Nehemiah 7:7-60

The people who returned to *Judah had different jobs to do. Some were priests and *Levites and some were singers. They led the people when they *worshipped God. Some of the people guarded the *temple and the gates and some were servants in the *temple.

v61 These are the people from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer. But they could not prove that they really belonged to the families of *Israel:

v62 The *descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda, 642.

v63-64 And some priests searched for their family registers, but they could not find them. So they could not prove who their *ancestors were. These priests were the *descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. (Barzillai had married a woman from the family of Barzillai from Gilead and he took her family’s name.) Because their family registers were missing, these men were unholy. So they were not able to do the priests’ work. v65 The chief officer therefore ordered these men not to eat the most sacred food. At that time, there was no priest who could use the Urim and Thummim to make a decision. These men would have to obey the chief officer until such a priest arrived.