The Scroll and the Lamb

Revelation 5 I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sits on the throne; it was covered with writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel, who announced in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" ³But there was no one in heaven or on earth or in the world below who could open the scroll and look inside it. ⁴I cried bitterly because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, "Don't cry. Look! The Lion from Judah's tribe, the great descendant of David, has won the victory, and he can break the seven seals and open the scroll."
⁶Then I saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb appeared to have been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that have been sent through the whole earth. ⁷The Lamb went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sits on the throne. ⁸As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people. ⁹They sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to break open its seals.
For you were killed, and by your sacrificial death you bought for God
people from every tribe, language, nation, and race.
¹⁰You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God,
and they shall rule on earth."
¹¹Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders, ¹²and sang in a loud voice:
"The Lamb who was killed is worthy
to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength,
honor, glory, and praise!"
¹³And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea--all living beings in the universe--and they were singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,
be praise and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever!"
¹⁴The four living creatures answered, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

The List of Those Who Returned from Exile
(Ezra 2.1-70)

Nehemiah 7 ⁴Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people were living in it, and not many houses had been built yet. ⁵God inspired me to assemble the people and their leaders and officials and to check their family records. I located the records of those who had first returned from captivity, and this is the information I found:
⁶Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own hometown. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners. ⁷Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
^8-25This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:
Parosh - 2,172
Shephatiah - 372
Arah - 652
Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,818
Elam - 1,254
Zattu - 845
Zaccai - 760
Binnui - 648
Bebai - 628
Azgad - 2,322
Adonikam - 667
Bigvai - 2,067
Adin - 655
Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
Hashum - 328
Bezai - 324
Hariph - 112
Gibeon - 95
^26-38People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:
Bethlehem and Netophah - 188
Anathoth - 128
Beth Azmaveth - 42
Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
Ramah and Geba - 621
Michmash - 122
Bethel and Ai - 123
The other Nebo - 52
The other Elam - 1,254
Harim - 320
Jericho - 345
Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 721
Senaah - 3,930
^39-42This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:
Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973
Immer - 1,052
Pashhur - 1,247
Harim - 1,017
^43-45Clans of Levites who returned from exile:
Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 148
Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 138
^46-56Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
Keros, Sia, Padon,
Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim,
Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,
Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
Neziah, and Hatipha.
^57-59Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:
Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.
⁶⁰The total number of descendants of the Temple workers and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.
^61-62There were 642 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.
^63-64The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. ⁶⁵The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.
^66-69Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360.
Their male and female servants - 7,337
Male and female musicians - 245
Horses - 736
Mules - 245
Camels - 435
Donkeys - 6,720
^70-72Many of the people contributed to help pay the cost of restoring the Temple:
⁷³The priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the musicians, many of the ordinary people, the Temple workers--all the people of Israel--settled in the towns and cities of Judah.

Ezra Reads the Law to the People

Nehemiah 8 By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the LORD had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law. ²So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered--men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. ³There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively.
⁴Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
⁵As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up. ⁶Ezra said, "Praise the LORD, the great God!"
All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, "Amen! Amen!" They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.
⁷Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah. ⁸They gave an oral translation of God's Law and explained it so that the people could understand it.
⁹When the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law, and the Levites who were explaining the Law told all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God, so you are not to mourn or cry. ¹⁰Now go home and have a feast. Share your food and wine with those who don't have enough. Today is holy to our Lord, so don't be sad. The joy that the LORD gives you will make you strong."
¹¹The Levites went around calming the people and telling them not to be sad on such a holy day. ¹²So all the people went home and ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what had been read to them.

A Hymn of Praise

Psalm 100 Sing to the LORD, all the world!
²Worship the LORD with joy;
come before him with happy songs!

³Acknowledge that the LORD is God.
He made us, and we belong to him;
we are his people, we are his flock.

⁴Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving;
go into its courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise him.

⁵The LORD is good;
his love is eternal
and his faithfulness lasts forever.