Ezra 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.

These are the leaders of their families, and this is the lineage of those who journeyed with me from Babylon during King Artaxerxes' rule.

Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.

From Phinehas' lineage came Gershom, from Ithamar's bloodline emerged Daniel, and from David's descendants, Hattush was born.

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.

From the lineage of Shechaniah and Pharosh came Zechariah. Alongside him, the records showed a total of 150 males in their family tree.

Of the sons of Pahathmoab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

From the lineage of Pahathmoab, came Elihoenai, Zerahiah's son. He was accompanied by two hundred strong men.

Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

From the lineage of Shechaniah came the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred men.

Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.

Among Adin's sons was Ebed, Jonathan's child, leading a group of fifty men with strength and determination.

And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.

From the lineage of Elam came Jeshaiah, Athaliah's son, leading a group of seventy men, each carrying the weight of their ancestry with pride and determination.

And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.

From the lineage of Shephatiah came Zebadiah, the son of Michael. Alongside him, there were eighty other men.

Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.

From Joab's lineage came Obadiah, Jehiel's son, accompanied by 218 strong and faithful men.

And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.

From the lineage of Shelomith came Josiphiah's son, leading a group of 160 men, all filled with courage and determination.

And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.

From the lineage of Bebai came Zechariah, his son. He was not alone, but accompanied by twenty-eight strong men.

And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.

From the lineage of Azgad came Johanan, Hakkatan's son. He was not alone; he was accompanied by a strong group of 110 men.

And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.

The final descendants of Adonikam were Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and they were accompanied by sixty men.

Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

From Bigvai's lineage came Uthai and Zabbud, accompanied by seventy strong men.

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 brought everyone to the river flowing towards Ahava, where we camped for three days. As I looked around at the crowd and the priests, I realized, with a heavy heart, that none of Levi's descendants were among us.

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.

I called upon Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, all respected leaders. I also summoned Joiarib and Elnathan, men of wisdom.

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.

I guided them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia, giving them clear instructions. I told them to ask Iddo and his community to send us dedicated helpers for our sacred temple.

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;

Blessed by God's loving touch, they brought us a wise man from the lineage of Mahli, Levi, and Israel - Sherebiah, along with his sons and brothers, totaling eighteen.

And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;

Hashabiah, accompanied by Jeshaiah from the Merari clan, and their kin, all twenty in number, stood united.

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.

They also brought 220 Nethinims, each listed by name, from the temple servants whom David and the leaders had appointed to assist the Levites in their sacred duties.

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.

Then, by the river of Ahava, I called for a time of fasting. We humbled ourselves before God, seeking His guidance for us, our children, and all that we own.

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.

I felt too embarrassed to ask the king for an army to protect us from our enemies. We had told him that God's favor is upon those who seek Him, and His anger is against those who abandon Him.

So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

We prayed and fasted, pleading with God, and He heard our earnest cries.

Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

I then chose twelve leading priests, including Sherebiah and Hashabiah, along with ten others, setting them apart with a sense of purpose and reverence.

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 carefully weighed out to them the silver, gold, and sacred items, gifts for God's house. These were generously given by the king, his advisors, his nobles, and everyone present from Israel.

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;

With a heavy heart, I handed over to them a massive fortune of silver, amounting to six hundred and fifty talents. I also gave them a hundred talents each of silver and gold vessels, a wealth beyond measure.

Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.

Also, twenty golden bowls, each worth a thousand drams; and two vessels of exquisite copper, as valuable as gold.

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 told them, "You are special to God, just like these sacred objects. The silver and gold are freely given gifts to the God of your ancestors."

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.

Stay alert and guard these until you present them to the high priests, Levites, and the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, within the sacred rooms of God's house.

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.

The priests and Levites, with reverence and duty, carried the heavy silver, gold, and sacred vessels, journeying to Jerusalem to place them in God's house.

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.

On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the river of Ahava, bound for Jerusalem. God's protective hand was with us, guiding us safely past our enemies and those who wished to ambush us.

And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.

We finally reached Jerusalem, our hearts filled with awe and reverence. We stayed, immersed in its sanctity, for three unforgettable days.

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;

On the fourth day, in God's house, Meremoth, Uriah's son, and the priest, along with Eleazar, Phinehas' son, weighed the gold and silver vessels. They were joined by Jozabad, Jeshua's son, and Noadiah, Binnui's son, both Levites.

By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.

Each one was counted and weighed meticulously, and every measurement was recorded in that moment.

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.

The exiles who had returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All these were offered as a burnt offering to the LORD.

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 king's orders were handed over to his deputies and regional leaders. They not only supported the people, but also the cause of God's house.