Ezra 8

New International Version

List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra

8 These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:^(A)

²of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;

of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;

of the descendants of David, Hattush ³of the descendants of Shekaniah;^(B)

of the descendants of Parosh,^(C) Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

⁴of the descendants of Pahath-Moab,^(D) Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

⁵of the descendants of Zattu,^[a] Shekaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

⁶of the descendants of Adin,^(E) Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

⁷of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

⁸of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

⁹of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

¹⁰of the descendants of Bani,^[b] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

¹¹of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

¹²of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

¹³of the descendants of Adonikam,^(F) the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

¹⁴of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with them 70 men.

The Return to Jerusalem

¹⁵I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava,^(G) and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites^(H) there. ¹⁶So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, ¹⁷and I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants^(I) in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. ¹⁸Because the gracious hand of our God was on us,^(J) they brought us Sherebiah,^(K) a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; ¹⁹and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. ²⁰They also brought 220 of the temple servants^(L)—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

²¹There, by the Ahava Canal,^(M) I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey^(N) for us and our children, with all our possessions. ²²I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers^(O) and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone^(P) who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.^(Q)” ²³So we fasted^(R) and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

²⁴Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah,^(S) Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, ²⁵and I weighed out^(T) to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. ²⁶I weighed out to them 650 talents^[c] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,^[d] 100 talents^[e] of gold, ²⁷20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,^[f] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

²⁸I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord.^(U) The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. ²⁹Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” ³⁰Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

³¹On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal^(V) to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,^(W) and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. ³²So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.^(X)

³³On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out^(Y) the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth^(Z) son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad^(AA) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.^(AB) ³⁴Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

³⁵Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls^(AC) for all Israel,^(AD) ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering,^[g] twelve male goats.^(AE) All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. ³⁶They also delivered the king’s orders^(AF) to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,^(AG) who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.^(AH)

Footnotes

Ezra 8:5 Some Septuagint manuscripts (also 1 Esdras 8:32); Hebrew does not have Zattu.
Ezra 8:10 Some Septuagint manuscripts (also 1 Esdras 8:36); Hebrew does not have Bani.
Ezra 8:26 That is, about 24 tons or about 22 metric tons
Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
Ezra 8:27 That is, about 19 pounds or about 8.4 kilograms
Ezra 8:35 Or purification offering

Psalm 138

New International Version

Psalm 138

Of David.

¹I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods”^(A) I will sing^(B) your praise.
²I will bow down toward your holy temple^(C)
    and will praise your name^(D)
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,^(E)
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.^(F)
³When I called,^(G) you answered me;^(H)
    you greatly emboldened^(I) me.

⁴May all the kings of the earth^(J) praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
⁵May they sing^(K) of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord^(L) is great.

⁶Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;^(M)
    though lofty, he sees them^(N) from afar.
⁷Though I walk^(O) in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.^(P)
You stretch out your hand^(Q) against the anger of my foes;^(R)
    with your right hand^(S) you save me.^(T)
⁸The Lord will vindicate^(U) me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever^(V)—
    do not abandon^(W) the works of your hands.^(X)

Revelation 3

New International Version

To the Church in Sardis

3 “To the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis^(A) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits^[b]^(B) of God and the seven stars.^(C) I know your deeds;^(D) you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.^(E) ²Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ³Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.^(F) But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,^(G) and you will not know at what time^(H) I will come to you.

⁴Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.^(I) They will walk with me, dressed in white,^(J) for they are worthy. ⁵The one who is victorious^(K) will, like them, be dressed in white.^(L) I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,^(M) but will acknowledge that name before my Father^(N) and his angels. ⁶Whoever has ears, let them hear^(O) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia^(P) write:

These are the words of him who is holy^(Q) and true,^(R) who holds the key of David.^(S) What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸I know your deeds.^(T) See, I have placed before you an open door^(U) that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.^(V) ⁹I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,^(W) who claim to be Jews though they are not,^(X) but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet^(Y) and acknowledge that I have loved you.^(Z) ¹⁰Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you^(AA) from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world^(AB) to test^(AC) the inhabitants of the earth.^(AD)

¹¹I am coming soon.^(AE) Hold on to what you have,^(AF) so that no one will take your crown.^(AG) ¹²The one who is victorious^(AH) I will make a pillar^(AI) in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God^(AJ) and the name of the city of my God,^(AK) the new Jerusalem,^(AL) which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³Whoever has ears, let them hear^(AM) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴“To the angel of the church in Laodicea^(AN) write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,^(AO) the ruler of God’s creation.^(AP) ¹⁵I know your deeds,^(AQ) that you are neither cold nor hot.^(AR) I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’^(AS) But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.^(AT) ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,^(AU) so you can become rich; and white clothes^(AV) to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;^(AW) and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.^(AX) So be earnest and repent.^(AY) ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door^(AZ) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,^(BA) I will come in^(BB) and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹To the one who is victorious,^(BC) I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,^(BD) just as I was victorious^(BE) and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²Whoever has ears, let them hear^(BF) what the Spirit says to the churches.”