Ezra 8

Exiles Who Returned with Ezra

8Here is a list of the family leaders and the genealogies of those who came with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes.H7218H1H3187H5927H894H4438H783H44282From the family of Phinehas: Gershom. From the family of Ithamar: Daniel. From the family of David: Hattush,H1121H6372H1647H1121H385H1840H1121H1732H24073a descendant of Shecaniah. From the family of Parosh: Zechariah and 150 other men were registered.H1121H7935H1121H6551H2148H3187H2145H3967H25724From the family of Pahath-moab: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah and 200 other men.H1121H6355H454H1121H2228H3967H21455From the family of Zattu

: Shecaniah son of Jahaziel and 300 other men.H1121H7935H1121H3166H7969H3967H21456From the family of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan and 50 other men.H1121H5720H5651H1121H3129H2572H21457From the family of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah and 70 other men.H1121H5867H3470H1121H6271H7657H21458From the family of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael and 80 other men.H1121H8203H2069H1121H4317H8084H21459From the family of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel and 218 other men.H1121H3097H5662H1121H3171H3967H8083H6240H214510From the family of Bani

: Shelomith son of Josiphiah and 160 other men.H1121H8019H1121H3131H3967H8346H214511From the family of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai and 28 other men.H1121H893H2148H1121H893H6242H8083H214512From the family of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan and 110 other men.H1121H5803H3110H1121H6997H3967H6235H214513From the family of Adonikam, who came later

: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 other men.H314H1121H140H8034H467H3273H8098H8346H214514From the family of Bigvai: Uthai, Zaccur

, and 70 other men.H1121H902H5793H2072H2139H7657H2145

Ezra’s Journey to Jerusalem

15I assembled the exiles at the Ahava Canal, and we camped there for three days while I went over the lists of the people and the priests who had arrived. I found that not one Levite had volunteered to come along.H6908H5104H935H163H2583H7969H3117H995H5971H3548H4672H1121H387816So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders of the people. I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of discernment.H7971H461H740H8098H494H3402H494H5416H2148H4918H7218H3114H494H99517I sent them to Iddo, the leader of the Levites at Casiphia, to ask him and his relatives and the Temple servants to send us ministers for the Temple of God at Jerusalem.H6680H3318H112H7218H4725H3703H7760H6310H1697H1696H112H251H5411H5411H4725H3703H935H8334H1004H43018Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they sent us a man named Sherebiah, along with eighteen of his sons and brothers. He was a very astute man and a descendant of Mahli, who was a descendant of Levi son of Israel

.H2896H3027H430H935H376H7922H1121H4249H1121H3878H1121H3478H8274H1121H251H8083H624019They also sent Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and twenty of his sons and brothers,H2811H3470H1121H4847H251H1121H624220and 220 Temple servants. The Temple servants were assistants to the Levites—a group of Temple workers first instituted by King David and his officials. They were all listed by name.H5411H1732H8269H5414H5656H3881H3967H6242H5411H5344H803421And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.H7121H6685H5104H163H6031H6440H430H1245H3477H1870H2945H739922For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen

to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, "Our God's hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him."H954H7592H4428H2428H6571H5826H341H1870H559H4428H559H3027H430H2896H1245H5797H639H580023So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.H6684H1245H430H627924I appointed twelve leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten other priests—H914H8147H6240H8269H3548H8274H2811H6235H25125to be in charge of transporting the silver, the gold, the gold bowls, and the other items that the king, his council, his officials, and all the people of Israel had presented for the Temple of God.H8254H3701H2091H3627H8641H1004H430H4428H3289H8269H3478H4672H731126I weighed the treasure as I gave it to them and found the totals to be as follows: 24 tons

of silver, 7,500 pounds of silver articles, 7,500 pounds of gold,H8254H3027H8337H3967H2572H3603H3701H3701H3627H3967H3603H2091H3967H36032720 gold bowls, equal in value to 1,000 gold coins

, 2 fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.H6242H3713H2091H505H150H8147H3627H2896H6668H5178H2532H209128And I said to these priests, "You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the LORD. This silver and gold is a voluntary offering to the LORD, the God of our ancestors.H559H6944H3068H3627H6944H3701H2091H5071H3068H430H129Guard these treasures well until you present them to the leading priests, the Levites, and the leaders of Israel, who will weigh them at the storerooms of the LORD's Temple in Jerusalem."H8245H8104H8254H6440H8269H3548H3881H8269H1H3478H3389H3957H1004H306830So the priests and the Levites accepted the task of transporting these treasures of silver and gold to the Temple of our God in Jerusalem.H6901H3548H3881H4948H3701H2091H3627H935H3389H1004H43031We broke camp at the Ahava Canal on April 19

and started off to Jerusalem. And the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way.H5265H5104H163H8147H6240H7223H2320H3212H3389H3027H430H5337H3709H341H693H187032So we arrived safely in Jerusalem, where we rested for three days.H935H3389H3427H7969H311733On the fourth day after our arrival, the silver, gold, and other valuables were weighed at the Temple of our God and entrusted to Meremoth son of Uriah the priest and to Eleazar son of Phinehas, along with Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui—both of whom were Levites.H7243H3117H3701H2091H3627H8254H1004H430H3027H4822H1121H223H3548H499H1121H6372H3107H1121H3442H5129H1121H1131H388134Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the total weight was officially recorded.H4557H4948H4948H3789H625635Then the exiles who had come out of captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel. They presented twelve bulls for all the people of Israel, as well as ninety-six rams and seventy-seven male lambs. They also offered twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was given as a burnt offering to the LORD.H1121H1473H935H7628H7126H5930H430H3478H8147H6240H6499H3478H8673H8337H352H7657H7651H3532H8147H6240H6842H2403H5930H306836The king's decrees were delivered to his highest officers and the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River

, who then cooperated by supporting the people and the Temple of God.H5414H4428H1881H4428H323H6346H5676H5104H5375H5971H1004H430