Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Nehemiah 12,1-47

These are the priests and the Levites who came back with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua:

Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah -- these were the heads of the priests and their kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.

The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah -- this last, with his brothers, was in charge of the songs of praise,

while Bakbukiah and Unno, their colleagues, formed the alternate choir to theirs.

Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, Eliashib fathered Joiada,

Joiada fathered Johanan, and Johanan fathered Jaddua.

In the days of Joiakim the heads of the priestly families were: family of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

of Malluch, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

of Harim, Adna; of Meremoth, Helkai;

of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

of Abijah, Zichri; of Minjamin, . . .; of Moadiah, Piltai;

of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

and of Jojarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

In the time of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, the heads of the families of priests were registered in the Book of Chronicles, up to the reign of Darius the Persian.

The Levites who were heads of families were registered in the Book of Chronicles up to the time of Johanan, grandson of Eliashib.

The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, while their brothers who formed an alternate choir for the hymns of praise and thanksgiving, as David, man of God, had prescribed, section corresponding to section,

were Mattaniah, Bakbukiah and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were the gatekeepers guarding the stores at the gates.

These lived in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest-scribe.

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem the Levites were sent for, wherever they lived, to come to Jerusalem and joyfully perform the dedication with hymns of thanksgiving and songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, lyres and harps.

Accordingly, the levitical singers assembled from the district round Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,

from Beth-Gilgal and from their farms at Geba and Azmaveth -- for the singers had built themselves villages all round Jerusalem.

When the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they then purified the people, the gates and the wall.

I then made the leaders of Judah come on to the top of the wall and appointed two large choirs. One made its way along the top of the wall, to the right, towards the Dung Gate;

bringing up the rear were Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah,

and also Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah and Jeremiah,

of the priests, with trumpets; then Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,

with his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Juda, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David, man of God. The scribe Ezra walked at their head.

At the Fountain Gate they went straight on up the steps of the City of David, along the top of the rampart by the stairway of the wall, above the Palace of David as far as the Water Gate, on the east.

The other choir made its way to the left; I and half the leaders of the people followed them along the top of the wall from the Tower of the Furnaces to the Broad Wall,

from the Ephraim Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred as far as the Sheep Gate, and they came to a halt at the Prison Gate.

The two choirs then took their places in the Temple of God. But I had half the magistrates with me

as well as the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah with the trumpets,

and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. The singers sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah.

There were great sacrifices offered that day and the people rejoiced, God having given them good cause for rejoicing; the women and children rejoiced too, and the joy of Jerusalem could be heard from far away.

For the rooms intended for the treasures, contributions, first-fruits and tithes, supervisors were then appointed whose business it was to collect in them those portions from the town lands awarded by the Law to the priests and Levites. For Judah rejoiced in the officiating priests and Levites,

since they -- with the singers and gatekeepers -- performed the liturgy of their God and the rites of purification as ordained by David and his son Solomon.

For from ancient times, from the days of David and Asaph, they had been the leaders in rendering hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God.

In the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel supplied regular daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers, and gave the dedicated contributions to the Levites; and the Levites gave the dedicated contributions to the Aaronites.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The first part of the chapter continues the attempt to discern continuity in the history of Israel after the return from exile. Indeed, God has not abandoned his people, rather, through his envoys, from Zerubbabel up to Ezra and Nehemiah, he reconstitutes it in its unity. Above all, the author recalls Zerubbabel, who is placed at the beginning of the return from Babylon; he then gives a list of names, which concludes with those of Ezra and Nehemiah (v. 24). With this long list of names, the author wants to join together the various movements of the return in a single event, which fulfils Cyrus’ decree that had been referred to precisely at the beginning of the book of Ezra. The intention is to show that the Lord brings to fulfilment his plan of salvation. The lists, both those of chapters 11 or 12, which can seem dry when read, shed light on the importance in history of the postexilic period and the reconstitution of the community in its unity and its historical continuity. In fact, those who returned from Babylon are the true Israel; they actualise God’s promises. And this actualisation is now focused on obedience to the Torah, God’s teaching, and in the rebuilding of the temple. Precisely here, according to what the books of Chronicles had announced beforehand, comes to fulfilment the itinerary that had brought Israel from slavery in Egypt to the promised land (cf. 1 Chronicles 17). If it is in praising God on the Sabbath that we, as humans, bring creation to fulfilment, as the beginning of the second chapter of Genesis teaches us, it is in the temple that Israel acknowledges the work that God has accomplished with them. The second part of the chapter, while it describes the dedication of the city walls, is really a continual invitation to joy, which ends in the temple: "So both companies of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God... They offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away." The city has finally reacquired its character as a holy city because God is in its midst. This is why it is said: "And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people and the gates and the wall" (v. 30). Purity is one of God’s characteristics: He is pure because he is exempt from sin and because he is the Holy one par excellence. We too are called to purify ourselves acknowledging our sin before the Lord so that we can share in the joy of his presence in union with the praises of the community of brothers and sisters.