Ezra 8
Christian Standard Bible
Those Returning with Ezra
8 These are the family heads and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:(A)
2 Gershom, from Phinehas’s descendants;
Daniel, from Ithamar’s descendants;
Hattush, from David’s descendants,
3 who was of Shecaniah’s descendants;(B)
Zechariah, from Parosh’s(C) descendants,
and 150 men[a] with him who were registered by genealogy;
4 Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah
from Pahath-moab’s descendants,(D)
and 200 men with him;
5 Shecaniah[b] son of Jahaziel
from Zattu’s descendants,
and 300 men with him;
6 Ebed son of Jonathan
from Adin’s descendants,(E)
and 50 men with him;
7 Jeshaiah son of Athaliah
from Elam’s descendants,
and 70 men with him;
8 Zebadiah son of Michael
from Shephatiah’s descendants,
and 80 men with him;
9 Obadiah son of Jehiel
from Joab’s descendants,
and 218 men with him;
10 Shelomith[c] son of Josiphiah
from Bani’s descendants,
and 160 men with him;
11 Zechariah son of Bebai
from Bebai’s descendants,
and 28 men with him;
12 Johanan son of Hakkatan
from Azgad’s descendants,
and 110 men with him;
13 these are the last ones, from Adonikam’s descendants,(F)
and their names are
Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah,
and 60 men with them;
14 Uthai and Zaccur[d]
from Bigvai’s descendants,
and 70 men with them.
15 I gathered them at the river[e] that flows to Ahava,(G) and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites(H) there. 16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam,(I) as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for[f] him and his brothers, the temple servants(J) at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God. 18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us,(K) they brought us Sherebiah(L)—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men, 19 plus Hashabiah,(M) along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. 20 There were also 220 of the temple servants,(N) who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
Preparing to Return
21 I proclaimed a fast(O) by the Ahava River,[g] so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. 22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”(P) 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
24 I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah,(Q) Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. 25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles—the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered. 26 I weighed out to them 24 tons[h] of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds,[i] 7,500 pounds of gold, 27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins,[j] and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.(R) 28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering(S) to the Lord God of your ancestors. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.” 30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.(T)
Arrival in Jerusalem
31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God,[k](U) and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.(V) 32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.(W) 33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad(X) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them. 34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity(Y) offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.(Z) 36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates,(AA) so that they would support the people and the house of God.(AB)
Footnotes
- 8:3 Or males; also in vv. 4–14
- 8:5 LXX, 1 Esdras 8:32; MT reads the descendants of Shecaniah
- 8:10 Some LXX mss, 1 Esdras 8:36; MT reads the descendants of Shelomith
- 8:14 Alt Hb tradition, some LXX mss read Zabud
- 8:15 Or canal
- 8:17 Lit Casiphia, and I put in their mouth the words to speak to
- 8:21 Or Canal, also in v. 31
- 8:26 Lit 650 talents
- 8:26 Lit 100 talents
- 8:27 Or 1,000 drachmas, or 1,000 darics
- 8:31 Lit The hand of our God was on us
Ezra 8
New American Standard Bible
People Who Went with Ezra
8 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: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, (A)Hattush; 3 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; 4 of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and two hundred males with him; 5 of the sons of [a]Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and three hundred males with him; 6 and of the sons of (C)Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and fifty males with him; 7 and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and seventy males with him; 8 and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and eighty males with him; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him; 10 and of the sons of [b]Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him; 11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and twenty-eight 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, [c]Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and sixty males with them; 14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and [d]Zabbud, and seventy males with [e]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 paid close attention to 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, [f]leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17 And I sent them to Iddo the [g]leading man at the place called Casiphia; and I [h]told them what to say to [i]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)And as the good hand of our God was upon us, they brought us a (H)man of insight from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah and [j]Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 and 220 of (I)the temple servants, whom David and the officials had provided 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, to (L)humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a [k]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 [l]protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “(M)The hand of our God is [m]favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but (N)His power and His anger are against all those who (O)abandon Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He [n](P)listened to our pleading.
24 Then I selected 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, (T)his counselors, his officials, and all Israel who were present there had contributed. 26 (U)So I weighed into their hands [o]650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth [p]a hundred talents, and a hundred gold talents, 27 and twenty gold bowls worth a thousand [q]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 [r]voluntary 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 leaders of the fathers’ households of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites (Y)accepted the weight of 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 upon us, and He rescued us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the road. 32 (AC)So we came to Jerusalem and remained there for three days.
Treasure Placed in the Temple
33 And on the fourth day the silver, 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 A notation was made for everything by number and weight, 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)twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve 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 the governors in the provinces beyond the Euphrates River, and they supported the people and the house of God.
Footnotes
- Ezra 8:5 As in LXX; MT omits Zattu
- Ezra 8:10 As in LXX; MT omits Bani
- Ezra 8:13 Or Jeuel
- Ezra 8:14 Or Zakkur
- Ezra 8:14 Or him
- Ezra 8:16 Lit heads
- Ezra 8:17 Lit head
- Ezra 8:17 Lit put words in their mouth to say
- Ezra 8:17 As in LXX; MT Iddo his brother
- Ezra 8:19 As in LXX; MT with him Jeshaiah
- Ezra 8:21 Lit smooth way
- Ezra 8:22 Lit help
- Ezra 8:22 Lit upon all...for good
- Ezra 8:23 Lit was entreated by us
- Ezra 8:26 About 24 tons or 22 metric tons
- Ezra 8:26 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
- Ezra 8:27 A coin weighing about 0.25 oz. or 7 gm
- Ezra 8:28 Or freewill offering
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