People Who Went with Ezra

Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical enrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes: of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, (A)Hattush; of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of (B)Parosh, Zechariah and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical list; of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and 200 males with him; of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and 300 males with him; and of the sons of (C)Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and 50 males with him; and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him; and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and 80 males with him; of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him; 10 and of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him; 11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and 28 males with him; 12 and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him; 13 and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them; 14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and [a]Zabbud, and 70 males with [b]them.

Ezra Sends for Levites

15 Now I assembled them at (D)the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I observed the people and the priests, I (E)did not find any Levites there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, [c]leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17 I sent them to Iddo the [d]leading man at the place Casiphia; and I [e]told them what to say to [f]Iddo and his brothers, (F)the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God. 18 (G)According to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a (H)man of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18 men; 19 and Hashabiah and [g]Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men; 20 and 220 of (I)the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.

Protection of God Invoked

21 Then I proclaimed (J)a fast there at (K)the river of Ahava, that we might (L)humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a [h]safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to [i]protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “(M)The hand of our God is [j]favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but (N)His power and His anger are against all those who (O)forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He [k](P)listened to our entreaty.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, (Q)Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; 25 and I (R)weighed out to them (S)the silver, the gold and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king and (T)his counselors and his princes and all Israel present there had offered. 26 (U)Thus I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 gold talents, 27 and 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “(V)You are holy to the Lord, and the (W)utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them (X)until you weigh them before the leading priests, the Levites and the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites (Y)accepted the weighed out silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

31 Then we journeyed from (Z)the river Ahava on (AA)the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and (AB)the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way. 32 (AC)Thus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.

Treasure Placed in the Temple

33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils (AD)were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of (AE)Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at that time.

35 (AF)The exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: (AG)12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, 12 male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 Then (AH)they delivered the king’s edicts to (AI)the king’s satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the [l]River, and they supported the people and the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:14 Or Zakkur
  2. Ezra 8:14 Or him
  3. Ezra 8:16 Lit heads
  4. Ezra 8:17 Lit head
  5. Ezra 8:17 Lit put words in their mouth to say
  6. Ezra 8:17 So Gr; Heb Iddo his brother
  7. Ezra 8:19 So Gr; Heb with him Jeshaiah
  8. Ezra 8:21 Lit straight way
  9. Ezra 8:22 Lit help
  10. Ezra 8:22 Lit upon all...for good
  11. Ezra 8:23 Lit was entreated by us
  12. Ezra 8:36 I.e. Euphrates River

List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra

These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:(A)

of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;

of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;

of the descendants of David, Hattush of the descendants of Shekaniah;(B)

of the descendants of Parosh,(C) Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

of the descendants of Pahath-Moab,(D) Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

of the descendants of Zattu,[a] Shekaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

of the descendants of Adin,(E) Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

10 of the descendants of Bani,[b] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

11 of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

12 of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

13 of the descendants of Adonikam,(F) the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

14 of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with them 70 men.

The Return to Jerusalem

15 I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava,(G) and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites(H) there. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants(I) in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. 18 Because the gracious hand of our God was on us,(J) they brought us Sherebiah,(K) a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; 19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants(L)—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

21 There, by the Ahava Canal,(M) I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey(N) for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers(O) and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone(P) who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.(Q) 23 So we fasted(R) and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah,(S) Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, 25 and I weighed out(T) to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. 26 I weighed out to them 650 talents[c] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,[d] 100 talents[e] of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,[f] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28 I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord.(U) The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” 30 Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal(V) to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,(W) and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.(X)

33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out(Y) the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth(Z) son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad(AA) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.(AB) 34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls(AC) for all Israel,(AD) ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering,[g] twelve male goats.(AE) All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king’s orders(AF) to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,(AG) who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.(AH)

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:5 Some Septuagint manuscripts (also 1 Esdras 8:32); Hebrew does not have Zattu.
  2. Ezra 8:10 Some Septuagint manuscripts (also 1 Esdras 8:36); Hebrew does not have Bani.
  3. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 24 tons or about 22 metric tons
  4. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  5. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  6. Ezra 8:27 That is, about 19 pounds or about 8.4 kilograms
  7. Ezra 8:35 Or purification offering

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.

A Psalm of David.

138 (A)I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing praises to You before the (B)gods.
I will bow down (C)toward Your holy temple
And (D)give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your [a]truth;
For You have (E)magnified Your [b]word [c]according to all Your name.
On the day I (F)called, You answered me;
You made me bold with (G)strength in my soul.

(H)All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
And they will (I)sing of the ways of the Lord,
For (J)great is the glory of the Lord.
For (K)though the Lord is exalted,
Yet He (L)regards the lowly,
But the (M)haughty He knows from afar.

