Chapter 8

These [are] now the chief of their fathers, and [this is] the genealogy⁹⁹ of them that went up⁶ with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.

Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.

Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy⁹⁹ of the males an hundred and fifty.

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

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

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

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

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

Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen ⁶²⁴⁰ males.

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

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

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

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

Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, ²¹³⁹ and with them seventy males.

And I gathered them together⁴ to the river that runneth⁶ to Ahava; and there abode⁴ we in tents three days: and I viewed⁴ the people, and the priests, and found¹ there none of the sons of Levi.

Then sent⁴ 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.⁵⁶

And I sent them with commandment^{17 3318 55} unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told^{4 6310} them what they should say¹⁵ unto Iddo, [and] to his brethren the Nethinims, ⁵⁴¹¹ at the place Casiphia, that they should bring⁵³ unto us ministers¹⁸ for the house of our God.

And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought⁵⁵ us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; ⁶²⁴⁰

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

Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed¹ for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed⁸ by name.

Then I proclaimed⁴ a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict⁹⁹ ourselves before our God, to seek¹⁵ of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

For I was ashamed¹ to require² of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help² us against the enemy⁶ in the way: because we had spoken¹ unto the king, saying,² The hand of our God [is] upon all them for good that seek¹⁸ him; but his power and his wrath [is] against all them that forsake⁶ him.

So we fasted⁴ and besought¹⁷ our God for this: and he was intreated¹¹ of us.

Then I separated⁵⁵ twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

And weighed⁴ unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, [even] the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors,⁶ and his lords, and all Israel [there] present,¹² had offered:⁵²

I even weighed⁴ unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, [and] of gold an hundred talents;

Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine ^{6668 94} copper, precious as gold.

And I said⁴ unto them, Ye [are] holy unto the LORD; the vessels [are] holy also; and the silver and the gold [are] a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.

Watch³ ye, and keep³ [them], until ye weigh⁴ [them] before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.

So took¹⁴ the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring⁵³ [them] to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.

Then we departed⁴ from the river of Ahava on the twelfth ⁶²⁴⁰ [day] of the first month, to go² unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered⁵⁵ us from the hand of the enemy,⁶ and of such as lay in wait⁶ by the way.

And we came⁴ to Jerusalem, and abode⁴ there three days.

Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed⁸ in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him [was] Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them [was] Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;

By number [and] by weight of every one: and all the weight was written¹¹ at that time.

[Also] the children of those that had been carried away, which were come⁶ out of the captivity, offered⁵² burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ he goats [for] a sin offering: all [this was] a burnt offering unto the LORD.

And they delivered⁴ the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered¹⁴ the people, and the house of God.