Ezra 8
8
The families who came back with Ezra
1Artaxerxes was king of Persia when I#8.1 I: Ezra. led the following chiefs of the family groups from Babylonia to Jerusalem:
2-14Gershom 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;#8.2-14 of the Zattu family: One ancient translation; these words are not in the Hebrew text, but see 2.2-20, where Zattu is mentioned.
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;#8.2-14 of the Bani family: One ancient translation; these words are not in the Hebrew text, but see 2.2-20.
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 some time later with 60 men of the Adonikam family;
Uthai and Zaccur with 70 men of the Bigvai family.
Ezra finds Levites for the temple
15I#8.15 I: See the note at 8.1. brought everyone together by the river#8.15 river: Or “canal”. that flows to the town of Ahava#8.15 town of Ahava: A town (or place) in Babylonia, but the exact location is unknown. where we camped for three days. Not one Levite could be found among the people and priests. 16So 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. 17Then I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia,#8.17 Casiphia: The location is not known. and I told them to ask him and his temple workers to send people to serve in God's temple.
18God was kind to us and made them send a skilful man named Sherebiah, who was a Levite from the family of Mahli. Eighteen of his relatives came with him. 19We were also sent Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the family of Merari along with twenty of their relatives. 20In addition, 220 others came to help the Levites in the temple. The ancestors of these workers had been chosen years ago by King David#8.20 King David: See the note at 3.10. and his officials, and they were all listed by name.
Ezra asks the people to go without eating and to pray
21Beside the River#8.21 River: See the note at 8.15. Ahava, I#8.21 I: See the note at 8.1. asked the people to go without eating#8.21 to go without eating: The Jews often went without eating as a way of worshipping God. This is sometimes called “fasting”. and to pray. We humbled ourselves and asked God to bring us and our children safely to Jerusalem with all our possessions. 22I 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. 23So we went without food and asked God himself to protect us, and he answered our prayers.
The gifts for the temple
24I#8.24 I: See the note at 8.1. chose twelve of the leading priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their relatives. 25-27Then 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 advisers and officials, and the people of Israel had contributed. In all there were: 22 tonnes of silver; 100 silver articles weighing 70 kilogrammes; 3,400 kilogrammes of gold; 20 gold bowls weighing over 8 kilogrammes; and 2 polished bronze articles as valuable as gold.
28I 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. 29Be 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.
30The 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
31On the twelfth day of the first month,#8.31 first month: See the note at 6.19. we left the River#8.31 River: See the note at 8.15. Ahava and started for Jerusalem. Our God watched over us, and as we travelled along, he kept our enemies from ambushing us.
32After arriving in Jerusalem, we rested for three days. 33Then 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. 34Everything was counted, weighed, and recorded.
35Those 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 seventy-seven#8.35 seventy-seven: Or “seventy-two”. lambs were offered on the altar. And twelve goats were sacrificed for the sins of the people. 36Some 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.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Ezra 8
8
A Holy People and Their Witness
1Now these are the patriarchal leaders, and the genealogical records of those who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2from the sons of Phinehas—Gershom; from the sons of Ithamar—Daniel; from the sons of David—Hattush;
3from the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh—Zechariah and with him were 150 males were enrolled by genealogy;
4from the sons of Pahath-moab—Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and with him were 200 males enrolled by genealogy;
5from the sons of Shechaniah—the son of Jahaziel and 300 males with him.
6from the sons of Adin—Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 males with him;
7from the sons of Elam—Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him;
8from the sons of Shephatiah—Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 males with him;
9from the sons of Joab—Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 128 males with him;
10from the sons of Shelomith—the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him;
11from the sons of Bebai—Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 males with him;
12from the sons of Azgad—Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him;
13from the sons of Adonikam (they came later, but these are their names)—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah and 60 males with them;
14from the sons of Bigvai—Uthai and Zaccur and 70 males with him.
15I assembled them at the river that flows toward Ahava. We camped there for three days, and I observed the people and the kohanim, but I did not find any Levites there.
16So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders and for Joiarib and Elnatan who were men of learning.
17I sent them to Iddo, the leader at the place Casiphia. I put words in their mouths to speak to Iddo and his brother, who were sanctuary servants at Casiphia, in order to bring us ministers for the House of our God.
18Now as the good hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah, a man of insight from the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, along with his sons and his brothers, 18 men.
19Also Hashabiah together with Jeshaiah from the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
20Also from the sanctuary servants, whom David and his officials had given for the work of the Levites, 220 sanctuary servants, all of them designated by name.
21Then I proclaimed a fast there at the Ahava River so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from Him a straight way for us, our little ones, and all of our possessions.
22For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and cavalry to protect us from the enemy along the way, because we had spoken to the king saying, “The gracious hand of our God is upon everyone who seeks Him, but His great anger is against everyone who forsakes Him.”
23So we fasted and sought our God about this, and He responded to our plea.
24Then I set apart twelve of the leading kohanim—Sherebiah, Hashabiah and with them ten of their brothers—
25and I weighed out for them the silver, the gold and the utensils, the contribution to the House of our God that the king, his counselors, his officials and all Israel who were present had offered.
26Specifically, I weighed into their hand 650 talents of silver, silver utensils worth 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,
2720 golden bowels valued at 1000 darics, and two exquisite vessels of gleaming bronze, as precious as gold.
28Then I said to them, “You are holy to Adonai and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a freewill offering to Adonai, the God of your fathers.
29Guard them carefully until you weigh them before the leading kohanim and the Levites and the leading patriarchs of Israel in Jerusalem, in the storerooms of the House of Adonai.”
30So the kohanim and the Levites received the silver, the gold and the vessels by weight to bring them to Jerusalem to the House of our God.
31Then we set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was upon us and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the way.
32So we came to Jerusalem and remained there for three days.
33On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the utensils were weighed out in the House of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the kohen. Eleazar the son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui.
34Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35Then the exiles returning from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs and as a sin offering 12 male goats. All of this was a burnt offering to Adonai.
36Then they delivered the decrees of the king to the king’s Persian governors and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave help to the people and the House of God.
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