Though I (N)walk in the midst of trouble, You will [d](O)revive me;
You will (P)stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will (Q)save me.
The Lord will (R)accomplish what concerns me;
Your (S)lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
(T)Do not forsake the (U)works of Your hands.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 138:2 Or faithfulness
  2. Psalm 138:2 Or promise
  3. Psalm 138:2 Or together with
  4. Psalm 138:7 Or keep me alive

Psalm 138

Of David.

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods”(A) I will sing(B) your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple(C)
    and will praise your name(D)
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,(E)
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.(F)
When I called,(G) you answered me;(H)
    you greatly emboldened(I) me.

May all the kings of the earth(J) praise you, Lord,
    when they hear what you have decreed.
May they sing(K) of the ways of the Lord,
    for the glory of the Lord(L) is great.

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;(M)
    though lofty, he sees them(N) from afar.
Though I walk(O) in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.(P)
You stretch out your hand(Q) against the anger of my foes;(R)
    with your right hand(S) you save me.(T)
The Lord will vindicate(U) me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever(V)
    do not abandon(W) the works of your hands.(X)

Message to Sardis

“To the angel of the church in (A)Sardis write:

He who has (B)the seven Spirits of God and (C)the seven stars, says this: ‘(D)I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, [a]but you are (E)dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So (F)remember [b]what you have received and heard; and keep it, and (G)repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, (H)I will come (I)like a thief, and you will not know at (J)what hour I will come to you. But you have a few [c](K)people in (L)Sardis who have not (M)soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me (N)in white, for they are worthy. (O)He who overcomes will thus be clothed in (P)white garments; and I will not (Q)erase his name from the book of life, and (R)I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (S)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in (T)Philadelphia write:

(U)He who is holy, (V)who is true, who has (W)the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

(X)I know your [d]deeds. Behold, I have put before you (Y)an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and (Z)have not denied My name. Behold, I [e]will cause those of (AA)the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them (AB)come and bow down [f]at your feet, and make them know that (AC)I have loved you. 10 Because you have (AD)kept the word of (AE)My [g]perseverance, (AF)I also will keep you from the hour of [h](AG)testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole [i](AH)world, to [j]test (AI)those who dwell on the earth. 11 (AJ)I am coming quickly; (AK)hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your (AL)crown. 12 (AM)He who overcomes, I will make him a (AN)pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the (AO)name of My God, and (AP)the name of the city of My God, (AQ)the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My (AR)new name. 13 (AS)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in (AT)Laodicea write:

(AU)The Amen, (AV)the faithful and true Witness, (AW)the [k]Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

15 (AX)I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; (AY)I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will [l]spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “(AZ)I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to (BA)buy from Me (BB)gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and (BC)white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that (BD)the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 (BE)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and (BF)repent. 20 Behold, I stand (BG)at the door and (BH)knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, (BI)I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 (BJ)He who overcomes, I will grant to him (BK)to sit down with Me on My throne, as (BL)I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 (BM)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 3:1 Lit and
  2. Revelation 3:3 Lit how
  3. Revelation 3:4 Lit names
  4. Revelation 3:8 Or deeds (behold...shut), that you have
  5. Revelation 3:9 Lit give
  6. Revelation 3:9 Lit before
  7. Revelation 3:10 Or steadfastness
  8. Revelation 3:10 Or temptation
  9. Revelation 3:10 Lit inhabited earth
  10. Revelation 3:10 Or tempt
  11. Revelation 3:14 I.e. Origin or Source
  12. Revelation 3:16 Lit vomit

To the Church in Sardis

“To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b](B) of God and the seven stars.(C) I know your deeds;(D) you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.(E) Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.(F) But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,(G) and you will not know at what time(H) I will come to you.

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.(I) They will walk with me, dressed in white,(J) for they are worthy. The one who is victorious(K) will, like them, be dressed in white.(L) I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,(M) but will acknowledge that name before my Father(N) and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear(O) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia(P) write:

These are the words of him who is holy(Q) and true,(R) who holds the key of David.(S) What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds.(T) See, I have placed before you an open door(U) that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(V) I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,(W) who claim to be Jews though they are not,(X) but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet(Y) and acknowledge that I have loved you.(Z) 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you(AA) from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world(AB) to test(AC) the inhabitants of the earth.(AD)

11 I am coming soon.(AE) Hold on to what you have,(AF) so that no one will take your crown.(AG) 12 The one who is victorious(AH) I will make a pillar(AI) in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God(AJ) and the name of the city of my God,(AK) the new Jerusalem,(AL) which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear(AM) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea(AN) write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,(AO) the ruler of God’s creation.(AP) 15 I know your deeds,(AQ) that you are neither cold nor hot.(AR) I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’(AS) But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.(AT) 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,(AU) so you can become rich; and white clothes(AV) to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;(AW) and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.(AX) So be earnest and repent.(AY) 20 Here I am! I stand at the door(AZ) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,(BA) I will come in(BB) and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious,(BC) I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,(BD) just as I was victorious(BE) and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear(BF) what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14
  2. Revelation 3:1 That is, the sevenfold Spirit