1 T hese are the leaders of family groups and the family names of those who went up with me from Babylon during the rule of King Artaxerxes:

These are the heads of their fathers’ houses and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia in the reign of King Artaxerxes:

2 t here was Gershom of the sons of Phinehas, Daniel of the sons of Ithamar, and from the house of David, Hattush,

Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of Ithamar, Daniel; of David, Hattush

3 t he son of Shecaniah. There was Zechariah of the sons of Parosh, and with him were 150 men whose family names were written down.

Of the sons of Shecaniah; of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men by genealogy;

4 O f the sons of Pahath-moab, there was Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and 200 men with him.

Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, with 200 men;

5 O f the sons of Zattu, there was Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and 300 men with him.

Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, with 300 men;

6 O f the sons of Adin, there was Ebed the son of Jonathan, and fifty men with him.

Of the sons of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, with 50 men;

7 O f the sons of Elam, there was Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and seventy men with him.

Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, with 70 men;

8 O f the sons of Shephatiah, there was Zebadiah the son of Michael, and eighty men with him.

Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, with 80 men;

9 O f the sons of Joab, there was Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and 218 men with him.

Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, with 218 men;

10 O f the sons of Shelomith there was the son of Josiphiah, and 160 men with him.

Of the sons of, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, with 160 men;

11 O f the sons of Bebai, there was Zechariah the son of Bebai, and twenty-eight men with him.

Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, with 28 men;

12 O f the sons of Azgad, there was Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and 110 men with him.

Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, with 110 men;

13 O f the sons of Adonikam, the last to come, there were Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and sixty men with them.

Of the sons of Adonikam, the last to come, their names are Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, with 60 men;

14 O f the sons of Bigvai, there were Uthai and Zabbud, and seventy men with them. Ezra Finds Levites for the House of God

Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, with 70 men.

15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, where we had our camp for three days. When I saw the people and the religious leaders, I did not find any Levites there.

I gathered them together at the river that runs to Ahava, and there we encamped three days. I reviewed the people and the priests, and found no Levites.

16 S o I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers.

Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, Meshullam, who were chief men, and also for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers.

17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his brothers, servants in the house of worship at Casiphia. They were to bring men to us to care for the house of our God.

And I sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them to say to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia, Bring to us servants for the house of our God.

18 A nd by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of wisdom, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. His name is Sherebiah, and with him came his sons and brothers, eighteen men.

And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, named Sherebiah, with his sons and his kinsmen, 18;

19 T hey also brought Hashabiah and Jeshaiah of the sons of Morari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men.

And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20;

20 T hey brought 220 men to work in the house of God, whom David and the leaders had chosen to help the Levites. All of them were chosen by name. The People Pray

Also 220 of the Nethinim, whose forefathers David and the officials had set apart to attend the Levites. They were all mentioned by name.

21 T hen I set apart a time there at the river of Ahava when we would not eat any food. This was so we might put away our pride before our God, and pray that He would keep us and our children and all our things safe as we traveled.

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

22 F or I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to keep us safe from those who hate us on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God brings good to all who look for Him. But His power and His anger are against all who turn away from Him.”

For I was ashamed to request of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, The hand of our God is upon all them for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.

23 S o we did not eat, and prayed to God about this. And He listened to our prayer. Gifts for the House of God

So we fasted and besought our God for this, and He heard our entreaty.

24 T hen I set apart twelve of the head religious leaders: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.

Then I set apart twelve leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen,

25 A nd I weighed and gave to them the silver, the gold and the dishes and objects, which had been given for the house of our God by the king and his wise men and leaders, and all the people of Israel who were there.

And weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God which the king, his counselors, his lords, and all Israel there present had offered.

26 I gave them silver weighing as much as 650 men, silver dishes and objects weighing as much as 100 men, and gold weighing as much as 100 men.

I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels valued at 100 talents, and 100 talents of gold;

27 I gave them twenty deep, gold dishes, worth 1, 000 gold-pieces, and two pots of fine shining brass, worth as much as gold.

Also 20 basins of gold worth 1, 000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold.

28 T hen I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and these objects are holy. The silver and the gold are a free-will gift to the Lord God of your fathers.

And I said to them, You are holy to the Lord, the vessels are holy also, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers.

29 W atch and keep them until you weigh them in front of the head religious leaders, the Levites, and the heads of the family groups of Israel at Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord.”

Guard and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord.

30 S o the religious leaders and the Levites took the weight of silver and gold and objects, to bring them to the house of our God at Jerusalem.

So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver, the gold, and the vessels to bring them to Jerusalem into the house of our God.

31 T hen we left the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. And God helped us and kept us safe from those who hated us and from those who hid waiting to fight us on the way.

We left the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the enemy and those who lay in wait by the way.

32 W e came to Jerusalem and stayed there for three days.

And we came to Jerusalem, and there three days.

33 O n the fourth day the silver and gold and objects were weighed in the house of our God and given to Meremoth the son of Uriah the religious leader. 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.

On the fourth day, the silver, the gold, and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them were Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui—the Levites.

34 E verything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was written down.

Every piece was counted and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at once.

35 T he people who had returned from Babylon gave burnt gifts in worship to the God of Israel. They gave 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and 12 male goats for a sin gift. All this was a burnt gift to the Lord.

Also those returned exiles whose parents had been carried into captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve young bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve he-goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.

36 T hen they let the king’s rulers and leaders in the lands on the other side of the River know what the king said for them to do. And they helped the people and the house of God.

And they delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s lieutenants and to the governors west of the River, and they aided the people and God’s house.