Ezra 8

1 These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

These are the leaders of their ancestors' families who left Babylon with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes.

2 from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; from the descendants of David, Hattush

Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the descendants of David, Hattush,

3 of the descendants of Shecaniah; from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

who was of the descendants of Shecaniah, who was from the descendants of Parosh; and Zechariah, and with him there were 150 males listed in the record of his genealogy.

4 from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

Of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah and with him were two hundred males.

5 from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

Of the descendants of Zattu, Ben Jahaziel and with him were three hundred males.

6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

Of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan and with him were listed fifty males.

7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

Of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah and with him were listed seventy males.

8 from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael and with him were listed eighty males.

9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel and with him were listed 218 males.

10 from the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

Of the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah and with him were listed 160 males.

11 from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai and with him were listed twenty-eight males.

12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan and with him were listed 110 males.

13 from the later descendants of Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

Those of the descendants of Adonikam came later. These were their names: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah and with them came sixty males.

14 and from the descendants of Bigvai, both Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

Of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur and with him were listed seventy males.

15 Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.

I gathered the travelers at the canal that goes to Ahava, and we camped there three days. I examined the people and priests, but could not find any descendants of Levi there.

16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.

So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, and Elnathan and Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam—who were leaders—and for Joiarib and Elnathan—who were teachers.

17 And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

Next I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, the temple servants living in Kasiphia, that is, to send to us servants for the house of God.

18 And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;

So they sent us by our God's good hand a man named Sherebiah, a prudent man. He was a descendant of Mahli son of Levi son of Israel. He came with eighteen sons and brothers.

19 also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.

With him came Hashabiah. There also were Jeshaiah, one of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men in all.

20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.

Of those assigned to serve in the temple, whom David and his officials gave to serve the Levites: 220, each of them assigned by name.

21 And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

Then I proclaimed a fast at the Ahava Canal to humble ourselves before God, to seek a straight path from him for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”

I was ashamed to ask the king for an army or horsemen to protect us against enemies along the way, since we had said to the king, 'The hand of our God is on all who seek him for good, but his might and wrath are on all who forget him.'

23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

So we fasted and sought God about this, and we pled to him.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,

Next I selected twelve men from the priestly officials: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.

25 and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.

I weighed out for them silver, gold, and the objects and offerings for the house of God that the king, his counselors and officials, and all Israel had freely offered.

26 I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, articles of silver weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,

So I weighed into their hand 650 talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver objects, one hundred talents of gold,

27 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics, and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.

twenty gold bowls that were together valued at one thousand darics, and two well-polished bronze vessels as precious as gold.

28 Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

Then I said to them, “You are consecrated to Yahweh, and these objects also, and the silver and gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your ancestors.

29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”

Watch over them and keep them until you weigh them out before the priestly officials, Levites, and leaders of the ancestors' clans of Israel in Jerusalem in the rooms of God's house.”

30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

The priests and the Levites accepted the weighed silver, gold, and the objects in order to take them to Jerusalem, to our God's house.

31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.

We went out from the Ahava Canal on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us; he protected us from the hand of the enemy and the ones who wished to ambush us along the road.

32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.

So we entered Jerusalem and stayed there for three days.

33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.

Then on the fourth day the silver, gold, and objects were weighed out in our God's house into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah the priest, and with him were Eleazar son of Phinehas, Jozabad son of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui the Levite.

34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

The number and weight of everything was determined. All the weight was written down at that time.

35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

The ones who came back from the captivity, the people of exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all of Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All were a burnt offering for Yahweh.

36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.

Then they gave the king's decrees to the king's high officials and the governors in the Province Beyond the River, and they helped the people and the house of God.