Ezra 8

1 This is a list of the names of the leaders of the clans who came with me up [to Jerusalem] from Babylonia when Artaxerxes was the king [of Persia]:

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

2 Gershom, from the clan descended from [Aaron’s grandson] Phinehas Daniel, from the clan descended from [Aaron’s son] Ithamar Hattush, the son of Shecaniah, from the clan descended from King David

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

3 Zechariah and 150 [other] men from the clan descended from Parosh

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 Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and 200 other men from the clan descended from Pahath-Moab

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

5 Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel and 300 other men from the clan descended from Zattu

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

6 Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 other men from the clan descended from Adin

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

7 Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 other men from the clan descended from Elam

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

8 Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 other men from the clan descended from Shephatiah

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

9 Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 other men from the clan descended from Joab

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

10 Shelomith the son of Josiphiah and 160 other men from the clan descended from Bani

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

11 Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 other men from the clan descended from [another man whose name was] Bebai

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

12 Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 other men from the clan descended from Azgad

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

13 Also Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, who returned [here] later with 60 men from the clan descended from Adonikam

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

14 And Uthai and Zaccur and 70 other men from the clan descended from Bigvai.

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

15 I gathered all of them together at the canal that goes [from Babylon] to Ahava [town]. We set up our tents there and stayed there for three days. [During that time] I checked the lists of names and found out that there were priests [going with us], but no [other] descendants of Levi [who could help them in the temple].

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 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, two men whose names were Elnathan, and Jarib, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were all leaders [of the people]. I also summoned Joiarib and another Elnathan, who were wise.

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 I sent them all to Iddo, the leader of the descendants of Levi, who was living in Casiphia [town], to request that he and his relatives and other men who had worked in the temple send to us some men who would [go/come with us to] work in God’s new temple [in Jerusalem].

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 Because God was kind to us, they brought to us a man named Sherebiah and 18 of his sons and other relatives. Sherebiah was a very wise man, a descendant of Mahli, [who was a grandson] of Levi.

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 They also sent to us Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, descendants of [Levi’s son] Merari, and 20 of their relatives.

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 sent 220 other men to work in the temple. Those men’s ancestors had been appointed by King David to assist the descendants of Levi [who helped the priests in the temple]. I listed/wrote the names of all those men.

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 There alongside the Ahava Canal, I told them that we all would (fast/abstain from eating food) and pray. I also told them that we should humble ourselves in the presence of our God. We prayed that God would protect us while we traveled, and also protect our children and our possessions/belongings.

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 Previously we had told the king that our God takes care of all those who truly trust in him, but that he becomes very angry with those who refuse to obey him. So I would have been ashamed if I had asked the king to send soldiers and men riding on horses to protect us from our enemies while we were traveling along the road.

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/abstained from eating food) and requested God to protect us, and he (answered our prayers/did what we requested.)

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

24 I chose twelve of the leaders of the priests, Sherebiah and Hashabiah and ten of their relatives.

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

25 I appointed them to supervise carrying to Jerusalem the gifts of silver and gold and the other valuable items that the king and his advisors and other officials, and the Israeli people [who were living in Babylonia], had contributed for the temple 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 As I gave these various items to those priests, I weighed each of the items. This was the total: 25 tons of silver, 100 items made from silver that altogether weighed 7,500 pounds, (7,500 pounds/3,400 kg.) 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 that altogether weighed (19 pounds/8.6 kg.), and two items made of polished bronze that were as valuable as ones made of gold.

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

28 I said to those priests, “You belong to Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors (worshiped/also belonged to), and these valuable things also belong to him. The people themselves gave these things to be offerings to Yahweh (voluntarily/because they wanted to).

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 So guard them carefully, and [when we arrive] in Jerusalem, weigh them in the presence of the priests, the descendants of Levi [who will help the priests], and the other Israeli leaders there. They will then put them in the storerooms in the new temple.”

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 [other] descendants of Levi took from me all the gifts of silver and gold and the other valuable items, in order to carry them to the temple 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 April 19, we left the Ahava Canal and started to travel to Jerusalem. Our God took care of us, and while we traveled, he prevented our enemies and bandits from (ambushing us/suddenly attacking us).

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 After we arrived in Jerusalem, we rested for three days.

So we entered Jerusalem and stayed there for three days.

33 Then on the fourth/next day we went to the temple. There the silver and gold and the other items were weighed and given to the priest Meremoth, the son of Uriah. Eleazar the son of Phinehas and two descendants of Levi, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, were with him.

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 They counted everything, and wrote down how much they weighed, and wrote [a description of] each item.

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

35 We who had returned from Babylonia offered to God sacrifices on the altar. We offered twelve bulls for all us Israeli people. We also offered 96 rams and 27 lambs. We also sacrificed twelve goats [to atone] for the sins that all the people had committed. These were all completely burned on the altar.

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 Some of us who returned [from Babylonia] took to the governors and other officials of the province west of the [Euphrates] River the letter that the king had given to us. [After they read the letter, ] they did all [that they were able to do] for us Israeli people and for the temple 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.