Nehemiah 12 - Summary

The chapter lists the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, followed by the succession of high priests from Jeshua to Jaddua and the Levitical family heads during the high priesthood of Joiakim, Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan. For the dedication of the wall, the Levites were brought from throughout the region to celebrate with thanksgiving, singing, cymbals, harps, and lyres, and the singers had built villages around Jerusalem. After purification ceremonies, Nehemiah organized two great procession choirs to walk in opposite directions on top of the wall, meeting at the temple, with Ezra leading one group and Nehemiah following the other, while the priests blew trumpets and the singers sang with Jezrahiah as leader. They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced with such loud joy that it was heard far away; overseers were appointed for the storerooms for contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, and Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who performed their service along with the singers and gatekeepers according to the command of David and Solomon, for in the days of David and Asaph there had been directors of singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.