Day 280: The People of the Covenant (2026)

Fr. Mike Schmitz (0:04)

Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to The Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 280 We are only two days, including today, two days away from the end of the return and the beginning of the Maccabean revolt. Really fascinating. I think it's fascinating. We're reading today Nehemiah 12, as well as the conclusion of Esther 9-11. We're also reading Proverbs 21-24. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version, the second Catholic edition. I'm using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates every single day. It is Day 280 We're reading Nehemiah Chapter 12, Esther 9-11, as well as Proverbs Chapter 21, Verses 21-24.

The Book of Nehemiah Chapter 12, Lists of Priests and Levites. These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel, the son of Shaltiel and Jeshua. Saraiya, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariya, Meluk, Hattush, Shakanaiya, Rechum, Miramoth, Edo, Ginnathoi, Abijah, Mishamin, Ma'adaiya, Bilgah, Shomaiya, Joyerib, Jadaiya, Salu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jadaiya.

These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua. And the Levites, Jeshua, Benui, Kadmiel, Shirebayah, Judah, and Mataniah, who with his brethren was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. And Bakpokiah and Uno their brethren stood opposite them in the service. And Jeshua was the father of Joachim. Joachim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joideh, Joideh the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaduah. And in the days of Joachim were priests, heads of father's houses, of Saraiah, Mariah, of Jeremiah, Hananiah, of Ezra, Meshulam, of Amariah, Jehol Hanan, of Melukai, Jonathan, of Shebeniah, Joseph, of Harim, Adna, of Mereoth, Helki, of Edo, Zechariah, of Ginnathon, Meshulam, of Abijah, Zechariah, of Menyamin, of Modiah, Piltai, of Bilgah, Shemua, of Shemaiah, Jehonathan, of Joyarib, Matanai, of Judiah, Uzi, of Salai, Kallai, of Amok, Eber, of Hilkiah, Hashabiah, of Judiah, Nathanel. As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joida, Johanan, and Jaduah, there were recorded the heads of father's houses, also the priests until the reign of Darius, the Persian. The sons of Levi, heads of father's houses, were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan, the son of Eliashib, and the chiefs of the Levites, Hashabiah, Cherubiah, and Joshua, the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks according to the commandment of David, the man of God. Watch corresponding to watch. Mataniah, Baqbukhiyah, Obadiah, Mishulam, Talman, and Akub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates.

These were in the days of Joyakim, the son of Jeshua, son of Josadach, and in the days of Nehemiah, the governor, and of Ezra, the priest, the scribe.

Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem And at the dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites in all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate their vacation with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, with symbols, harps, and liars. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the circuit around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Nataphathites, also from Beth-Gilgal and from the region of Giba and Asmaveth. For the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the Wall.

Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the Wall and appointed two great companies, which gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the right upon the Wall, to the Dungate, and after them went Hoshea and half of the princes of Judah, and Azariah, Ezra, Meshulam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mataniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zakur, son of Asaph. And his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarell, Meliliah, Gililiah, Ma'ai, Nathanael, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. At the fountain gate, they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David at the ascent of the wall above the house of David to the water gate on the east.