A list of families returning to Jerusalem
8:1-14
1
These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of
them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.
2
Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the
sons of David; Hattush.
3
Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him
were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.
4
Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two
hundred males.
5
Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred
males.
6
Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty
males.
7
And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him
seventy males.
8
And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him
fourscore males.
9
Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred
and eighteen males.
10
And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an
hundred and threescore males.
11
And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty
and eight males.
12
And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an
hundred and ten males.
13
And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel,
and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.
14
Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy
males.
Here's a list of families returning to Jerusalem.
8:15-20
15
And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there
abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and
found there none of the sons of Levi.
I (Ezra) gathered the people together by the river, where we camped for three days.
I looked at the people and priests, but I couldn't see any Levites.
16
Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and
for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for
Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of
understanding.
17
And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place
Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his
brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto
us ministers for the house of our God.
So I sent out a bunch of guys to look for Levites.
18
And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of
understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of
Levi, the son of Israel; and
Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
19
And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren
and their sons, twenty;
20
Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the
service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were
expressed by name.
And with the help of the good hand of God, they found Mahli, the son of Levi [
1], along with 18 of his
sons and relatives.
Gold and silver are weighed and animals are sacrificed
8:21-36
21
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might
afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for
our little ones, and for all our substance.
At the river, I (Ezra) told the people to fast, and ask God for help.
22
For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen
to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the
king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him;
but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
23
So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.
I was too ashamed to ask the king (Artaxerxes) for help, because I told him God's good hand is upon those who
obey him, and his wrath is on those who don't.
24
Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah,
and ten of their brethren with them,
25
And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the
offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and
his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
I asked the priests to weigh all the silver and gold that king Artaxerxes had given us.
26
I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver,
and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;
27
Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine
copper, precious as gold.
I even weighed 650 talents of silver and 100 talents of gold. [
2]
28
And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy
also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God
of your fathers.
I said to the priests,
You are holy to God and so are the vessels.
29
Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the
priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem,
in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
30
So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the
gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.
When you get to Jerusalem, re-weigh the gold in God's house.
31
Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first
month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he
delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the
way.
32
And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
When we left the river, God's hand was upon us, and it protected us from the hand of the enemy.
33
Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed
in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest;
and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the
son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
34
By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at
that time.
On the fourth day after we arrived in Jerusalem, we weighed the gold and silver in God's house.
35
Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out
of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve
bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs,
twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the
LORD.
36
And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and
to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and
the house of God.
The people killed 12 bullocks, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and 12 goats as burnt offerings for God.
