Ezra 8

1 This is a list of the family leaders and genealogical records of those who came back with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.

2 From the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. From the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. From the sons of David, Hattush,

Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.

3 son of Shecaniah. From the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him 150 men were registered.

Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.

4 From the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai, son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men.

Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

5 From the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men.

Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

6 From the sons of Adin, Ebed, son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men.

Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.

7 From the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah, son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men.

And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.

8 From the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah, son of Michael, and with him 80 men.

And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.

9 From the sons of Joab, Obadiah, son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men.

Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.

10 From the sons of Bani, Shelomith, son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men.

And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and three score males.

11 From the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, son of Bebai, and with him 28 men.

And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.

12 From the sons of Azgad, Johanan, son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men.

And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.

13 From the sons of Adonikam, those who were last, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men.

And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them three score males.

14 From the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

15 I gathered the returning exiles together at the Ahava Canal. We camped there for three days while I reviewed who had come—the ordinary people, the priests, and the Levites. I discovered there wasn't a single Levite

And I gathered them together to the river that runs to Ahava; and there stayed we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.

16 so I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men with good insight.

Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.

17 I told them to go to Iddo, the leader of the Temple servants at Casiphia, asking him and his relatives to send us ministers for the Temple of our God.

And I sent them with commandment to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo, and to his brothers the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

18 Since our gracious God was with us, they brought us Sherebiah, a man with good insight from the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, together with his sons and brothers, a total of eighteen men;

And by the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen;

19 and Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the sons of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, a total of twenty men.

And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty;

20 In addition they brought 220 of the Temple servants, a group appointed by David and his officials to help the Levites. These were all registered by name.

Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.

21 At the Ahava Canal I called for a fast so we could confess our sins before God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, along with all our possessions.

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

22 I had been reluctant to ask the king to give us a military escort to protect us from enemies on the way. We had told the king, “Our gracious God takes care of everyone who follows him, but shows his anger against anyone who abandons him.”

For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

23 So we fasted and asked God to protect us, and he answered our prayers.

So we fasted and sought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

24 Then I designated twelve of the leading priests, and Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,

Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them,

25 and I weighed out and handed them the donations of silver and gold, and the items that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the people of Israel there had given for the Temple of our God.

And weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:

26 I weighed out and placed in their hands 650 talents of silver, silver Temple items weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,

I even weighed to their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;

27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two articles of highly-polished bronze, as valuable as gold.

Also twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.

28 I told them, “You are set apart for the Lord, and these Temple items are too. The silver and gold are a voluntary offering to the Lord, the God of your forefathers.

And I said to them, You are holy to the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers.

29 You are to guard them and keep them safe until you hand them over, weighing them before the high priests, the Levites and the family leaders in Israel at Jerusalem, in the treasury rooms within the Lord's Temple.”

Watch you, and keep them, until you weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.

30 The priests and Levites took responsibility for the silver and gold and the Temple items that had been weighed out to be brought to the Temple of our God in Jerusalem.

So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

31 On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and our God was with us to protect us from enemy ambushes along the way.

Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

32 Eventually we arrived in Jerusalem and rested there for three days.

And we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the Temple items were weighed out in the Temple of our God and handed over to Meremoth, son of Uriah the priest, accompanied by Eleazar, son of Phinehas. Also present were the Levites, Jozabad, son of Jeshua, and Noadiah, son of Binnui.

Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;

34 Everything was checked, both by number and weight, and the total weight was written down at the time.

By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.

35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel—twelve bulls for all of Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and a sin offering of twelve goats. All were sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Lord.

Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

36 They also delivered the king's decrees to the chief officers of the king and the governors of the province west of the Euphrates, who then provided assistance to the people and to God's Temple.

And they delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.