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
- Ezra 8:1 Literally “fathers”
- Ezra 8:2 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:2 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:2 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:3 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:3 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:4 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:5 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:5 Commentators and translators agree that there is a name missing from the Masoretic text. Zattu has been restored from the LXX
- Ezra 8:6 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:7 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:8 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:9 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:10 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:10 Commentators and translators agree that there is a name missing from the Masoretic text. Bani has been restored from the LXX
- Ezra 8:11 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:12 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:13 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:14 Or “sons”
- Ezra 8:14 Or “and Zabud”
- Ezra 8:28 Or “fathers”
- Ezra 8:29 Literally “fathers”
Ezra 8
New English Translation
The Leaders Who Returned with Ezra
8 These are the leaders[a] and those enrolled with them by genealogy who were coming up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2 from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;
from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;
from the descendants of David, Hattush 3 the son of Shecaniah;[b]
from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were enrolled by genealogy 150 men;
4 from the descendants of Pahath Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;
5 from the descendants of Zattu,[c] Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;
6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;
7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;
8 from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;
9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;
10 from the descendants of Bani,[d] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;
11 from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;
13 from the descendants of Adonikam there were the latter ones.[e] Their names were Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;
14 from the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zaccur,[f] and with them[g] 70 men.
The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem
15 I had them assemble[h] at the canal[i] that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I observed that the people and the priests were present, but I found no Levites there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan,[j] Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers. 17 I sent them to Iddo, who was the leader in the place called Casiphia. I told them[k] what to say to Iddo and his relatives,[l] who were the temple servants in[m] Casiphia, so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God.
18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This man was Sherebiah,[n] who was accompanied by his sons and brothers,[o] 18 men; 19 and Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men; 20 and some of the temple servants that David and his officials had established for the work of the Levites—220 of them. They were all designated by name.
21 I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey[p] for us, our children, and all our property. 22 I was embarrassed to request soldiers and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy[q] along the way, because we had said to the king, “The good hand of our God is on everyone who is seeking him, but his great anger[r] is against everyone who forsakes him.” 23 So we fasted and prayed to our God about this, and he answered us.
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with[s] Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,[t] 25 and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels intended for the temple of our God—items that the king, his advisers, his officials, and all Israel who were present had contributed. 26 I weighed out to them:[u] 650 talents of silver, silver vessels worth 100 talents,[v] 100 talents of gold, 27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and 2 exquisite vessels of gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, just as these vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a voluntary offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. 29 Be careful with them and protect them, until you weigh them out before the leading priests and the Levites and the family leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, in the storerooms of the temple of the Lord.
30 Then the priests and the Levites took charge of[w] the silver, the gold, and the vessels that had been weighed out, to transport them to Jerusalem to the temple of our God.
31 On the twelfth day of the first month we began traveling from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from our enemies and from bandits[x] along the way. 32 So we came to Jerusalem, and we stayed there for three days. 33 On the fourth day we weighed out the silver, the gold, and the vessels in the house of our God into the care[y] of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest, and Eleazar son of Phinehas, who were accompanied by Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui, who were Levites. 34 Everything was verified[z] by number and by weight, and the total weight was written down at that time.
35 The exiles who were returning from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel—twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 Then they presented the decrees of the king to the king’s satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who assisted the people and the temple of God.
Footnotes
- Ezra 8:1 tn Heb “the heads of their families.”
- Ezra 8:3 tc The MT reads here “from the sons of Shecaniah” with no descendant identified in what follows, contrary to the pattern of the context elsewhere. However, it seems better to understand the first phrase of v. 3 with the end of v. 2; the phrase would then modify the name “Hattush.” This understanding requires emending the reading מִבְּנֵי (mibbene, “from the sons of”) in the MT to בֵּן (ben, “[the] son of”). Cf. NAB, TEV, CEV, NLT.
- Ezra 8:5 tc The MT lacks “of Zattu.” The translation adopted above follows the LXX in including the words.
- Ezra 8:10 tc The MT lacks “Bani.” It is restored on the basis of certain LXX mss.
- Ezra 8:13 tn Or “those who came later.” The exact meaning of this Hebrew phrase is uncertain. It may refer to the last remaining members of Adonikam’s family who were in Babylon. So, for example, H. G. M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah (WBC), 108; cf. NASB, NIV, NCV. The phrase has also been taken to mean “the younger sons (so NAB), or the ones who “returned at a later date” (so TEV).
- Ezra 8:14 tc The translation reads with the Qere, the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate וְזַּכּוּר (vezakkur, “and Zaccur”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, וְזַבוּד (vezavud, “and Zabbud”).
- Ezra 8:14 tn The MT has “with him” (so NAB). The present translation (“with them”) is based on the reading of many medieval Hebrew mss, the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate (so also KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Ezra 8:15 tn Or “I gathered them.”
- Ezra 8:15 tn Heb “river.” So also in vv. 21, 31.
- Ezra 8:16 tc The name “Elnathan” occurs twice in this list. Some, assuming an accidental repetition, would include it only once (cf. NAB).
- Ezra 8:17 tn Heb “I placed in their mouth words.”
- Ezra 8:17 tc The translation reads with the LXX and Vulgate וְאֶחָיו (veʾekhayv, “and his brethren” = “relatives”; so NCV, NLT) rather than the reading אָחִיו (ʾakhiv, “his brother”) of the MT.
- Ezra 8:17 tn Heb “in the place called.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Ezra 8:18 tn Heb “and Sherebiah.” The words “this man was” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
- Ezra 8:18 tn Or “relatives” (so CEV; NRSV “kin”); also in v. 19.
- Ezra 8:21 tn Heb “a straight way.”
- Ezra 8:22 tn A number of modern translations regard this as a collective singular and translate “from enemies” (also in v. 31).
- Ezra 8:22 tn Heb “his strength and his anger.” The expression is a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms).
- Ezra 8:24 tc The translation reads וַחֲשַׁבְיָה וְשֵׁרֵבְיָה (veshereveyah vakhashavyah, “and Sherebiah and Hashabiah”) rather than the reading חֲשַׁבְיָה לְשֵׁרֵבְיָה (leshereveyah khashavyah, “to Sherebiah Hashabiah”) of the MT.
- Ezra 8:24 tn Or “relatives”; or “colleagues” (cf. NLT “ten other priests”).
- Ezra 8:26 tn Heb “upon their hand.”
- Ezra 8:26 tn Possibly “100 silver vessels worth [?] talents” or “silver vessels weighing 100 talents.”
- Ezra 8:30 tn Heb “received.”
- Ezra 8:31 tn Heb “from the hand of the enemy and the one who lies in wait.” Some modern English versions render the latter phrase as “ambushes” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
- Ezra 8:33 tn Heb “upon the hand of.”
- Ezra 8:34 tn The words “was verified” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.