⁵ And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,^(A) who is from everlasting to everlasting.^[a]”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth^(A) and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

²⁰ and said:

¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”^(A)

² Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam,^(A) said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful^(B) to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.^(C)