The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday August 16, 2018 (NIV)

The People Who Lived in Jerusalem

11 The leaders settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people drew lots to choose one family out of every ten to go and live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the rest were to live in the other cities and towns. ² The people praised anyone else who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. ^3 (A)In the other towns and cities the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple workers, and the descendants of Solomon's servants lived on their own property in their own towns.

The following is the list of the leading citizens of the province of Judah who lived in Jerusalem:

Members of the tribe of Judah

⁴ Athaiah, the son of Uzziah and grandson of Zechariah. His other ancestors included Amariah, Shephatiah, and Mahalalel, descendants of Judah's son Perez.

⁵ Maaseiah, the son of Baruch and grandson of Colhozeh. His other ancestors included Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib, and Zechariah, descendants of Judah's son Shelah.

⁶ Of the descendants of Perez, 468 outstanding soldiers lived in Jerusalem.

Members of the tribe of Benjamin

⁷ Sallu, the son of Meshullam and grandson of Joed. His other ancestors included Pedaiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Ithiel, and Jeshaiah.

⁸ Gabbai and Sallai, close relatives^[a] of Sallu.

In all, 928 Benjaminites lived in Jerusalem. ⁹ Joel son of Zichri was their leader, and Judah son of Hassenuah was the second ranking official in the city.

Priests

¹⁰ Jedaiah son of Joiarib, and Jachin.

¹¹ Seraiah, the son of Hilkiah and grandson of Meshullam. His ancestors included Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub, who was the High Priest. ¹² In all, 822 members of this clan served in the Temple.

Adaiah, the son of Jeroham and grandson of Pelaliah. His ancestors included Amzi, Zechariah, Pashhur, and Malchijah. ¹³ In all, 242 members of this clan were heads of families.

Amashsai, the son of Azarel and grandson of Ahzai. His ancestors included Meshillemoth and Immer. ¹⁴ There were 128 members of this clan who were outstanding soldiers. Their leader was Zabdiel, a member of a leading family.^[b]

Levites

¹⁵ Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub and grandson of Azrikam. His ancestors included Hashabiah and Bunni.

¹⁶ Shabbethai and Jozabad, prominent Levites in charge of the work outside the Temple.

¹⁷ Mattaniah, the son of Mica and grandson of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph. He led the Temple choir in singing the prayer of thanksgiving.

Bakbukiah, who was Mattaniah's assistant.

Abda, the son of Shammua and grandson of Galal, a descendant of Jeduthun.

¹⁸ In all, 284 Levites lived in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Temple guards

¹⁹ Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, 172 in all.

²⁰ The rest of the people of Israel and the remaining priests and Levites lived on their own property in the other cities and towns of Judah. ²¹ The Temple workers lived in the part of Jerusalem called Ophel and worked under the supervision of Ziha and Gishpa.

²² The supervisor of the Levites who lived in Jerusalem was Uzzi, the son of Bani and grandson of Hashabiah. His ancestors included Mattaniah and Mica, and he belonged to the clan of Asaph, the clan that was responsible for the music in the Temple services. ²³ There were royal regulations stating how the clans should take turns in leading the Temple music each day.

²⁴ Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the clan of Zerah and the tribe of Judah, represented the people of Israel at the Persian court.

The People in Other Towns and Cities

²⁵ Many of the people lived in towns near their farms. Those who were of the tribe of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba, Dibon, and Jekabzeel, and in the villages near these cities. ²⁶ They also lived in the cities of Jeshua, Moladah, Bethpelet, ²⁷ and Hazarshual, and in Beersheba and the villages around it. ²⁸ They lived in the city of Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages, ²⁹ in Enrimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, ³⁰ in Zanoah, in Adullam, and in the villages near these towns. They lived in Lachish and on the farms nearby, and in Azekah and its villages. That is to say, the people of Judah lived in the territory between Beersheba in the south and Hinnom Valley in the north.

