1 The number of them that returned to Jerusalem with Ezra. 21 He causeth them to fast. 24 He admonisheth the Priests of their duty. 31 What they did when they came to Jerusalem.

These are now the chief fathers of them, and the genealogy of them that came up with me from Babel, in the reign of king [a]Artaxerxes.

Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel: of the sons of David, Hattush:

Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh, Zechariah, and with him the count of the males, an hundred and fifty.

Of the sons of [b]Pahath-Moab, Elihoenai, the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

Of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.

And of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.

And of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.

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

10 And of the sons of Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.

11 And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him eight and twenty males.

12 And of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.

13 And of the sons of Adonikam, that were the [c]last, whose names are these: Eliphelet, Jehiel and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.

14 And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

15 And I gathered them to the [d]river that goeth toward Ahava, and there abode we three days: then I viewed the people, and the Priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.

16 Therefore sent I to Eliezer, to Ariel, to Shemeiah, and to Elnathan, and to Jarib, and to Elnathan, and to Nathan, and to Zechariah, and to Meshullam the chief, and to Joiarib, and to Elnathan men of understanding,

17 And I gave them commandment, to Iddo the [e]chiefest at the place of Casiphia, and I [f]told them the words that they should speak to Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinim at the place of Casiphia, that they should cause the ministers of the house of our God to come unto us.

18 So by the good hand of our God, which was upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi the son of Israel, and Sherebiah with his sons and his brethren, even eighteen.

19 Also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brethren, and their sons twenty.

20 And of the [g]Nethinim, whom David had set, and the Princes for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty of the Nethinim, which all were named by name.

21 And there at the river, by Ahava, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble [h]ourselves before our God, and seek of him a right way for us, and for our children, and for all our substance.

22 For I was [i]ashamed to require of the king an army and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

23 So we fasted, and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the Priests, Sherebiah, and Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

25 And weighed them the silver and the gold and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king and his counselors and his Princes, and all Israel that were present had offered.

26 And I weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty [j]talents of silver, and in silver vessel an hundred talents, and in gold, an hundred talents,

27 And twenty basins of gold, of a thousand [k]drams, and two vessels of shining brass very good, and precious as gold.

28 ¶ And I said unto them, Ye are consecrated unto the Lord, and the vessels are consecrated, and the gold and the silver are freely offered unto the Lord God of your fathers.

29 Watch ye, and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief Priests and the Levites, and the chief fathers of Israel in Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord.

30 So the Priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver, and of the gold, and of the vessels to bring them to Jerusalem, unto the house of our God.

31 ¶ Then we departed from the river of Ahavah on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us, and delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as laid [l]wait by the way.

32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.

33 And on the fourth day was the silver weighed, and the gold, and the vessel, in the house of our God, by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the Priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui the [m]Levites,

34 By number and by weight of every one, and all the weight was written at the same time.

35 Also the children of the captivity, which were come out of captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, and twelve he goats for sin: all was a burnt offering of the Lord.

36 And they delivered the King’s commission unto the King’s officers, and to the captains beyond the river: and they promoted the people, and the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:1 Read Ezra 7.
  2. Ezra 8:4 Or, captains of Moab.
  3. Ezra 8:13 That came to go with Ezra.
  4. Ezra 8:15 To that place of Euphrates, where Ahava the river entereth into it.
  5. Ezra 8:17 He was the chiefest that taught there the Law of God unto the Levites.
  6. Ezra 8:17 Hebrew, put words in their mouth.
  7. Ezra 8:20 Read Ezra 2:43.
  8. Ezra 8:21 He showeth that the end of fasting, is to humble the body to the spirit, which must proceed of the heart lively touched, or else it is but hypocrisy.
  9. Ezra 8:22 He thought it better to commit himself to the protection of God, than by seeking these ordinary means to give occasion to others to think that he did doubt of God’s power.
  10. Ezra 8:26 Read 1 Kings 9:14.
  11. Ezra 8:27 Read Ezra 2:29.
  12. Ezra 8:31 This declared that their journey was full of danger, and yet God delivered them according to their prayer.
  13. Ezra 8:33 This was a token of a good conscience and of his integrity, that he would have witnesses of his fidelity.

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