rd

Ezra 8

1 The number of them that returned to Jerusalém with Ezrá. 21 He causeth them to fast. 24 He admonisheth the Priests of their duties. 31 What they did when they came to Jerusalém.
1.These *are now the chief fathers of them, and the genealogy of them that came up with me from Babél, in the reign of King aArtahsháshte.
2.Of the sons of Phinehás, Gershóm: of the sons of Ithamár, Daniél: of the sons of Davíd: Hattúsh:
3.Of the sons of Shechaniáh, of the sons of Pharósh, Zechariáh, and with him the count of the males, an hundreth and fifty.
4.Of the sons of ^Pahath Moáb, Elihoenái, the son of Zerahiáh, and with him two hundreth males.
5.Of the sons of Shechaniáh, the son of Jahaziél, and with him three hundreth males.
6.And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathán, and with him fifty males.
7.And of the sons of Elám, Jeshaiáh the son of Athaliáh, and with him seventy males.
8.And of the sons of Shephatiáh, Zebadiáh the son of Michaél, and with him four score males.
9.Of the sons of Joáb, Obadiáh the son of Jehiél, and with him two hundreth and eighteen males.
10.And of the sons of Shelomíth the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundreth and three score males.
11.And of the sons of Bebái, Zechariáh, and son of Bebái, and with him eight and twenty males.
13.And of the sons of Adonikám, that were the blast, whose names are these: Eliphélet, Jehiél and Shemaiáh, and with them three score males.
14.And of the sons of Biguái, Uthái, and Zabbúd, and with them seventy males.
15.And I gathered them to the cRiver that goeth toward Ahavá, and there abode we three days: then I viewed the people, and the Priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.
16.Therefore sent I to Eliézer, to Ariél, to Shemeiáh, and to Elnathán, and to Jaríb, and to Elnathán, and to Nathán, and to Zechariáh, and to Meshullám the chief, and to Joiaríb and to Elnathán, men of understanding,
17.And I gave them commandment, to Iddó the dchiefest at the place of Casephiá, and I ^told them the words that they should speak to Iddó, and to his brethren the Nethiníms at the place of Casiphiá, that they should cause the ministers of the house of our God to come unto us.
18.So by the good hand of our God which was upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mahalí the son of Leví, the son of Israél, and Sherebiáh with his sons and his brethren, even eighteen.
19.Also Hashabiáh, and with him Jeshaiáh of the sons of Merarí, with his brethren, and their sons twenty.
20.And of the eNethinims, whom David had set, and the princes for the service of the Levites, two hundreth and twenty of the Nethinims, which all were named by name.
21.And there at the River, by Ahavá, I proclaimed a fast, that we might humble foursleves before our God, and seek of him a right way for us, and for our children, and for all our substance.
22.For I was gashamed to require of the King an army and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the King, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him, in goodness, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
23.So we fasted, and besought our God for this and he was entreated of us.
24.Then I separated twelve of the chief of the Priests, Sherebiáh, and Hashabiáh, and ten of their brethren with them,
25.And weighed them the silver and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the King and his counsellors, and his princes, and all Israél that were present had offered.
26.And I weighed unto their hand six hundreth and fifty htalents of silver, and in silver vessel, an hundreth talents, and in gold, an hundreth talents:
27.And twenty basins of gold, of a thousand idrammes, and two vessels of shining brass very good, and precious as gold.
28.¶ And I said unto them, Ye are consecrate unto the Lord, and the vessels are consecrate, and the gold and the silver are freely offered unto the Lord God of your fathers.
29.Watch ye, and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief Priests and the Levites, and the chief fathers of Israél in Jerusalém in the chambers of the house of the Lord.
30.So the Priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver and of the gold, and of the vessels to bring them to Jerusalém, unto the house of our God.
31.¶ Then we departed from the River of Ahavá on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalém, and the hand of our God was upon us, and delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as layed kwait by the way.
32.And we came to Jerusalém, and abode there three days.
33.And on the fourth day was the silver weighed, and the gold and the vessel in the house of our God by the hand of Meremóth the son of Uriáh the Priest, and with him was Eleazár the son of Phinehás, and with them was Jozabád the son of Jeshúa, and Noadiáh the son of Binnúi the lLevites,
34.By number and by weight of every one, and all the weight was written at the same time.
35.Also the children of the captivity, which were come out of captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israél, twelve bullocks for all Israél, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, and twelve he goats for sin: all was a burnt offering of the Lord.
36.And they delivered the King’s commission unto the King’s officers, and to the captains beyond the River: and they promoted the people, and the house of God.

Notes

1-*.
1 Esdr. 8.30.
1-a.
Read Ch. 7.1.
4-^.
Or, captain of Moab.
13-b.
That came to go with Ezra.
15-c.
To that place of Euphrates, where Ahava the river enters into it.
17-^.
Ebr., put words in their mouth.
17-d.
He was the chiefest that taught there the Law of God unto the Levites.
20-e.
Read Ch. 2.43.
21-f.
He shows that the end of fasting is to humble the body to the spirit, which must proceed of the heart lively touched: or els it is but hypocrisy.
22-g.
He thought it better to commit himself to the protection of God, then by seeking these ordinary means, to give an occasion to others to think that he did doubt of God’s power.
26-h.
Read 1 Kings 9.14.
27-i.
Read Ch. 2.69.
31-k.
This declared that their journey was full of danger, and yet God delivered them according to their prayer.
33-l.
This was a token of a good conscience and of his integrity, that he would have witnesses of his fidelity.