1
Now these are the heads of their fathers' households and the genealogicalenrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of KingArtaxerxes:
15
Now I assembled them at the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for threedays; and when I observed the people and the priests, I did not findanyLevites*there.
16
So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, leadingmen, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers.
17
I sent them to Iddo the leadingman at the placeCasiphia; and I told** them what to say to Iddo and his brothers, the templeservants at the placeCasiphia, that is, to bringministers to us for the house of our God.
18
According to the goodhand of our God upon us they brought us a man of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18* men;
21
Then I proclaimed a fastthere at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safejourney for us, our littleones, and all our possessions.
22
For I was ashamed to request from the kingtroops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, "The hand of our God is favorablydisposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are againstall those who forsake Him."
25
and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes and allIsraelpresent there had offered.
28
Then I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewilloffering to the LORDGod of your fathers.
29
"Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leadingpriests, the Levites and the heads of the fathers' households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD."
31
Then we journeyed from the riverAhava on the twelfth* of the firstmonth to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way.
32
Thus we came to Jerusalem and remainedtherethreedays.
h'v{l.v ~yim'y ~'v b,veN;w ~i'l'v.Wr.y aw{b'N;w
33
On the fourthday the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, 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.