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  • Ezra Chapter 8

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The family leaders who returned with Ezra

8 We came from Babylon during the time that Artaxerxes was king. These are the leaders of clans who came with me, and the names of their families:

2 Gershom, from Phinehas's clan.

Daniel, from Ithamar's clan.

3 Shecaniah's son, Hattush, from David's clan.

Zechariah and 150 other men, from Parosh's clan.

4 Zerahiah's son, Eliehoenai, and 200 other men, from Pahath-Moab's clan.

5 Jahaziel's son, Shecaniah, and 300 other men, from Zattu's clan.

6 Jonathan's son, Ebed, and 50 other men, from Adin's clan.

7 Athaliah's son, Jeshaiah, and 70 other men, from Elam's clan.

8 Michael's son, Zebadiah, and 80 other men, from Shephatiah's clan.

9 Jehiel's son, Obadiah, and 218 other men, from Joab's clan.

10 Josiphiah's son, Shelomith, and 160 other men, from Bani's clan.

11 Bebai's son, Zechariah, and 28 other men, from Bebai's clan.

12 Hakkatan's son, Johanan, and 110 other men, from Azgad's clan.

13 Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 other men, from Adonikam's clan. They came later.

14 Uthai, Zaccur, and 70 other men, from Bigvai's clan.

The journey to Jerusalem

15 I told all the people to come together at the river that runs towards Ahava. We stayed there for three days. I saw that there were Jewish people and priests, but I did not see any Levites. 16 So I asked them to send some of their leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam. I also asked for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were wise teachers. 17 I sent them all to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. Iddo and his family were servants in the temple who were living in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo. I wanted them to bring people who would serve God in his house.

18 God was kind to us and he helped us. So they brought Sherebiah to us. He was a worker who had special skills to make things. He was a descendant of Israel's son Levi. He belonged to the clan of Levi's son, Mahli. Sherebiah came with his sons and brothers. Together they were 18 men. 19 Hashabiah and Jeshaiah also came. They belonged to the clan of Levi's son, Merari. 20 men from their family came with them. 20 220 temple servants also came. King David had first chosen this group to help the Levites with their work. We made a list of all their names.

21 We were all waiting by the Ahava river. I told the people not to eat any food, so that we could pray to God for help. We asked him to keep us safe on the journey, with our children and all our things. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king to send his soldiers with us to keep us safe. He could have sent soldiers who rode on horses with us, or other soldiers. But we had said to the king, ‘Our God helps people who trust him and he keeps them safe. But he is very angry with people who turn away from him and he punishes them.’

23 So we ate no food and we prayed to our God about this. He answered our prayers.

24 I chose 12 of the most important priests to do an important job, as well as Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers. 25 I told them to take care of the valuable things that we had received for the temple of our God. These were silver and gold things and other special things that the king, his helpers and his officers had given to us. Israelite people who were living in Babylonia had also given us valuable things for the temple. I weighed all these things. 26 I weighed 20,000 kilograms of silver and 3,500 kilograms of things made from silver. I weighed 3,500 kilograms of gold 27 and 20 gold bowls that weighed 8.5 kilograms. I also gave to them two beautiful bowls made from bronze. They shone brightly and they were as valuable as gold.

28 I said to the men, ‘Like these special things, you people are also special. You all belong to the Lord . People have chosen to give the silver and gold to the Lord , the God that your ancestors served. 29 So you must be careful to keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. When you get there, you must weigh them again. Do that in front of the leaders of the priests, the Levites and the leaders of Israelite families. Then they should store them in the rooms of the temple.’

30 Then they gave the silver, the gold and the other valuable things to the priests and the Levites. They would take them to the temple of our God in Jerusalem.

31 We began our journey from the Ahava river on the 12th day of the first month. We left there to go to Jerusalem. Our God kept us safe on the journey. No enemies attacked us and nobody robbed us on the way. 32 So we arrived safely in Jerusalem. We rested there for three days.

33 On the fourth day, we went to the house of our God. Then we weighed the silver, the gold and the other valuable things there. We gave them to Meremoth, the son of Uriah the priest. Phinehas's son, Eleazar was with him. Jeshua's son, Jozabad, and Binnui's son, Noadiah, were also there. They were Levites. 34 They weighed and counted everything carefully. They wrote everything in a list as they weighed it.

35 All the people who had returned from Babylon made burnt offerings as sacrifices to Israel's God. They offered to the Lord 12 bulls on behalf of all Israel. They also offered 96 male sheep and 77 lambs. They killed 12 male goats as a sin offering. They gave all these to the Lord as burnt offerings. 36 They also gave the king's letter with its commands to his officers and rulers in the region west of the Euphrates river. The king's officers helped the Israelite people and the work of God's temple.

