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a tithe of the people

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

Nehemiah 11:1 Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns.
Nehemiah 11:2 The people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 11:3 These are the heads of the province who stayed in Jerusalem (but in the villages of Judah each lived on his own property in their towns– the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants —
Nehemiah 11:4 while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem): Judah’s descendants: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of Perez’s descendants;
Nehemiah 11:5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, a descendant of the Shilonite.
Nehemiah 11:6 The total number of Perez’s descendants who settled in Jerusalem was 468 capable men.
Nehemiah 11:7 These were Benjamin’s descendants: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,
Nehemiah 11:8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai: 928.
Nehemiah 11:9 Joel, son of Zichri, was the officer over them, and Judah, son of Hassenuah, was second in command over the city.
Nehemiah 11:10 The priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin, and
Nehemiah 11:11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple,
Nehemiah 11:12 and their relatives who did the work at the temple: 822. Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah
Nehemiah 11:13 and his relatives, the heads of families: 242. Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,
Nehemiah 11:14 and their relatives, capable men: 128. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim, was their chief.
Nehemiah 11:15 The Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni;
Nehemiah 11:16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the heads of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God;
Nehemiah 11:17 Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, the one who began the thanksgiving in prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his relatives; and Abda, son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.
Nehemiah 11:18 All the Levites in the holy city: 284.
Nehemiah 11:19 The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, who guarded the city gates: 172.
Nehemiah 11:20 The rest of Israel, the priests, and the Levites were in all the villages of Judah, each on his own inherited property.
Nehemiah 11:21 The temple servants lived on Ophel; Ziha and Gishpa supervised the temple servants.
Nehemiah 11:22 The leader of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the descendants of Asaph, who were singers for the service of God’s house.
Nehemiah 11:23 There was, in fact, a command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers’ daily tasks.
Nehemiah 11:24 Pethahiah, son of Meshezabel, of the descendants of Zerah, son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every matter concerning the people.
Nehemiah 11:25 As for the farming settlements with their fields: Some of Judah’s descendants lived in Kiriath-arba and Dibon and their surrounding villages, and Jekabzeel and its settlements;
Nehemiah 11:26 in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet,
Nehemiah 11:27 Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba and its surrounding villages;
Nehemiah 11:28 in Ziklag and Meconah and its surrounding villages;
Nehemiah 11:29 in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, and
Nehemiah 11:30 Zanoah and Adullam with their settlements; in Lachish with its fields, Azekah, and surrounding villages. So they settled from Beer-sheba to Hinnom Valley.
Nehemiah 11:31 Benjamin’s descendants: from Geba, Michmash, Aija, and Bethel and its surrounding villages,
Nehemiah 11:32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
Nehemiah 11:33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Nehemiah 11:34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
Nehemiah 11:35 Lod, and Ono, in Craftsmen’s Valley.
Nehemiah 11:36 Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.
Nehemiah 12:1 These are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
Nehemiah 12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
Nehemiah 12:3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Nehemiah 12:4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Nehemiah 12:5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
Nehemiah 12:6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
Nehemiah 12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.
Nehemiah 12:8 The Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah — he and his relatives were in charge of the songs of praise.
Nehemiah 12:9 Bakbukiah, Unni, and their relatives stood opposite them in the services.
Nehemiah 12:10 Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, Eliashib fathered Joiada,
Nehemiah 12:11 Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua.
Nehemiah 12:12 In the days of Joiakim, the heads of the priestly families were Meraiah of Seraiah, Hananiah of Jeremiah,
Nehemiah 12:13 Meshullam of Ezra, Jehohanan of Amariah,
Nehemiah 12:14 Jonathan of Malluchi, Joseph of Shebaniah,
Nehemiah 12:15 Adna of Harim, Helkai of Meraioth,
Nehemiah 12:16 Zechariah of Iddo, Meshullam of Ginnethon,
Nehemiah 12:17 Zichri of Abijah, Piltai of Moadiah, of Miniamin,
Nehemiah 12:18 Shammua of Bilgah, Jehonathan of Shemaiah,
Nehemiah 12:19 Mattenai of Joiarib, Uzzi of Jedaiah,
Nehemiah 12:20 Kallai of Sallai, Eber of Amok,
Nehemiah 12:21 Hashabiah of Hilkiah, and Nethanel of Jedaiah.
Nehemiah 12:22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded while Darius the Persian ruled.
Nehemiah 12:23 Levi’s descendants, the family heads, were recorded in the Book of the Historical Events during the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
Nehemiah 12:24 The heads of the Levites—Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their relatives opposite them—gave praise and thanks, division by division, as David, the man of God, had prescribed.
Nehemiah 12:25 This included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the city gates.
Nehemiah 12:26 These served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

a tithe of the people

This section records the effort to repopulate Jerusalem, and the proof that levitical duties were carried out during the entire time of the restoration. It is interesting that the goal was to put a tithe of the people itself into the city. Not everyone could go and live there, but everyone was to bless those whom they sent to represent them. In a similar way, only a small percentage of us will know the joy and privilege of foreign missionary work. Under the new covenant, the blessing goes not to those who go to the holy city, but for those who go to reach others with the message of the gospel. Have we given ten percent? What would happen if we did?

LORD, make us senders of the ten percent.