19
also
1Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of
2the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20;
20
3besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all
4mentioned by name.
Fasting and Prayer for Protection
21 5Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river
6Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God,
7to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.
22
For 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,
8"The hand of our God is for good on
9all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him."
23
So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
Priests to Guard Offerings
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests:
10Sherebiah,
11Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them.
25
And I weighed out to them the
12silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his
13counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered.
26
14I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold,
27
20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.
28
And I said to them,
15"You are holy to the LORD, and
16the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.
29
Guard 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,
17within the chambers of the house of the LORD."