Ezra

Ezra 8 ©

1 The companions of Ezra, who returned with him from Babylon. 15 Reviewing them at Ahava, and finding none of the Levites there, he sendeth to Iddo for ministers for the temple service, and obtaineth them. 21 A fast is proclaimed in order to seek of God a prosperous journey. 24 The holy treasures are committed to the custody of the priests. 31 From Ahava Ezra with his company come safe to Jerusalem. 33 The treasures are delivered by weight into the temple. 36 The king's commission delivered.

1

THESE are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the agenealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.

a 1Ch. 4.33. ch. 7.7,13.
2

Of the sons of bPhinehas; Gershom: of the sons of cIthamar; dDaniel: of the sons of eDavid; fHattush.

b 1Ch. 6.4; 24.3,4.
c 1Ch. 6.3; 24.3,4.
d Ne. 10.6.
e 1Ch. 3.1,22.
f 1Ch. 3.22.
3

Of the sons of gShechaniah, of the sons of hPharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.

g 1Ch. 3.21.
h ch. 2.3; 10.25. Ne. 7.8.
4

Of the sons of iPahath-moab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.

i ch. 2.6; 10.30. Ne. 10.14; 7.11.
5

Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

6

Of the sons also of jAdin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.

j ch. 2.15. Ne. 10.16; 7.20.
7

And of the sons of kElam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.

k ch. 2.7; 10.26. Ne. 7.12.
8

And of the sons of lShephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.

l ch. 2.4. Ne. 7.9.
9

Of the sons of mJoab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.

m ch. 2.6. Ne. 7.11.
10

And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.

11

And of the sons of nBebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.

n ch. 2.11,12; 10.28. Ne. 7.16.
12

And of the sons of oAzgad; Johanan 1the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.

o ch. 2.12. Ne. 7.17.
13

And of the last sons of pAdonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.

p ch. 2.13. Ne. 7.18.
14

Of the sons also of qBigvai; Uthai, and 2Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

q ch. 2.2,14. Ne. 7.19.
15

¶And I gathered them together to rthe river that runneth to Ahava; and there 3abode we in tents three days: and sI viewed the people, and the priests, and found there tnone of the sons of Levi.

r Ps. 137.1.
s Pr. 27.23. Ac. 20.28. He. 13.17.
t Nu. 7. ch. 7.7. v.2.
16

Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.

17

And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and 4I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the uNethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.

u ch. 2.58,70; 7.7,24. 1Ch. 9.2. Ne. 7.60; 11.3.
18

And by the vgood hand of our God upon us they brought us wa man of understanding, of the sons xof Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;

v ch. 7.6,28. Pr. 3.6.
w Ne. 8.7,8; 9.4,5. Mal. 2.7. 1Co. 3.10. 1Ch. 12.32.
x 1Ch. 6.19.
19

And yHashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;

y Ne. 3.17; 10.11.
20

zAlso of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them awere expressed by name.

a Nu. 1.17.
z ch. 2.44. 1Ch. 9.2. Jos. 9.3,27. v.17.
21

¶Then bI proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might cafflict ourselves before our God, to dseek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

b 1Sa. 7.6. 2Ch. 20.3. Jonah 3.6-8. Da. 9; 10.
c Is. 58.5. Le. 16.29.
d Pr. 3.6. Je. 50.4,5.
22

For I was ashamed to *require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, eThe hand of our God is upon all them ffor good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that gforsake him.

e ch. 7.6.
f Ro. 8.28.
g Jos. 24.20.
23

So hwe fasted and besought our God for this: and he was iintreated of us.

h Mat. 7.7; 9.15. Joel 2.12-14. Is. 45.11. v.31.
i Ge. 25.21.
24

¶Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, jSherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

j v.18.
25

And kweighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, lwhich the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:

k ch. 1.8. Phi. 4.8. v.29,33,34.
l ch. 7.15,16.
26

I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;

27

Also mtwenty basons of gold, of a thousand *drams; and two vessels of 5fine copper, 6precious as gold.

m ch. 1.10.
28

And I said unto them, Ye are nholy unto the LORD; the vessels are oholy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.

n Le. 21.6.
o . v.25. ch. 7.15,16. Le. 22.2,3.
29

pWatch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in qthe chambers of the house of the LORD.

p 1Ch. 26.20-26. Lu. 12.37,38. Ac. 20.31. He. 13.17. Re. 2.13,25; 3.3,11.
q 2Ki. 23.11.
30

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

31

¶Then we departed from the river of rAhava on the stwelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and tthe hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

r v.15,21.
s ch. 7.9; 10.9.
t 2Ch. 16.9. Ps. 91.1-11. ch. 7.6,28. v.22. Is. 46.3,4; 43.1,2; 41.10-16. He. 13.5,6.
32

And uwe came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.

u Ne. 2.11.
33

¶Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of vMeremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was wJozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;

v Ne. 3.4,21; 10.5.
w Ne. 8.7.
34

By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.

35

Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, xoffered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, ytwelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.

x Ps. 116.12-18. Lu. 1.74,75.
y ch. 6.17. Nu. 7.87.
36

¶And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's z*lieutenants, and to the agovernors on this side the river: and they bfurthered the people, and the house of God.

a Ne. 2.7,9; 3.7.
b Is. 56.6; 14.1; 61.5,6. Re. 12.16.
z ch. 7.21. Es. 3.12; 8.9; 9.3. Da. 3.2,3,27; 6.2,3 in the Chaldee.