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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

  1. Ezra 8:3 Or males; also in vv. 4-14
  2. Ezra 8:5 LXX, 1 Esdras 8:32; MT reads the descendants of Shecaniah
  3. Ezra 8:10 Some LXX mss, 1 Esdras 8:36; MT reads the descendants of Shelomith
  4. Ezra 8:14 Alt Hb tradition, some LXX mss read Zabud
  5. Ezra 8:15 Or canal
  6. Ezra 8:17 Lit Casiphia, and I put in their mouth the words to speak to
  7. Ezra 8:21 Or Canal
  8. Ezra 8:26 Lit 650 talents
  9. Ezra 8:26 Lit 100 talents
  10. Ezra 8:26 Lit 100 talents
  11. Ezra 8:27 Or 1,000 drachmas, or 1,000 darics
  12. Ezra 8:31 Or Canal
  13. Ezra 8:31 Lit The hand of our God was on us
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Ezra 8
Lexham English Bible

Family Heads Who Returned With Ezra

8 These were the heads of their families[a] and the register of those returnees from Babylonia who came up with me in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 From the descendants[b] of Phinehas: Gershom. From the descendants[c] of Ithamar: Daniel. From the descendants[d] of David: Hattush. 3 From the descendants[e] of Shecaniah, from the descendants[f] of Parosh: Zechariah and with him one hundred and fifty registered males. 4 From the descendants[g] of Pahath-Moab: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah and with him two hundred males. 5 From the descendants[h] of Zattu:[i] Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males. 6 From the descendants[j] of Adin: Ebed son of Jehonathan, and with him fifty males. 7 From the descendants[k] of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males. 8 From the descendants[l] of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him eighty males. 9 From the descendants[m] of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males. 10 From the descendants[n] of Bani:[o] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males. 11 From the descendants[p] of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males. 12 From the descendants[q] of Azgad: Jehohanan son of Haqqatan, and with him one hundred and ten males. 13 From the descendants[r] of Adonikam, those who came last, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, Shemaiah, and with them sixty males. 14 From the descendants[s] of Bigvai: Uthai son of Zabud,[t] and with him seventy males.

Servants for the Temple are Gathered

15 I gathered them by the river that goes to Ahava and we camped there for three days. And I looked at the people and the priests, I found no one there from the sons of Levi. 16 And I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were family heads, and for Jehoiarib and Elnathan who were wise. 17 I sent them to Iddo, the head of the place called Casiphia, and I placed in their mouths what words to say to Iddo and his brothers the temple servants in Casiphia, to send to us ministers for the house of our God. 18 With the good hand of our God before us, they brought us a man of understanding from the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel—Sherebiah and his sons and brothers, eighteen in total. 19 Also Hashabiah and with him Jeshaiah, the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty in total. 20 And from the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set up to serve the Levites, two hundred and twenty in total. All of them were registered by name.

Ezra Proclaims a Fast

21 I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava to humble ourselves before our God in order to seek from him a safe journey for us, our children, and our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for troops and horses to protect us from enemies on the way because we said to the king, “the hand of our God is favorable to all who seek him, but his strength and anger are against all who forsake them.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God for this and he responded to our prayer.

The Priests’ Gift for the Temple

24 I set apart twelve of the official priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them. 25 Then I weighed out to them silver and gold and the vessels, the offering of the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his commanders, and all of Israel who was present offered. 26 I weighed out into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, one hundred vessels of silver, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold bowls worth one thousand darics, and two vessels of good polished bronze as precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh and the vessels are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, God of your ancestors.[u] 29 Guard and look after them until you weigh them before the chief priests, the Levites, and the heads of the families[v] of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chamber of the house of Yahweh.” 30 So the priests and Levites took over the weighed silver, gold, and the vessels to bring to Jerusalem for the house of our God.

Return to Jerusalem

31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the river of Ahava to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushing on the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem and remained there three days. 33 On the fourth day, the silver, gold, and vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of priest Meremoth, the son of Uriah, and with him Eleazar son of Phinehas. With them were the Levites, Jehozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 The amount and weight of all the weighed items was recorded at that time.

35 The exiles that returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel; twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve goats as a sin offering. All was a burnt offering to Yahweh. 36 They delivered the customs of the king to the king’s satraps and to the governor of the province Beyond the River. And they supported the people of the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:1 Literally “fathers”
  2. Ezra 8:2 Or “sons”
  3. Ezra 8:2 Or “sons”
  4. Ezra 8:2 Or “sons”
  5. Ezra 8:3 Or “sons”
  6. Ezra 8:3 Or “sons”
  7. Ezra 8:4 Or “sons”
  8. Ezra 8:5 Or “sons”
  9. Ezra 8:5 Commentators and translators agree that there is a name missing from the Masoretic text. Zattu has been restored from the LXX
  10. Ezra 8:6 Or “sons”
  11. Ezra 8:7 Or “sons”
  12. Ezra 8:8 Or “sons”
  13. Ezra 8:9 Or “sons”
  14. Ezra 8:10 Or “sons”
  15. Ezra 8:10 Commentators and translators agree that there is a name missing from the Masoretic text. Bani has been restored from the LXX
  16. Ezra 8:11 Or “sons”
  17. Ezra 8:12 Or “sons”
  18. Ezra 8:13 Or “sons”
  19. Ezra 8:14 Or “sons”
  20. Ezra 8:14 Or “and Zabud”
  21. Ezra 8:28 Or “fathers”
  22. Ezra 8:29 Literally “fathers”
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