Ezra, 8

1. These, with their genealogies, were the heads of families who set out from Babylon with me in the reign of King Artaxerxes:

1. These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Ar-ta-xerx'es the king:

2. Of the sons of Phinehas: Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar: Daniel; of the sons of David: Hattush

2. Of the sons of Phin'ehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ith'amar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush,

3. son of Shechaniah; of the sons of Parosh: Zechariah, and with him a hundred and fifty males officially registered;

3. of the sons of Shecani'ah. Of the sons of Parosh, Zechari'ah, with whom were registered one hundred and fifty men.

4. of the sons of Pahath-Moab: Elioenai son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males;

4. Of the sons of Pa'hath-mo'ab, Eli-e-ho-e'nai the son of Zerahi'ah, and with him two hundred men.

5. of the sons of Zattu: Shechaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males;

5. Of the sons of Zattu, Shecani'ah the son of Jaha'ziel, and with him three hundred men.

6. of the sons of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males;

6. Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty men.

7. of the sons of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males;

7. Of the sons of Elam, Jeshai'ah the son of Athali'ah, and with him seventy men.

8. of the sons of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him eighty males;

8. Of the sons of Shephati'ah, Zebadi'ah the son of Michael, and with him eighty men.

9. of the sons of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males;

9. Of the sons of Jo'ab, Obadi'ah the son of Jehi'el, and with him two hundred and eighteen men.

10. of the sons of Bani: Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males;

10. Of the sons of Bani, Shelo'mith the son of Josiphi'ah, and with him a hundred and sixty men.

11. of the sons of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males;

11. Of the sons of Be'bai, Zechari'ah, the son of Be'bai, and with him twenty-eight men.

12. of the sons of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males;

12. Of the sons of Azgad, Joha'nan the son of Hak'katan, and with him a hundred and ten men.

13. of the sons of Adonikam: the younger sons, whose names are: Eliphelet, Jeiel and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males;

13. Of the sons of Adoni'kam, those who came later, their names being Eliph'elet, Jeu'el, and Shemai'ah, and with them sixty men.

14. and of the sons of Bigvai: Uthai son of Zabud, and with him seventy males.

14. Of the sons of Bigva'i, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them seventy men.

15. I assembled them near the canal which runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days. I noticed laymen and priests, but I could not discover any Levites there.

15. I gathered them to the river that runs to Aha'va, and there we encamped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi.

16. I then sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, judicious men,

16. Then I sent for Elie'zer, Ar'i-el, Shemai'ah, Elna'than, Jarib, Elna'than, Nathan, Zechari'ah, and Meshul'lam, leading men, and for Joi'arib and Elna'than, who were men of insight,

17. and sent them to Iddo, the leading man of a place called Casiphia; I told them what they were to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, living at the place called Casiphia, that is, to provide us with people to serve the Temple of our God.

17. and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphi'a, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brethren the temple servants at the place Casiphi'a, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God.

18. And because the hand of God was good to us, they sent us a wise man of the sons of Mahli son of Levi, son of Israel, a certain Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen: eighteen men;

18. And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebi'ah with his sons and kinsmen, eighteen;

19. also Hashabiah and with him his brother Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari with his kinsmen and sons: twenty men;

19. also Hashabi'ah and with him Jeshai'ah of the sons of Merar'i, with his kinsmen and their sons, twenty;

20. and two hundred and twenty temple slaves -- descendants of the temple slaves whom David and the princes had assigned to serve the Levites -- all of them designated by name.

20. besides two hundred and twenty of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.

21. There, beside the Ahava Canal, I then proclaimed a fast, to humble ourselves before our God and to pray to him for a successful journey for us, our dependants and all our belongings.

21. Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Aha'va, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.

22. For I should have been ashamed to ask the king for a company of cavalry to protect us from hostile people on our road, as we had already said to the king, 'The hand of our God is over all who seek him for their protection, but his mighty retribution befalls all those who forsake him.'

22. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way; since we had told the king, "The hand of our God is for good upon all that seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all that forsake him."

23. So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he heard us.

23. So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

24. I next chose twelve of the leading priests, and also Sherebiah and Hashabiah with ten of their kinsmen.

24. Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebi'ah, Hashabi'ah, and ten of their kinsmen with them.

25. To them I weighed out the silver, the gold and the utensils, the contributions which the king, his counsellors, his notables and all the Israelites there present had made for the Temple of our God.

25. And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered;

26. To them I weighed out and handed over six hundred and fifty talents of silver, one hundred utensils of silver valued at two talents, one hundred talents of gold,

26. I weighed out into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels worth a hundred talents, and a hundred talents of gold,

27. twenty golden bowls valued at a thousand darics and two utensils of fine burnished copper as precious as gold.

27. twenty bowls of gold worth a thousand darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.

28. I said to them, 'You are consecrated to Yahweh; these utensils are consecrated too; the silver and gold are a voluntary offering to Yahweh, God of your ancestors.

28. And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

29. Guard them carefully until you weigh them out to the leading priests, the Levites, and the heads of families of Israel in Jerusalem in the rooms of the Temple of Yahweh.'

29. Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD."

30. The priests and Levites then took charge of the silver, the gold and the utensils thus weighed, to bring them to Jerusalem to the Temple of our God.

30. So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

31. On the twelfth day of the first month we left the Ahava Canal to make our way to Jerusalem; the hand of our God was over us and protected us from enemies and surprise attacks on our way.

31. Then we departed from the river Aha'va 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 ambushes by the way.

32. When we arrived in Jerusalem, we rested for three days.

32. We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.

33. On the fourth day the silver, the gold and the utensils were weighed in the Temple of our God and handed over to the priest Meremoth son of Uriah and, with him, Eleazar son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.

33. On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Mer'emoth the priest, son of Uri'ah, and with him was Elea'zar the son of Phin'ehas, and with them were the Levites, Jo'zabad the son of Jeshua and No-adi'ah the son of Bin'nui.

34. By number and weight all was there. The total weight was recorded at the same time.

34. The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

35. When the exiles arrived from their captivity, they offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel -- twelve bulls on behalf of all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-two lambs, and as a sin offering twelve he-goats: the whole of this as a burnt offering to Yahweh.

35. At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve he-goats; all this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

36. They also delivered the king's instructions to the king's satraps and the governors of Transeuphrates, who then supported the people and the Temple of God.

36. They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River; and they aided the people and the house of God.