³¹ The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived in Geba, Michmash, Ai, Bethel and the nearby villages, ³² Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, ³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, ³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, ³⁵ Lod, and Ono, and in Craftsmen's Valley. ³⁶ Some groups of Levites that had lived in the territory of Judah were assigned to live with the people of Benjamin.

List of Priests and Levites

12 The following is a list of the priests and Levites who returned from exile with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with the High Priest Joshua:

Priests

^2-7 Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These men were leaders among all their fellow priests in the days of Joshua.

Levites

⁸ The following were in charge of the singing of hymns of thanksgiving: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah.

⁹ The following formed the choir that sang the responses: Bakbukiah, Unno, and their fellow Levites.

Descendants of the High Priest Joshua

¹⁰ Joshua was the father of Joiakim; Joiakim was the father of Eliashib; Eliashib was the father of Joiada; ¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan; and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

Heads of the Priestly Clans

^12-21 When Joiakim was High Priest, the following priests were the heads of the priestly clans:

Priest	Clan
Meraiah	Seraiah
Hananiah	Jeremiah
Meshullam	Ezra
Jehohanan	Amariah
Jonathan	Malluchi
Joseph	Shebaniah
Adna	Harim
Helkai	Meraioth
Zechariah	Iddo
Meshullam	Ginnethon
Zichri	Abijah
[c]	Miniamin
Piltai	Moadiah
Shammua	Bilgah
Jehonathan	Shemaiah
Mattenai	Joiarib
Uzzi	Jedaiah
Kallai	Sallai
Eber	Amok
Hashabiah	Hilkiah
Nethanel	Jedaiah

Record of the Priestly and Levite Families

²² A record was kept of the heads of the Levite families and of the priestly families during the lifetimes of the following High Priests: Eliashib, Joiada, Jonathan, and Jaddua. This record was finished when Darius was emperor of Persia.

²³ The heads of the Levite families, however, were recorded in the official records only until the time of Jonathan, the grandson of Eliashib.

Assignment of Duties in the Temple

²⁴ Under the direction of Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui,^[d] and Kadmiel, the Levites were organized into groups. Two groups at a time praised God responsively and gave thanks to him, in accordance with the instructions given by King David, the man of God.

²⁵ The following Temple guards were in charge of guarding the storerooms by the gates to the Temple: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub.

²⁶ These people lived during the time of Joiakim, the son of Joshua and grandson of Jehozadak, and the time of Nehemiah the governor, and the time of Ezra, the priest who was a scholar of the Law.

¹⁴ So then, my dear friends, keep away from the worship of idols. ¹⁵ I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ^16 (A)The cup we use in the Lord's Supper and for which we give thanks to God: when we drink from it, we are sharing in the blood of Christ. And the bread we break: when we eat it, we are sharing in the body of Christ. ¹⁷ Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf.

^18 (B)Consider the people of Israel; those who eat what is offered in sacrifice share in the altar's service to God. ¹⁹ Do I imply, then, that an idol or the food offered to it really amounts to anything? ^20 (C)No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on pagan altars is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink from the Lord's cup and also from the cup of demons; you cannot eat at the Lord's table and also at the table of demons. ^22 (D)Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than he?

^23 (E)“We are allowed to do anything,” so they say. That is true, but not everything is good. “We are allowed to do anything”—but not everything is helpful. ²⁴ None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.

²⁵ You are free to eat anything sold in the meat market, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ^26 (F)For, as the scripture says, “The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.”

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ²⁸ But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake— ²⁹ that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.

“Well, then,” someone asks, “why should my freedom to act be limited by another person's conscience? ³⁰ If I thank God for my food, why should anyone criticize me about food for which I give thanks?”

³¹ Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory. ³² Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God. ³³ Just do as I do; I try to please everyone in all that I do, not thinking of my own good, but of the good of all, so that they might be saved.

¹⁴ If someone is angry with you, a gift given secretly will calm him down.

¹⁵ When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are brought to despair.

¹⁶ Death is waiting for anyone who wanders away from good sense.