Ezra 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Those Returning with Ezra
8 These are the family leaders 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 children, 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 great anger is against all who abandon Him.”(P) 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.
24 I selected 12 of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah,(Q) Hashabiah, and 10 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[j] of gold, 27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 gold coins,[k] 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 fathers. 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[l] on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God,[m](U) and He protected us from the power 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 Meremoth the priest, 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: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, and 77 lambs, along with 12 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
- Ezra 8:3 Or males; also in vv. 4-14
- Ezra 8:5 LXX, 1 Esdras 8:32; MT reads the descendants of Shecaniah
- Ezra 8:10 Some LXX mss, 1 Esdras 8:36; MT reads the descendants of Shelomith
- Ezra 8:14 Alt Hb tradition, some LXX mss read Zabud
- Ezra 8:15 Or canal
- Ezra 8:17 Lit Casiphia, and I put in their mouth the words to speak to
- Ezra 8:21 Or Canal
- Ezra 8:26 Lit 650 talents
- Ezra 8:26 Lit 100 talents
- Ezra 8:26 Lit 100 talents
- Ezra 8:27 Or 1,000 drachmas, or 1,000 darics
- Ezra 8:31 Or Canal
- Ezra 8:31 Lit The hand of our God was on us
Ezra 8
Common English Bible
8 These are the heads of the families, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me during the rule of King Artaxerxes:
2 of the family of Phinehas, Gershom; of Ithamar, Daniel; of David, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah’s son;[a] of Parosh, Zechariah and with him were registered 150 men;
4 of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai, Zerahiah’s son and with him 200 men;
5 of Zattu,[b] Shecaniah, Jahaziel’s son and with him 300 men;
6 of Adin, Ebed, Jonathan’s son and with him 50 men;
7 of Elam, Jeshaiah, Athaliah’s son and with him 70 men;
8 of Shephatiah, Zebadiah, Michael’s son and with him 80 men;
9 of Joab, Obadiah, Jehiel’s son and with him 218 men;
10 of Bani,[c] Shelomith, Josiphiah’s son and with him 160 men;
11 of Bebai, Zechariah, Bebai’s son and with him 28 men;
12 of Azgad, Johanan, Hakkatan’s son and with him 110 men;
13 of the last of Adonikam, namely Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah and with them 60 men;
14 of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur and with them were 70 men.
Voyage to Jerusalem
15 I gathered them by the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped for three days.
As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. 16 So I called for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, all leaders, together with Joiarib and Elnathan, who were wise. 17 I sent them[d] to Iddo, the leader at the place named Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his colleagues the temple servants at Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for God’s house. 18 Because we were favored by God, they brought us Sherebiah, a skillful man of the family of Mahli, Levi’s son and Israel’s grandson, together with his sons and relatives so that there were eighteen in total. 19 They also brought us Hashabiah and with him Jeshaiah of the family of Merari, together with his relatives and their sons so that there were twenty in total. 20 In addition, there were two hundred twenty temple servants whom David and the princes had appointed to serve the Levites. These were all recorded by name.
21 Then I called for a fast there at the Ahava River so that we might submit before our God and ask of him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions. 22 I had been ashamed to ask the king for a group of soldiers and cavalry to help us in facing enemies on the way, because we had told the king, “The power of God favors all who seek him, but his fierce wrath is against all who abandon him.” 23 So we fasted and prayed to our God for this, and he responded to us.
24 Then I selected twelve of the leading priests, Sherebiah and Hashabiah and ten of their relatives with them. 25 I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the equipment, the offering for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his officials, and all Israel present there had offered. 26 I weighed out into their keeping six hundred fifty kikkars of silver, one hundred silver containers weighing a certain number of kikkars, one hundred kikkars of gold, 27 twenty gold bowls worth one thousand darics, and two containers of highly polished copper, which were as precious as gold. 28 I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the equipment is holy; the silver and the gold are a spontaneous gift to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in Jerusalem before the officials of the priests, the Levites, and the heads of the families of Israel, within the rooms of the Lord’s house.” 30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the utensils as they were weighed out, in order to bring them to Jerusalem, to our God’s house.
31 Then we left the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month[e] to go to Jerusalem. The power of our God was with us; he saved us from the power of the enemy and ambushes along the way.
Finishing the journey
32 After arriving in Jerusalem, we rested there three days. 33 On the fourth day, the silver and the gold and the equipment were weighed out in our God’s house into the care of the priest named Meremoth, Uriah’s son, together with Eleazar, Phinehas’ son; and the Levites, Jozabad, Jeshua’s son, and Noadiah, Binnui’s son. 34 Everything was counted and weighed, and the total weight was recorded.
35 At that time, those who had come from the captivity, the returned exiles, offered as entirely burned offerings to the God of Israel twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a purification offering. All this was an entirely burned offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king’s orders to the royal chief administrators and governors of the province Beyond the River, who supported the people and God’s house.
Footnotes
- Ezra 8:3 LXX and 1 Esdr 8:29; Heb of the descendants of Shecaniah
- Ezra 8:5 LXX and 1 Esdr 8:32; Heb lacks of Zattu.
- Ezra 8:10 LXX and 1 Esdr 8:36; Heb lacks of Bani.
- Ezra 8:17 Kethib I ordered them
- Ezra 8:31 March–April, Nisan
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible