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 Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Heads of Families Who Returned with Ezra
8 These are their family heads, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom. Of Ithamar, Daniel. Of David, Hattush,(A) 3 of the descendants of Shecaniah. Of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered one hundred fifty males.(B) 4 Of the descendants of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males. 5 Of the descendants of Zattu,[a] Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males. 6 Of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males. 7 Of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males. 8 Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him eighty males. 9 Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred eighteen males. 10 Of the descendants of Bani,[b] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred sixty males. 11 Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males. 12 Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred ten males. 13 Of the descendants of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males. 14 Of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them seventy males.
Servants for the Temple
15 I gathered them by the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the descendants of Levi.(C) 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were wise, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leader at the place called Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his colleagues the temple servants at Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God.(D) 18 Since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the descendants of Mahli son of Levi son of Israel, namely, Sherebiah, with his sons and kin, eighteen;(E) 19 also Hashabiah and with him Jeshaiah of the descendants of Merari, with his kin and their sons, twenty; 20 besides two hundred twenty of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.(F)
Fasting and Prayer for Protection
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the River Ahava, that we might humble ourselves[c] before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.(G) 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and cavalry to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king that the hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him.(H) 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.(I)
Gifts for the Temple
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kin with them. 25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his lords, and all Israel there present had offered;(J) 26 I weighed out into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels worth . . . talents,[d] and one hundred talents of gold,(K) 27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand darics, and two vessels of fine polished bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors.(L) 29 Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of families in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.”(M) 30 So the priests and the Levites took over the silver, the gold, and the vessels as they were weighed out, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.
The Return to Jerusalem
31 Then we left the River Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem; the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes along the way.(N) 32 We came to Jerusalem and remained there three days.(O) 33 On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver, the gold, and the vessels were weighed into the hands of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.(P) 34 The total was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.
35 At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats; all this was a burnt offering to the Lord.(Q) 36 They also delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God.(R)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.