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.
27. When the city wall of Jerusalem was dedicated, the Levites were brought in from wherever they were living, so that they could join in celebrating the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals and harps.
28. The Levite families of singers gathered from the area where they had settled round Jerusalem and from the towns round Netophah,
29. and from Bethgilgal, Geba, and Azmaveth.
30. The priests and the Levites performed ritual purification for themselves, the people, the gates, and the city wall.
31. I assembled the leaders of Judah on top of the wall and put them in charge of two large groups to march round the city, giving thanks to God.The first group went to the right on top of the wall towards the Rubbish Gate.
32. Hoshaiah marched behind the singers, followed by half the leaders of Judah.
33-35. The following priests, blowing trumpets, marched next: Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah. Next came Zechariah, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Shemaiah. (His ancestors also included Mattaniah, Micaiah, and Zaccur, of the clan of Asaph.)
36. He was followed by other members of his clan — Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani — all of whom carried musical instruments of the kind played by King David, the man of God. Ezra the scholar led this group in the procession.
37. At the Fountain Gate they went up the steps that led to David's City, past David's palace, and back to the wall at the Water Gate, on the east side of the city.