The Families Who Came Back with Ezra
1 Artaxerxes was king of Persia when I led the following chiefs of the family groups from Babylonia to Jerusalem:
2-14 Gershom of the Phinehas family;Daniel of the Ithamar family;Hattush son of Shecaniah of the David family;Zechariah and 150 other men of the Parosh family, who had family records;Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah with 200 men of the Pahath Moab family;Shecaniah son of Jahaziel with 300 men of the Zattu family; Ebed son of Jonathan with 50 men of the Adin family;Jeshaiah son of Athaliah with 70 men of the Elam family;Zebadiah son of Michael with 80 men of the Shephatiah family;Obadiah son of Jehiel with 218 men of the Joab family;Shelomith son of Josiphiah with 160 men of the Bani family; Zechariah son of Bebai with 28 men of the Bebai family;Johanan son of Hakkatan with 110 men of the Azgad family;Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah who returned sometime later with 60 men of the Adonikam family;Uthai and Zaccur with 70 men of the Bigvai family.
Ezra Finds Levites for the Temple
15 I brought everyone together by the river that flows to the town of Ahava where we camped for three days. Not one Levite could be found among the people and priests. 16 So I sent for the leaders Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam. I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were very wise counselors. 17 Then I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, and I told them to ask him and his temple workers to send people to serve in God's temple.
18 God was kind to us and caused them to send a skillful man named Sherebiah, who was a Levite from the family of Mahli. Eighteen of his relatives came with him. 19 We were also sent Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the family of Merari along with 20 of their relatives. 20 In addition, 220 others came to help the Levites in the temple. The ancestors of these workers had been chosen years ago by King David and his officials, and they were all listed by name.
Ezra Asks the People To Go without Eating and To Pray
21 Beside the Ahava River, I asked the people to go without eating and to pray. We humbled ourselves and asked God to bring us and our children safely to Jerusalem with all of our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king to send soldiers and cavalry to protect us against enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king that our God takes care of everyone who truly worships him, but that he gets very angry and punishes anyone who refuses to obey. 23 So we went without food and asked God himself to protect us, and he answered our prayers.
The Gifts for the Temple
24 I chose twelve of the leading priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their relatives. 25-27 Then I weighed the gifts that had been given for God's temple, and I divided them among the twelve priests I had chosen. There were gifts of silver and gold, as well as the articles that the king, his advisors and officials, and the people of Israel had contributed. In all there were: 22 tons of silver; 100 silver articles weighing 70 kilograms; 3.4 tons of gold; 20 gold bowls weighing over 8 kilograms; and 2 polished bronze articles as valuable as gold.
28 I said to the priests:
You belong to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and these things also belong to him. The silver and gold were willingly given as gifts to the Lord. 29 Be sure to guard them and keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. Then weigh them inside God's temple in the presence of the chief priests, the Levites, and the heads of the Israelite families.
30 The priests and Levites then took charge of the gifts that had been weighed, so they could take them to the temple of our God in Jerusalem.
The Return to Jerusalem
31 On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the Ahava River and started for Jerusalem. Our God watched over us, and as we traveled along, he kept our enemies from ambushing us.
32 After arriving in Jerusalem, we rested for three days. 33 Then on the fourth day we went to God's temple, where the silver, the gold, and the other things were weighed and given to the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. With him were Eleazar son of Phinehas and the two Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was counted, weighed, and recorded.
35 Those who had returned from exile offered sacrifices on the altar to the God of Israel. Twelve bulls were offered for all Israel. Ninety-six rams and 77 lambs were offered on the altar, and 12 goats were sacrificed for the sins of the people. 36 Some of those who had returned took the king's orders to the governors and officials in Western Province. Then the officials did what they could for the people and for the temple of God.
