Fasting and Prayer for Protection

^21 (A)Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river ^(B)Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, ^(C)to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 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, ^(D)“The hand of our God is for good on ^(E)all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” ²³ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Priests to Guard Offerings

²⁴ Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: ^(F)Sherebiah, ^(G)Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. ²⁵ And I weighed out to them the ^(H)silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his ^(I)counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. ^26 (J)I weighed out into their hand 650 talents^[a] of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents,^[b] and 100 talents of gold, ²⁷ 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics,^[c] and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. ²⁸ And I said to them, ^(K)“You are holy to the Lord, and ^(L)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 and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at Jerusalem, ^(M)within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” ³⁰ So the priests and the Levites ^(N)took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.