Ezra 8

The Exiles Who Returned with Ezra

1 These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: ‡ Ezr 7:71Ch 24:311Ch 26:321Ch 4:331Ch 9:11Ch 9:342Ch 26:12Ezr 1:5 +3

2 from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; ‡ 1Ch 3:221Ch 24:1-61Ch 3:11Ch 6:3-15

from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;

from the descendants of David, Hattush 3 of the descendants of Shecaniah; ‡ Ezr 2:3Neh 10:14Neh 7:8

from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

4 from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men; ‡ Ezr 2:6Neh 10:14Neh 7:11

5 from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, ¹ and with him 300 men;

6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men; ‡ Ezr 2:15Neh 10:16Neh 7:20

7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men; ‡ Ezr 2:31Ezr 2:7Neh 7:12Neh 7:34

8 from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men; ‡ Ezr 2:4Neh 11:4Neh 7:9

9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men; ‡ Ezr 2:6Neh 7:11

10 from the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, ² and with him 160 men;

11 from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men; ‡ Ezr 10:28Ezr 2:11Neh 7:16

12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men; ‡ Ezr 2:12Neh 7:17

13 from the later ³descendants of Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men; ‡ Ezr 2:13Neh 7:18

14 and from the descendants of Bigvai, both Uthai and Zaccur, ⁴ and with them 70 men. ‡ Ezr 2:14Neh 10:12Neh 7:19

Ezra Sends for the Levites

15 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. ‡ Ezr 7:7Ezr 8:21Ezr 8:31Ezk 3:15Ezr 8:2Psa 137:1Act 16:13Ezk 1:1 +1

16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, ⁵ Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. ‡ 1Ch 12:321Ch 26:141Jn 5:201Ki 3:112Ch 2:122Ti 2:7Dan 2:21Ezr 10:21 +617 And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants ⁶at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God. ‡ Ezr 2:431Ch 23:26-321Ch 23:3-62Sa 14:192Sa 14:3Deu 18:18Exo 4:15Ezr 2:58 +6

18 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; ‡ Ezr 7:28Jer 3:15Neh 2:81Ch 6:19Dan 1:20Ezr 7:6Ezr 8:221Co 14:20 +919 also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. ‡ 1Ch 6:11Ch 6:161Ch 6:19Neh 10:11Neh 3:17 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites. ‡ Ezr 2:43Ezr 7:71Ch 9:2Ezr 8:17Php 4:3

Fasting for Protection

21 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. ‡ 2Ch 20:3Jol 1:141Sa 7:6Isa 30:21Jon 3:5Lev 16:29Lev 23:29Psa 107:2-8 +2122 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.” ‡ 1Pe 3:12Psa 33:18-192Ch 16:9Psa 34:15-16Lam 3:252Ch 15:2Psa 34:22Rom 8:28 +12

23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request. ‡ Jer 29:12-13Mat 7:7-82Ch 33:12-13Ezr 8:31Deu 4:291Ch 5:20Est 4:16Isa 19:22 +7

Priests to Guard the Offerings

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers, ‡ Ezr 8:18-19 25 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. ‡ Ezr 7:14-16Ezr 8:33Ezr 1:82Co 8:20-21Php 4:8

26 I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, ⁷ articles of silver weighing 100 talents, ⁸ 100 talents of gold, ⁹ ‡ Ezr 1:9-11 27 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics, ¹⁰ and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold. ‡ Lam 4:2

28 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. ‡ Lev 22:2-3Lev 21:6-81Ch 23:281Ki 7:48-512Ch 24:14Deu 33:8Ezr 1:7-11Isa 52:11 +429 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.” ‡ Ezr 8:33-341Ch 26:20-262Ti 4:5Act 20:31Mrk 13:34-35

30 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. ‡ 1Ch 29:2-3Ezr 8:22Isa 60:13Psa 122:9

31 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. ‡ Ezr 7:9Ezr 8:15Ezr 8:21-22Act 26:22Isa 41:10-14Ezr 7:28Psa 91:9-14Job 5:19-24 +1

Arrival in Jerusalem

32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days. ‡ Neh 2:11Ezr 7:8-9

33 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. ‡ Neh 3:4Ezr 8:30Neh 3:211Ch 28:14-182Co 8:20-21Ezr 8:26Neh 10:5Neh 10:9 +234 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

35 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. ‡ Ezr 6:172Ch 29:31-32Ezr 2:1Lev 1:1-7Luk 1:74-75Num 7:27Psa 116:12-19Psa 66:10-15

36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps ¹¹and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, ¹² who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God. ‡ Ezr 7:21-24Act 18:27Ezr 4:7-23Ezr 5:6-17Ezr 6:13Isa 56:6-7Rev 12:16Est 9:3