CHAPTER 8
These
are the family
heads
and genealogical records
of those who returned
with me
from Babylon
during the reign
of King
Artaxerxes:
from the descendants
of Phinehas,
Gershom;
from the descendants
of Ithamar,
Daniel;
from the descendants of
David,
Hattush
of the descendants
of Shechaniah;
from the descendants
of Parosh,
Zechariah,
and with him
were registered
150
men;
from the later
descendants
of Adonikam,
these
were their names:
Eliphelet,
Jeiel,
and Shemaiah,
and with them
60
men;
Now I assembled these exiles
at
the canal
that flows
to
Ahava,
and we camped
there
three
days.
And when I searched
among the people
and priests,
I found
no
Levites
there.
Then I summoned
the leaders:
Eliezer,
Ariel,
Shemaiah,
Elnathan,
Jarib,
Elnathan,
Nathan,
Zechariah,
and Meshullam,
as well as the teachers
Joiarib
and Elnathan.
And
I sent
them
to
Iddo,
the leader
at Casiphia,
with a message
for
him
and his kinsmen,
the temple servants
at Casiphia,
that they should bring
to us
ministers
for the house
of our God.
And since the gracious
hand
of our God
was upon us,
they brought
us
Sherebiah—
a man
of insight
from the descendants
of Mahli
son
of Levi,
the son
of Israel—
along with his sons
and brothers,
18
men;
also
Hashabiah,
together with
Jeshaiah,
from the descendants
of Merari,
and his brothers
and their sons,
20 men.
They also brought 220
of
the temple servants.
(David
and the officials
had appointed
the temple servants
to assist
the Levites.)
All of them
were designated
by name.
And there by
the Ahava
Canal,
I proclaimed
a fast,
so that we might humble
ourselves before
our God
and ask Him for
a safe
journey for us
and our children,
with all
our possessions.
For
I was ashamed
to ask the king
for
an escort of soldiers
and horsemen
to protect
us from
our enemies
on the road,
since
we had told him,
“The hand
of our God
is gracious
to
all
who seek Him,
but His great
anger
is against
all
who forsake Him."
Then I set apart
twelve
of the leading
priests,
together with Sherebiah,
Hashabiah,
and
ten
of their brothers,
and
I weighed out
to them
the contribution
of silver
and
gold
and
the articles
that the king,
his counselors,
his leaders,
and all
the Israelites
there
had offered
for the house
of our God.
I weighed out
into
their hands
650
talents
of silver,
silver
articles
weighing 100
talents,
100
talents
of gold,
Then I told
them,
“You
are holy
to the LORD,
and these articles are
holy.
The silver
and gold
are a freewill offering
to the LORD,
the God
of your fathers.
Guard
them carefully
until
you weigh them out
in the chambers
of the house
of the LORD
in Jerusalem
before
the leading
priests,
Levites,
and heads
of the Israelite
families.”
So the priests
and Levites
took charge of
the silver
and gold
and sacred articles
that had been weighed out
to be taken
to the house
of our God
in Jerusalem.
On the twelfth
day of the first
month,
we set out
from the Ahava
Canal
to go
to Jerusalem,
and the hand
of our God
was
upon us
to protect us
from the hands
of the enemies
and bandits
along
the way.
On the fourth
day,
in the house
of our God,
we weighed out
the silver
and gold
and sacred articles
into
the hand
of Meremoth
son
of Uriah,
the priest.
Eleazar
son
of Phinehas
was with him,
along with
the Levites
Jozabad
son
of Jeshua
and Noadiah
son
of Binnui.
Then the exiles
who had returned
from captivity
sacrificed
burnt offerings
to the God
of Israel:
12
bulls
for
all
Israel,
96
rams,
77
lambs,
and a sin offering
of 12
male goats.
All this was
a burnt offering
to the LORD.
They also delivered
the king’s
edicts
to the royal
satraps
and governors
of the region west
of the Euphrates,
who proceeded to assist
the people
and the house
of God.