List of Leaders Returning With Ezra

8 These are the names of the family leaders and the other people who came with me to Jerusalem from Babylon. We came to Jerusalem during the rule of King Artaxerxes. Here is the list of names:

2 from the descendants of Phinehas: Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar: Daniel; from the descendants of David: Hattush;

3 from the descendants of Shecaniah: the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and 150 other men;

4 from the descendants of Pahath Moab: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and 200 other men;

5 from the descendants of Zattu: Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and 300 other men;

6 from the descendants of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan, and 50 other men;

7 from the descendants of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and 70 other men;

8 from the descendants of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, and 80 other men;

9 from the descendants of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, and 218 other men;

10 from the descendants of Bani: Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and 160 other men;

11 from the descendants of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, and 28 other men;

12 from the descendants of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan, and 110 other men;

13 from the last of the descendants of Adonikam: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 other men;

14 from the descendants of Bigvai: Uthai, Zaccur, and 70 other men.

The Return to Jerusalem

15 I called all these people to meet together at the river that flows toward Ahava. We camped at that place for three days. I learned there were priests in the group, but there were no Levites. 16 So I called these leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, and I called Joiarib and Elnathan. (These men were teachers.) 17 I sent the men to Iddo, leader in the town of Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, who are the Temple workers in Casiphia. I told the men to ask Iddo and his relatives to send us workers to serve in God’s Temple. 18 Because God was with us, they sent Sherebiah, a skilled man from the descendants of Mahli (Mahli was a son of Levi, one of Israel’s sons.) They also sent his sons and brothers, 18 men in all. 19 They also sent Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, along with their brothers and nephews. In all there were 20 men. 20 Besides these, there were 220 Temple workers whose ancestors had been chosen by David and his officials to help the Levites. The names of all these men were written on the list.

21 There near the Ahava River, I announced that we all should fast. We should fast to make ourselves humble before our God. We wanted to ask God for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and for everything we owned. 22 I was embarrassed to ask King Artaxerxes for soldiers and horsemen to protect us as we traveled. There were enemies on the road. The reason I was embarrassed to ask for protection was because of what we had told the king. We had said to King Artaxerxes, “Our God is with everyone who trusts him, but he is very angry with everyone who turns away from him.” 23 So we fasted and prayed to our God about our trip. He answered our prayers.

24 Then I chose twelve of the priests who were leaders. I chose Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. 25 I weighed the silver, gold, and the other things that were given for God’s Temple. I gave them to the twelve priests I had chosen. King Artaxerxes, his advisors, his important officials, and all the Israelites in Babylon gave those things for God’s Temple. 26 I weighed all these things. There were 25 tons [ a ] of silver. There were also 7500 pounds [ b ] of silver dishes and things. There were 3 3/4 tons of gold. 27 And I gave them 20 gold bowls. The bowls weighed about 19 pounds. [ c ] And I gave them two beautiful dishes made from polished bronze that were as valuable as gold. 28 Then I said to the twelve priests: “You and these things are holy to the Lord . People gave this silver and gold to the Lord , the God of your ancestors. 29 So guard these things carefully. You are responsible for them until you give them to the Temple leaders in Jerusalem. You will give them to the leading Levites and the family leaders of Israel. They will weigh them and put them in the rooms of the Lord ’s Temple in Jerusalem.”

30 So the priests and Levites accepted the silver, gold, and special things that Ezra had weighed and given to them. They were told to take them to God’s Temple in Jerusalem.

31 On the twelfth day of the first month, [ d ] we left the Ahava River and started toward Jerusalem. God was with us, and he protected us from enemies and robbers along the way. 32 Then we arrived in Jerusalem. We rested there for three days. 33 On the fourth day, we went to the Temple and weighed the silver, gold, and special things. We gave them to Meremoth son of Uriah the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with Meremoth. The Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui were with them also. 34 We counted and weighed everything and we wrote down the total weight.

35 Then the Jewish people who came back from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel. They offered twelve bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 male lambs, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord .

36 Then the people gave the letter from King Artaxerxes to the royal satraps and to the governors of the area west of the Euphrates River. Then the leaders gave their support to the Israelites and to the Temple.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:26 25 tons Literally, “650 talents” (22,425 kg).
  2. Ezra 8:26 7500 pounds Literally, “100 talents” (3450 kg).
  3. Ezra 8:27 19 pounds Literally, “1000 darics ” (about 8.63 kg).
  4. Ezra 8:31 first month That is, March–April, 458 B.C.

