International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1These are the leaders of the families listed among those who left Babylon with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

1These 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 Artaxerxes the king:

2From Phinehas's descendants: Gershom. From Ithamar's descendants: Daniel. From David's descendants: Hattush.

2Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush.

3From Shecaniah's descendants and from Parosh's descendants: Zechariah, along with 150 men whose genealogies had been certified.

3Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men.

4From Pahath-moab's descendants: Zerahiah's son Eliehoenai and 200 men with him.

4Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men.

5From Zattu's descendants: Jahaziel's son Shecaniah and 300 men with him.

5Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men.

6From Adin's descendants: Jonathan's son Ebed and 50 men with him.

6Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men.

7From Elam's descendants: Athaliah's son Jeshaiah and 70 men with him.

7Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men.

8From Shephatiah's descendants: Michael's son Zebadiah and 80 men with him.

8Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him 80 men.

9From Joab's descendants: Jehiel's son Obadiah and 218 men with him.

9Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men.

10From Bani's descendants: Josiphiah's son Shelomith and 160 men with him.

10Of the sons of Bani, Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men.

11From Bebai's descendants: Bebai's son Zechariah and 28 men with him.

11Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him 28 men.

12From Azgad's descendants: Hakkatan's son Johanan and 110 men with him.

12Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men.

13From Adonikam's later descendants: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 men with him.

13Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men.

14From Bigvai's descendants: Uthai, Zabbud, and 70 men with him.

14Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

15I gathered them together at the river that flows toward Ahava, where we camped three days. Afterwards, I examined the people and the priests, but found no descendants of Levi there.

15I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi.

16So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were senior leaders, as well as for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of discernment.

16Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight,

17I told them to go see Iddo, a leader of Casiphia, and tell him and his relatives (administrators of Casiphia) to bring us men who could serve in the Temple of our God.

17and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God.

18By the grace of our God they brought back a discerning man from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Israel's son Levi, along with Sherebiah and eighteen of his sons and brothers;

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

19Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari and 20 of his brothers and their sons;

19also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20;

20220 descendants of the Temple Servants whom David and the leaders had appointed to serve the descendants of Levi, listed by name.

20besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.

21Then I called for a fast there at the Ahava River so we could humble ourselves before our God and seek from him an appropriate way for us and our little ones to live, and how we should guard our personal wealth,

21Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.

22because I was ashamed to ask the king for a contingent of soldiers and cavalry to protect us from enemies we might encounter on the way. After all, we had told the king, "The hand of our God seeks the good of all who seek him, but his power and anger are against everyone who forsakes him."

22For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.”

23So we fasted and asked our God about this, and he listened to us.

23So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

24Next I selected twelve of the chief priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them—

24Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them.

25and divided between them the silver, the gold, the vessels, and the offering for the Temple of our God which the king had offered, along with his advisors, his senior officials, and all of Israel assembled there.

25And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered.

26I divided among them 650 silver talents, silver utensils weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,

26I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold,

2720 gold basins weighing 1,000 darics each, and two vessels made of polished brass, as valuable as gold.

2720 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.

28I told them, "You are consecrated to the LORD, and the vessels are also consecrated. The silver and the gold are a freely given offering to the LORD God of your ancestors.

28And I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

29Guard and protect them until you disperse them to the chief priests, the descendants of Levi, and to the family leaders of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the Temple of the LORD."

29Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD.”

30So the priests and descendants of Levi took possession of the silver, the gold, and the vessels in order to bring them to Jerusalem, to the Temple of our God.

30So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

31Then we left the Ahava River for Jerusalem on the twelfth day of the first month. Our God's protection was with us, and he delivered us from the enemy's power and from ambush along the way.

31Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.

32We arrived in Jerusalem and remained there three days.

32We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.

33On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the vessels were distributed at the Temple of our God into the care of Uriah's son Meremoth the priest, Phinehas' son Eleazar, Jeshua's son Jozabad, and Binnui's son Noadiah, the descendants of Levi.

33On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and 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.

34Distribution was according to inventory and weight, with all weights being recorded at that time.

34The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

35The descendants of those who had been taken into captivity and who had returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all of Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering—all of them burnt offerings to the LORD.

35At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

36Then they delivered copies of the king's orders to the king's officers, and governors on this side of the Euphrates River. The orders were in support of the people and God's Temple.

36They also delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.