backs.
They killed Your prophets,
who had admonished them to return to You.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
So You delivered them into the hands
of enemies who oppressed them,
and in their time of distress they cried out to You.
From heaven You heard them,
and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers
who saved them from the hands of their enemies.
But as soon as they had rest,
they again did evil in Your sight.
So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies,
who had dominion over them.
When they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven,
and You delivered them many times
in Your compassion.
You admonished them to turn back to Your law,
but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments.
They sinned against Your ordinances,
by which a man will live if he practices them.
They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders;
they stiffened their necks and would not obey.
You were patient with them for many years,
and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen,
so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.
But in Your great compassion,
You did not put an end to them;
nor did You forsake them,
for You are a gracious and compassionate God.
So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God
who keeps His gracious covenant,
do not view lightly all the hardship
that has come upon us,
and upon our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all Your people,
from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
You are just in all that has befallen us,
because You have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.
Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers
did not obey Your law
or listen to Your commandments
and warnings that You gave them.
For even while they were in their kingdom,
with the abundant goodness
that You had given them,
and in the spacious and fertile land
that You had set before them,
they would not serve You
or turn from their wicked ways.
So here we are today as slaves
in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness-
here we are as slaves!
Its abundant harvest goes to the kings
You have set over us because of our sins.
And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please.
We are in great distress.
In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests."
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men.
Protect me from men of violence,
who devise evil in their hearts
and stir up war all day long.
They sharpen their tongues like snakes;
the venom of vipers is on their lips.
Selah
Guard me, O LORD,
from the hands of the wicked.
Keep me safe from men of violence
who scheme to make me stumble.
The proud hide a snare for me;
the cords of their net are spread along the path,
and lures are set out for me.
Selah
I say to the LORD, "You are my God."
Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.
O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
do not promote their evil plans,
lest they be exalted.
Selah
May the heads of those who surround me
be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
May burning coals fall on them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into the miry pits, never to rise again.
May no slanderer be established in the land;
may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor
and defends the cause of the needy.
Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will dwell in Your presence.
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: "Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God."
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!"
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
Then one of the elders addressed me: "These in white robes," he asked, "who are they, and where have they come from?"
"Sir," I answered, "you know."
So he replied, "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason,
they are before the throne of God
and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
'Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst;
nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.'
For the Lamb in the center of the throne
will be their shepherd.
'He will lead them to springs of living water,'
and 'God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"