8 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

People Who Went with Ezra

8 Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical enrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, ( A ) Hattush; 3 of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of ( B ) Parosh, Zechariah, and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical list; 4 of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and two hundred males with him; 5 of the sons of [ a ] Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and three hundred males with him; 6 and of the sons of ( C ) Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and fifty males with him; 7 and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and seventy males with him; 8 and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and eighty males with him; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him; 10 and of the sons of [ b ] Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him; 11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and twenty-eight males with him; 12 and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him; 13 and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names: Eliphelet, [ c ] Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and sixty males with them; 14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and [ d ] Zabbud, and seventy males with [ e ] them.

Ezra Sends for Levites

15 Now I assembled them at ( D ) the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I paid close attention to the people and the priests, I ( E ) did not find any Levites there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, [ f ] leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17 And I sent them to Iddo the [ g ] leading man at the place called Casiphia; and I [ h ] told them what to say to [ i ] Iddo and his brothers, ( F ) the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is , to bring ministers to us for the house of our God. 18 ( G ) And as the good hand of our God was upon us, they brought us a ( H ) man of insight from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah and [ j ] Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 and 220 of ( I ) the temple servants, whom David and the officials had provided for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.

Protection of God Invoked

21 Then I proclaimed ( J ) a fast there at ( K ) the river of Ahava, to ( L ) humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a [ k ] safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to [ l ] protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “ ( M ) The hand of our God is [ m ] favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but ( N ) His power and His anger are against all those who ( O ) abandon Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter , and He [ n ] ( P ) listened to our pleading.

24 Then I selected twelve of the leading priests: ( Q ) Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; 25 and I ( R ) weighed out to them ( S ) the silver, the gold, and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king, ( T ) his counselors, his officials, and all Israel who were present there had contributed. 26 ( U ) So I weighed into their hands [ o ] 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth [ p ] a hundred talents, and a hundred gold talents, 27 and twenty gold bowls worth a thousand [ q ] darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “ ( V ) You are holy to the Lord , and the ( W ) utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a [ r ] voluntary offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them ( X ) until you weigh them before the leading priests, the Levites, and the leaders of the fathers’ households of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord .” 30 So the priests and the Levites ( Y ) accepted the weight of silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

31 Then we journeyed from ( Z ) the river Ahava on ( AA ) the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and ( AB ) the hand of our God was upon us, and He rescued us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the road. 32 ( AC ) So we came to Jerusalem and remained there for three days.

Treasure Placed in the Temple

33 And on the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the utensils ( AD ) were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of ( AE ) Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 A notation was made for everything by number and weight, and all the weight was recorded at that time.

35 ( AF ) The exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: ( AG ) twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to the Lord . 36 Then ( AH ) they delivered the king’s edicts to ( AI ) the king’s satraps and the governors in the provinces beyond the Euphrates River, and they supported the people and the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:5 As in LXX; MT omits Zattu
  2. Ezra 8:10 As in LXX; MT omits Bani
  3. Ezra 8:13 Or Jeuel
  4. Ezra 8:14 Or Zakkur
  5. Ezra 8:14 Or him
  6. Ezra 8:16 Lit heads
  7. Ezra 8:17 Lit head
  8. Ezra 8:17 Lit put words in their mouth to say
  9. Ezra 8:17 As in LXX; MT Iddo his brother
  10. Ezra 8:19 As in LXX; MT with him Jeshaiah
  11. Ezra 8:21 Lit smooth way
  12. Ezra 8:22 Lit help
  13. Ezra 8:22 Lit upon all...for good
  14. Ezra 8:23 Lit was entreated by us
  15. Ezra 8:26 About 24 tons or 22 metric tons
  16. Ezra 8:26 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  17. Ezra 8:27 A coin weighing about 0.25 oz. or 7 gm
  18. Ezra 8:28 Or freewill offering

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 )

2 of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;

of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Return to Jerusalem

15 I 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. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and 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. 18 Because 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; 19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. 20 They 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.

21 There, 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. 22 I 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 ) ” 23 So we fasted ( R ) and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah, ( S ) Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, 25 and 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. 26 I weighed out to them 650 talents [ c ] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, [ d ] 100 talents [ e ] of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics, [ f ] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28 I 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. 29 Guard 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.” 30 Then 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.

31 On 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. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days. ( X )

33 On 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 ) 34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

35 Then 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 . 36 They 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

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