Page 97 - Principles of Leadership - Nehemiah

Again, Nehemiah was trying to add value to people’s lives. I learned from the apostle Paul that he also looked
for ways to add value to people's lives. If you look at the greetings in the various epistles that Paul wrote, you
will find that Paul looked for a way to complement these churches in the vast majority. (Romans 1:8, first
Corinthians 1:4 – 6, Colossians 1:3 – 4, first Thessalonians 1:2 – 3) From each of these Scripture passages, you
can see that the apostle Paul looked for ways to praise these people's lives. Therefore, let me encourage you to
follow the model of the apostle Paul, who always looked at the very beginning of his conversations with people
for ways to add value to their lives. Nehemiah and the apostle Paul were masters of this practice.

3 These are the heads of the province who stayed in Jerusalem (but in the villages of Judah each lived on his
own property in their towns—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s
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servants — while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem): Judah’s
descendants: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel,
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of Perez’s descendants; and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of
Joiarib, son of Zechariah, a descendant of the Shilonite. The total number of Perez’s descendants, who
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settled in Jerusalem, was 468 capable men. These were Benjamin’s descendants: Sallu son of Meshullam,
son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, and after him
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Gabbai [and] Sallai: 928. Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was
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second in command over the city. The priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin, and Seraiah son of Hilkiah,
son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s house, and their
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relatives who did the work at the temple: 822. Adaiah, son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of
Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah and his relatives, the leaders of families: 242. Amashsai, son of
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Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, , and their relatives, capable men: 128. Zabdiel,
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son of Haggedolim, was their chief. The Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of
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Hashabiah, son of Bunni; and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the leaders of the Levites, who supervised the
work outside the house of God; Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, the leader who began
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the thanksgiving in prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his relatives; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal,
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son of Jeduthun. All the Levites in the holy city: 284. The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives,
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who guarded the gates: 172. The rest of Israel, the priests, and the Levites were in all the villages of Judah,
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each on his own inherited property. The temple servants lived on Ophel; Ziha and Gishpa supervised the
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temple servants.
The Levites and Priests
22 The leader of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi, son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of
Mica, of the descendants of Asaph, who were singers for the service of God’s house. For there was a
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command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers’ daily tasks. Pethahiah, son
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of Meshezabel, of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every matter concerning the
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people. As for the farming settlements with their fields: Some of Judah’s descendants lived in Kiriath–arba
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and its villages, Dibon and its villages, and Jekabzeel and its villages, in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet,
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27 Hazar-shual, and Beer–sheba and its villages; in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages, in En-rimmon,
Zorah, Jarmuth, and Zanoah and Adullam with their villages; in Lachish with its fields and Azekah
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and its villages. So they settled from Beer–sheba to the Valley of Hinnom. Benjamin’s descendants: from
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Geba, Michmash, Aija, and Bethel—and its villages, Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
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34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, Lod, and Ono, the valley of the craftsmen. Some of the Judean divisions
of Levites were in Benjamin.
Nehemiah 12:1-36
These are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah,
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Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
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5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the
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leaders of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua. The Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,
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