Ezra 8

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

And these [are] heads of their fathers, and the genealogy of those going up with me, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king, from Babylon.

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

From the sons of Phinehas: Gershom; from the sons of Ithamar: Daniel; from 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.

from the sons of Shechaniah, from the sons of Pharosh: Zechariah, and with him, reckoning themselves by genealogy, of males one hundred and fifty.

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

From the sons of Pahath-Moab: Elihoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred who are males.

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

From the sons of Shechaniah: the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred who are males.

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

And from the sons of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him fifty who are males.

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

And from the sons of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him seventy who are males.

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

And from the sons of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him eighty who are males.

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

From the sons of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen who are males.

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

And from the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty who are males.

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

And from the sons of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight who are males.

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

And from the sons of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten who are 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 from the younger sons of Adonikam—and these [are] their names—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty who are males.

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

And from the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy who are 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 gather them to the river that is going to Ahava, and we encamp there three days; and I consider about the people, and about the priests, and of the sons of Levi I have found none 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.

and I send for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, heads, and for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding;

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 charge them for Iddo the head, in the place Casiphia, and put in their mouth words to speak to Iddo, [and] his brothers the Nethinim, in the place Casiphia, to bring to us servants for 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 they bring to us, according to the good hand of our God on us, a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, and Sherebiah, and his sons, and his 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 from the Nethinim, whom David and the heads gave for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim, all of them defined by name.

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.

And I proclaim there a fast, by the river Ahava, to afflict ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our infants, 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 was ashamed to ask from the king a force and horsemen to help us because of the enemy in the way, for we spoke to the king, saying, “The hand of our God [is] on all seeking Him for good, and His strength and His wrath [is] on all forsaking Him.”

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

And we fast, and seek from our God for this, and He accepts our plea.

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

And I separate from the heads of the priests, twelve, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them of their brothers ten,

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 I weigh to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, a raised-offering of the house of our God, that the king, and his counselors, and his heads, and all Israel—those present—lifted up;

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

and I weigh to their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and one hundred talents of vessels of silver, one 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 basins of gold, of one thousand drams, and two vessels of good shining bronze, desirable as 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 say to them, “You [are] holy to YHWH, and the vessels [are] holy, and the silver and the gold [are] a willing-offering to YHWH, 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.”

watch, and keep, until you weigh before the heads of the priests, and of the Levites, and the heads of the fathers of Israel, in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of YHWH.”

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.

And the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and of the gold, and of the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem to 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.

And we journey from the river Ahava, on the twelfth of the first month, to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God has been on us, and He delivers us from the hand of the enemy and the one lying in wait by the way;

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

and we come to Jerusalem, and dwell there 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 has been weighed the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, in the house of our God, to the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad son of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui, the Levites:

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

by number, by weight of everyone, and all the weight is written 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.

Those coming in of the captives—sons of the expulsion—have brought burnt-offerings near to the God of Israel: twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve young male goats for a sin-offering—the whole a burnt-offering to YHWH;

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 give the laws of the king to the lieutenants of the king and the governors beyond the river, and they have lifted up the people and the house of God.