1 These are now the chiefe fathers of them, and the genealogie of them that came vp with mee from Babel, in the reigne of King Artahshashte. 2 Of the sonnes of Phinehas, Gershom: of the sonnes of Ithamar, Daniel: of the sonnes of Dauid, Hattush: 3 Of the sonnes of Shechaniah, of the sonnes of Pharosh, Zechariah, and with him the count of the males, an hundreth and fiftie. 4 Of the sonnes of Pahath Moab, Elihoenai, the sonne of Zerahiah, and with him two hundreth males. 5 Of the sonnes of Shechaniah, the sonne of Iahaziel, and with him three hundreth males. 6 And of the sonnes of Adin, Ebed the sonne of Ionathan, and with him fiftie males. 7 And of the sonnes of Elam, Ieshaiah the sonne of Athaliah, and with him seuentie males. 8 And of the sonnes of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the sonne of Michael, and with him fourescore males. 9 Of the sonnes of Ioab, Obadiah the sonne of Iehiel, and with him two hundreth and eighteene males. 10 And of the sonnes of Shelomith the sonne of Iosiphiah, and with him an hundreth and threescore males. 11 And of the sonnes of Bebai, Zechariah the sonne of Bebai, and with him eight and twentie males. 12 And of the sonnes of Azgad, Iohanan the sonne of Hakkatan, and with him an hundreth and ten males. 13 And of the sonnes of Adonikam, that were the last, whose names are these: Eliphelet, Iehiel and Shemaiah, and with them three score males. 14 And of the sonnes of Biguai, Vthai, and Zabbud, and with them seuentie males. 15 And I gathered them to the Riuer that goeth toward Ahaua, and there abode we three dayes: then I viewed the people, and the Priests, and found there none of the sonnes of Leui. 16 Therefore sent I to Eliezer, to Ariel, to Shemeiah, and to Elnathan, and to Iarib, and to Elnathan, and to Nathan, and to Zechariah, and to Meshullam the chiefe, and to Ioiarib and to Elnathan, men of vnderstanding, 17 And I gaue them commandement, to Iddo the chiefest at the place of Casiphia, and I told them the words that they should speake to Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims at the place of Casiphia, that they should cause the ministers of the house of our God to come vnto vs. 18 So by the good hande of our God which was vpon vs, they brought vs a man of vnderstanding of the sonnes of Mahali the sonne of Leui the sonne of Israel, and Sherebiah with his sonnes and his brethren, euen eighteene. 19 Also Hashabiah, and with him Ieshaiah of the sonnes of Merari, with his brethren, and their sonnes twentie. 20 And of the Nethinims, whom Dauid had set, and the Princes for the seruice of the Leuites, two hundreth and twentie of the Nethinims, which all were named by name. 21 And there at the Riuer, by Ahaua, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble our selues before our God, and seeke of him a right way for vs, and for our children, and for all our substance. 22 For I was ashamed to require of the King an armie and horsemen, to helpe vs against the enemie in the way, because we had spoken to the King, saying, The hande of our God is vpon all them that seeke him in goodnesse, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23 So we fasted, aud besought our God for this: and he was intreated of vs. 24 Then I separated twelue of the chiefe of the Priests, Sherebiah, and Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, 25 And weighed them the siluer and the gold, and the vessels, euen the offring of ye house of our God, which the King and his counselers, and his Princes, and all Israel that were present had offred. 26 And I weighed vnto their hand sixe hundreth and fiftie talents of siluer, and in siluer vessel, an hundreth talents, and in golde, an hundreth talents: 27 And twentie basins of golde, of a thousand drammes, and two vessels of shining brasse very good, and precious as golde. 28 And I said vnto them, Ye are consecrate vnto the Lord, and the vessels are consecrate, and the gold and the siluer are freely offred vnto the Lord God of your fathers. 29 Watch ye, and keepe them vntill ye weigh them before the chiefe Priestes and the Leuites, and the chiefe fathers of Israel in Ierusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord. 30 So the Priests and the Leuites receiued the weight of the siluer and of the golde, and of the vessels to bring them to Ierusalem, vnto the house of our God. 31 Then we departed from the Riuer of Ahauah on the twelft day of the first moneth, to go vnto Ierusalem, and the hand of our God was vpon vs, and deliuered vs from the hand of the enemie, and of such as layde waite by the way. 32 And we came to Ierusalem, and abode there three dayes. 33 And on ye fourth day was the siluer weighed, and the golde and the vessell in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the sonne of Vriah the Priest, and with him was Eleazar the sonne of Phinehas, and with them was Iozabad the sonne of Ieshua, and Noadiah the sonne of Binnui the Leuites, 34 By number and by weight of euery one, and all the weight was written at the same time. 35 Also the children of the captiuitie, which were come out of captiuitie, offred burnt offrings vnto the God of Israel, twelue bullockes for all Israel, ninetie and sixe rammes, seuentie and seuen lambes, and twelue hee goates for sinne: all was a burnt offring of the Lord. 36 And they deliuered the Kings commission vnto the Kings officers, and to the captaines beyond the Riuer: and they promoted the people, and the house of God.