Ezra, Chapter 8:

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Verses from Ezra, Chapter 8 of the book of Ezra in the Bible.

Ezra - Old Testament — Ezra – Old Testament

The householders who returned with Ezra

1. These are the leaders of the families and those who were recorded with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes, when we left Babylon:
2. Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershon; of the descendants of Itamar, Daniel; of the descendants of David, Hattus;
3. Of the descendants of Shecaniah, of the descendants of Parós, Zechariah, with a total of 150 men;
4. Of the descendants of Paath-Moab, Elioenai, son of Zeraiah, with 200 men;
5. Of the descendants of Zatu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, with 300 men;
6. Of the descendants of Adim, Ebed, son of Jonathan, with 50 men;
7. Of the descendants of Elam, Jesaiah son of Athaliah, with 70 men;
8. Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, with 80 men;
9. Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jeiel, with 218 men;
10. Of the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josphiiah, with 160 men;
11. Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, with 28 men;
12. Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hacathan, with 110 men;
13. Of the descendants of Adonikam, the last to arrive, Eliphelet, Jeiel and Shemaiah, with 60 men;
14. Of the descendants of Bigvai, Utai and Zabude, with 70 men.

Return to Jerusalem

15. I gathered them all together by the canal that flows into Ahava, where we camped for three days. Then I inspected the people and the priests, but I did not find any Levites.
16. Then I summoned leaders like Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, as well as the wise men Jehoiarib and Nathan,
17. and I sent them to Iddo, leader in Casiphia. I told them what they should say to Iddo and his relatives, the servants of the temple in Casiphia, so that they would bring us servants to the temple of our God.
18. With the kind hand of God upon us, they brought to us Sherebiah, a man of valor, and nineteen of his relatives, all of them descendants of Mali, son of Levi, grandson of Israel.
19. They also brought Hashabiah and Jeshaiah, of the descendants of Merari, and eighteen of their relatives and sons.
20. They also brought two hundred and twenty servants from the temple, whom David and his officials had appointed to help the Levites. All of them were registered by name.
21. There, by the canal of Ahava, I proclaimed a fast to humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our children and all our possessions.
22. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and knights to protect us from our enemies on the journey, for we had said to the king, “The gracious hand of our God is upon all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who abandon him.”
23. Therefore we fasted and begged God for this protection, and he heard us.
24I separated twelve of the chief priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their relatives,
25. and I weighed before them the silver, the gold, and the utensils offered for the house of our God by the king, by his counselors, by his officials, and by all Israel that was there.
26. I weighed and gave them 22,750 kilograms of silver, 3,500 kilograms of silver utensils, 3,500 kilograms of gold,
27. twenty golden bowls, with a total weight of 8.5 kilograms, and two finely worked bronze utensils, as precious as if they were made of gold.
28. Then he said to them, “You and these objects are sacred to the Lord. Silver and gold are freewill offerings to the Lord, the God of our ancestors.
29. Keep them carefully until you deliver them to the leaders of the priests and the Levites, and to the families of the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, in the rooms of the temple of the Lord.”
30. The priests and the Levites received the silver, gold and sacred utensils, weighed according to the record.
31. On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava canal toward Jerusalem. The hand of our God was upon us and protected us from enemies and looters during the journey.
32. We arrived in Jerusalem and rested for three days.
33. On the fourth day, in the temple of our God, we weighed the silver, the gold, and the sacred utensils, and gave them to Meremoth son of Uriah the priest. With him were Eleazar son of Phinehas, and the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binui.
34. Everything was counted and recorded at that moment.
35. Then 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 goats as a sin offering. All these sacrifices were offered as burnt offerings to the Lord.
36. Then they gave the king's orders to the satraps and governors of the province west of the Euphrates, and they supported the people and the work of the temple of God.