Ezra 8
Open in the reader1These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Confusion during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2from the descendants of Phinehas, Sojourner-There; from the descendants of Coast-of-Palms, My-God-Has-Judged; from the descendants of Beloved, Hattush
3of the descendants of He-Who-Is-Has-Dwelt; from the descendants of Flea, He-Who-Is-Remembers, and with him were registered 150 men;
4from the descendants of Governor-of-Moab, My-Eyes-Are-Toward-He-Who-Is son of He-Who-Is-Shines, and with him 200 men;
5from the descendants of Zattu, He-Who-Is-Has-Dwelt son of God-Will-See, and with him 300 men;
6from the descendants of Delicate, Servant son of He-Who-Is-Has-Given, and with him 50 men;
7from the descendants of Elam, He-Who-Is-Saves son of He-Who-Is-Has-Constrained, and with him 70 men;
8from the descendants of He-Who-Is-Has-Judged, He-Who-Is-Has-Endowed son of Who-Is-Like-God, and with him 80 men;
9from the descendants of He-Who-Is-Father, Servant-of-He-Who-Is son of God-Lives, and with him 218 men;
10from the descendants of Built, Peace son of He-Who-Is-Adds, and with him 160 men;
11from the descendants of Bebai, He-Who-Is-Remembers son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
12from the descendants of Strong-Is-Fortune, He-Who-Is-Has-Been-Gracious son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;
13from the later descendants of My-Lord-Has-Risen, these were their names: My-God-Is-Deliverance, God-Sweeps-Away, and He-Who-Is-Has-Heard, and with them 60 men;
14and from the descendants of Bigvai, both Helpful and Mindful, and with them 70 men.
15Now 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 Joined-Ones there.
16Then I summoned the leaders: My-God-Is-Help, Lion-of-God, He-Who-Is-Has-Heard, God-Has-Given, He-Will-Contend, God-Has-Given, He-Has-Given, He-Who-Is-Remembers, and Allied, as well as the teachers He-Who-Is-Contends and God-Has-Given.
17And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Silver-Place, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants at Silver-Place, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.
18And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us He-Who-Is-Has-Sent-Burning-Heat—a man of insight from the descendants of Sickly son of Joined, the son of Strives-with-God—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;
19also He-Who-Is-Has-Considered, together with He-Who-Is-Saves, from the descendants of Bitter, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
20They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. Beloved and the officials had appointed them to assist the Joined-Ones.
21And 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.
22For 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.”
23So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
24Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with He-Who-Is-Has-Sent-Burning-Heat, He-Who-Is-Has-Considered, and ten of their brothers,
25and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the children of Strives-with-God there had offered for the house of our God.
26I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, articles of silver weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,
2720 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics, and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.
28Then I told them, “You are devoted to He-Who-Is, and these articles are devoted. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to He-Who-Is, the God of your fathers.
29Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of He-Who-Is in Foundation-of-Peace before the leading priests, Joined-Ones, and heads of the child of Strives-with-God families.”
30So the priests and Joined-Ones 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 Foundation-of-Peace.
31On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Foundation-of-Peace, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.
32So we arrived at Foundation-of-Peace and rested there for three days.
33On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Heights son of My-Light-Is-He-Who-Is, the priest. My-God-Is-Help son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Joined-Ones He-Who-Is-Has-Endowed son of He-Who-Is-Saves and He-Who-Is-Has-Met son of Built.
34Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Strives-with-God: 12 bulls for all Strives-with-God, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to He-Who-Is.
36They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Rushing, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.