Nehemiah 11 · Grade 5
Willing Hearts for God's City
Read and Think
A city is more than walls. After the covenant of chapter 10, the leaders faced the problem from chapter 7: Jerusalem was wide and large, but the people were few. The princes of the people dwelt in Jerusalem. The rest cast lots to bring one of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine parts stayed in other cities.
Living in Jerusalem was not easy. It meant leaving ancestral fields and living in a city still threatened by neighbors. So the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem. Their willingness mattered as much as the lot.
The chapter then names those who settled: leaders of Judah and Benjamin, priests who did the work of the house, Levites over the outward business of God's house, and gatekeepers who kept watch. Mattaniah was the chief to begin the thanksgiving in prayer. Worship was at the center of the city's life. The chapter closes by listing villages throughout Judah and Benjamin, showing God's people resettling the whole land.
Show What You Know
What earlier problem does this chapter solve?
How was the tenth chosen?
What made living in Jerusalem hard?
Who began the thanksgiving in prayer?
What does the list of villages show?
Crossword
Across
- who ____ offered themselves
- People who led music.
Down
- Helpers in God's house.
- Jerusalem is called the holy one of these.
- The people cast these to choose who would live in Jerusalem.
Think About It
Some were chosen by lot, and some volunteered. How can you serve God both in the duties given to you and in the ways you choose to offer yourself?
Worship and thanksgiving were at the center of the city's life. How can thanksgiving be at the center of your home?
Memory Verse
“The people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah 11:2 (WEB)
Copy It
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for people who serve. Help me . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- How can you be willing to go where God needs you?
- How can you encourage people who serve in your church?
- What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.