Census of First Returned Exiles

1Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed, 2then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. 3Then I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, the gatekeepers are to [a]keep the doors shut and bolted. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.” 4Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.

5Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the other people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first, [b]in which I found the following record:

6These are the [c]people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city, 7who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, [d]Azariah, [e]Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, [f]Mispereth, Bigvai, [g]Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of men of the people of Israel: 8the sons of Parosh, 2,172; 9the sons of Shephatiah, 372; 10the sons of Arah, 652; 11the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818; 12the sons of Elam, 1,254; 13the sons of Zattu, 845; 14the sons of Zaccai, 760; 15the sons of [h]Binnui, 648; 16the sons of Bebai, 628; 17the sons of Azgad, 2,322; 18the sons of Adonikam, 667; 19the sons of Bigvai, 2,067; 20the sons of Adin, 655; 21the sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98; 22the sons of Hashum, 328; 23the sons of Bezai, 324; 24the sons of [i]Hariph, 112; 25the sons of [j]Gibeon, 95; 26the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188; 27the men of Anathoth, 128; 28the men of [k]Beth-azmaveth, 42; 29the men of [l]Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743; 30the men of Ramah and Geba, 621; 31the men of Michmas, 122; 32the men of Bethel and Ai, 123; 33the men of the other Nebo, 52; 34the sons of the other Elam, 1,254; 35the sons of Harim, 320; 36the [m]men of Jericho, 345; 37the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721; 38the sons of Senaah, 3,930.

39The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973; 40the sons of Immer, 1,052; 41the sons of Pashhur, 1,247; 42the sons of Harim, 1,017.

43The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of [n]Hodevah, 74. 44The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. 45The 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, 138.

46The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47the sons of Keros, the sons of [o]Sia, the sons of Padon, 48the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, 49the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of [p]Nephushesim, 53the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54the sons of [q]Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

57The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of [r]Sophereth, the sons of [s]Perida, 58the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of [t]Amon.

60All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants totaled 392.

61These were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, [u]Addon, and Immer; but they could not provide evidence for their fathers’ households or their [v]descendants, whether they were of Israel: 62the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. 63And of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was named after them. 64These searched among their ancestral registration, but it could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and disqualified from the priesthood. 65And the [w]governor said to them that they were not to eat from the most holy things until a priest arose with Urim and Thummim.

Total of People and Gifts

66The whole assembly together totaled 42,360, 67besides their male slaves and their female slaves, [x]of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers. 68[y]Their horses were 736; their mules, 245; 69their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

70Some of the heads of fathers’ households gave to the work. The [z]governor gave to the treasury a thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and 530 priests’ garments. 71And some of the heads of fathers’ households gave to the treasury for the work twenty thousand gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. 72What the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priests’ garments.

73Now the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.

And when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

[a] 3 Lit shut the doors and bolt
[b] 5 Lit and I found written in it
[c] 6 Lit sons
[d] 7 In Ezra 2:2, Seraiah
[e] 7 In Ezra 2:2, Reelaiah
[f] 7 In Ezra 2:2, Mispar
[g] 7 In Ezra 2:2, Rehum
[h] 15 In Ezra 2:10, Bani
[i] 24 In Ezra 2:18, Jorah
[j] 25 In Ezra 2:20, Gibbar
[k] 28 In Ezra 2:24, Azmaveth
[l] 29 In Ezra 2:25, Kiriath-arim
[m] 36 Lit sons
[n] 43 In Ezra 2:40, Hodaviah, in Ezra 3:9, Judah
[o] 47 In Ezra 2:44, Siaha
[p] 52 In Ezra 2:50, Nephisim
[q] 54 In Ezra 2:52, Bazluth
[r] 57 In Ezra 2:55, Hassophereth
[s] 57 In Ezra 2:55, Peruda
[t] 59 In Ezra 2:57, Ami
[u] 61 In Ezra 2:59, Addan
[v] 61 Lit seed
[w] 65 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title
[x] 67 Lit these
[y] 68 As in some ancient mss and LXX; verse not in MT
[z] 70 Heb Tirshatha, a Persian title