EzraChapter 8
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1Here are the family leaders and the family records of those who came back with me from Babylon. We came while Artaxerxes was king: 2from the family of Phinehas, Gershom; from the family of Ithamar, Daniel; from the family of David, Hattush 3of the family of Shecaniah; from the family of Parosh, Zechariah, and 150 men listed with him; 4from the family of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and 200 men with him; 5from the family of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and 300 men with him; 6from the family of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and 50 men with him; 7from the family of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and 70 men with him; 8from the family of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and 80 men with him; 9from the family of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and 218 men with him; 10from the family of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and 160 men with him; 11from the family of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and 28 men with him; 12from the family of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and 110 men with him; 13from the last sons of the family of Adonikam, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and 60 men with them; 14and from the family of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and 70 men with them. 15I gathered these exiles at the canal that flows toward Ahava. We camped there for three days. I looked over the people and the priests. But I found no Levites there. 16So I sent for the leaders Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam. I also sent for the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia. I gave them a message for Iddo and his relatives, the temple servants at Casiphia. The message asked them to send us men to serve in the house of our God. 18The kind hand of our God was on us. So they brought us Sherebiah, a man with good sense. He was from the family of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel. His sons and brothers came with him. There were 18 men. 19They also brought Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the family of Merari. Their brothers and their sons came too. There were 20 men. 20They also brought 220 of the temple servants. Each one was listed by name. David and his officials had set up this group to help the Levites. 21There by the Ahava Canal I called for a fast. I did this so that we would humble ourselves before our God. We would ask him for a safe trip for us and our children and all we owned. 22I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to guard us from enemies on the road. We had told the king, "The hand of our God is kind to all who seek him. But his great anger is against all who turn away from him." 23So we went without food and prayed to our God about this. And he answered our prayer. 24Then I chose twelve of the leading priests. I also chose Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. 25I weighed out to them the gift of silver and gold and the other things. The king, his advisers, and his leaders had given them. All the Israelites there had given too. The gifts were for the house of our God. 26I weighed out into their hands about 24 tons of silver. I gave them silver things weighing about 3 3/4 tons. I gave them about 3 3/4 tons of gold.a 27I gave them 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 gold coins. I also gave them two things made of fine shiny bronze. They were as precious as gold.b 28Then I told them, "You are set apart to the LORD. These things are set apart too. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. 29Guard them with care. Then weigh them out in the rooms of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. Do it in front of the leading priests, the Levites, and the family leaders of Israel." 30So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the holy things. These had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem. 31On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us. He kept us safe from enemies and robbers along the way. 32So we came to Jerusalem. We rested there for three days. 33On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver, the gold, and the holy things. We handed them to Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were there too. 34Everything was counted and weighed. The total weight was written down at that time. 35Then the exiles who had come back from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel. They offered 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, and 77 lambs. They also offered 12 male goats as a sin offering. All of this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36They also gave the king's orders to the king's satraps and to the governors west of the Euphrates. Then these leaders helped the people and the house of God.