Ezra 8

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

Now these are the heads of families who were listed of those who went up with me from Babylon, when Artaxerxes was king.

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

Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush;

3 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.

Of the sons of Shecaniah; of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were listed a hundred and fifty males.

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

Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai, the son of Zerahiah; and with him two hundred males.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah; and with him a hundred and sixty males.

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

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

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

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

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

And of the sons of Adonikam, the last, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah; and with them sixty males.

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

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

15 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.

And I made them come together by the river flowing to Ahava; and we were there in tents for three days: and after viewing the people and the priests I saw that no sons of Levi were there.

16 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.

Then I sent for Eliezer and Ariel and Shemaiah and Elnathan Jarib and Elnathan and Nathan and Zechariah and Meshullam, all responsible men; and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were wise men.

17 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.

And I sent them to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and gave them orders what to say to Iddo and his brothers the Nethinim at the place Casiphia, so that they might come back to us with men to do the work of the house of our God.

18 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.

And by the help of our God they got for us Ish-sechel, one of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah with his sons and brothers, eighteen;

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

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

20 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.

And of the Nethinim, to whom David and the captains had given the work of helping the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim, all of them specially named.

21 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.

Then I gave orders for a time of going without food, there by the river Ahava, so that we might make ourselves low before our God in prayer, requesting from him a straight way for us and for our little ones and for all our substance.

22 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.'

For I would not, for shame, make request to the king for a band of armed men and horsemen to give us help against those who might make attacks on us on the way: for we had said to the king, The hand of our God is on his servants for good, but his power and his wrath are against all those who are turned away from him.

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

So we went without food, requesting our God for this: and his ear was open to our prayer.

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

So I put on one side twelve of the chiefs of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them,

25 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.

And gave to them by weight the silver and the gold and the vessels, all the offering for the house of our God which the king and his wise men and his captains and all Israel there present had given:

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

Measuring into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels, a hundred talents' weight, and a hundred talents of gold,

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

And twenty gold basins, of a thousand darics, and two vessels of the best bright brass, equal in value to gold.

28 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.

And I said to them, You are holy to the Lord and the vessels are holy: and the silver and the gold are an offering freely given to the Lord, the God of your fathers.

29 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.”

Take care of them and keep them, till you put them on the scales before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and the chiefs of the families of Israel, in Jerusalem, in the rooms of the house of the Lord.

30 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.

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

31 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.

Then we went away 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 gave us salvation from our haters and those who were waiting to make an attack on us by the way.

32 So we entered Jerusalem and stayed there for three days.

And we came to Jerusalem and were there for three days.

33 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.

And on the fourth day, the silver and the gold and the vessels were measured out by weight in the house of our God into the hands of Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the priest; and with him was Eleazar, the son of Phinehas; and with them were Jozabad, the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah, the son of Binnui, the Levites;

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

All was handed over by number and by weight: and the weight was put on record at that time.

35 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.

And those who had been prisoners, who had come back from a strange land, made burned offerings to the God of Israel, twelve oxen for all Israel, ninety-six male sheep, seventy-seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering: all this was a burned offering to the Lord.

36 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.

And they gave the king's orders to the king's captains and the rulers across the river, and they gave the people and the house of God the help which was needed.