Chapter 8.
These are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that
went up 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
Phaorosh, Zechariah, and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males,
and hundred and fifty.
Of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliho-Enai, the son of Zerahiah, and with him two
hundred males.
Of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jehaziel, 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, Jeshea, the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy
males.
And of the sons of Shephetiah, Zebediah, the son of Michael, and with him
four score males.
Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah, the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and
eighteen males.
And of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josephiah, and with him one hundred and
three score males.
And of the sons of Bebi, Zechariah, the son of Bebi, and with him twenty and
eight males.
And of the sons of Asgad, Johanan, the son of Hakatan, and with him one
hundred and ten males.
And of the last sons of Adonikon, whose names are these, Eliphelet,
Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them three score males.
Of the sons also of Bigvi, Uthai, and Zabud, and with them seventy males.
And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava, and there abode we
in tents three days.
And I viewed the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.
Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan,
and for Jerob, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah,
and for Meshulam, chief man.
Also for Joirib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo, the chief at the place Cassiphia.
And I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and his brethren, the Nethanims,
at the place Cassiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of
our God.
And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding,
of the sons of Marlai, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherobiah with his
sons and his brethren, eighteen, and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshea,
of the sons of Marari, his brethren and their sons, twenty.
Also of the Nethanims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of
the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethanims, all of them were expressed by
name.
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahavah, that we might
afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us,
and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
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, The hand of our God is upon all
them for good that seek him, but his power and his wrath is against all them that
forsake him.
So we fasted, and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of us.
Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherabiah, Hashabiah,
and ten of their brethren with them, and weighed 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, and his lords, and all Israel there
present, had offered.
I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver
vessels, and hundred talents, and of gold, and hundred talents, also twenty basins of
gold, of a thousand rams, and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.
And I said 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.
Watch 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 the chambers of
the house of the Lord.
So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold,
and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, and to the house of our God.
Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month,
to go unto Jerusalem.
And the 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.
And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
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 Merimoth, the son of Uriah the priest.
And with him was Eliezer, the son of Phinehas.
And with them was Jezebel, the son of Jeshua, and Noah, the son of Benuai,
Levites, by number and by weight of every one.
And all the weight was written at that time.
Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the
captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve 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.
And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the
governors on this side of the river, and they furthered the people and the
house of God.