Ezra 8:19-29

19 and Hashavyah, and with him Yesha`yah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty;
20 and of the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty temple servants: all of them were mentioned by name.
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
22 For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers 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 on all those who seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him.
23 So we fasted and begged our God for this: and he was entreated of us.
24 Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the Kohanim, even Sherevyah, Hashavyah, and ten of their brothers with them,
25 and weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, and his counselors, and his princes, and all Yisra'el there present, had offered:
26 I weighed into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels one hundred talents; of gold one hundred talents;
27 and twenty bowls of gold, of one thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as gold.
28 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.
29 Watch you, and keep them, until you weigh them before the chiefs of the Kohanim and the Levites, and the princes of the fathers' [houses] of Yisra'el, at Yerushalayim, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.

Ezra 8:19-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 8

In this chapter we are told who and how many went up with Ezra to Jerusalem, Ezr 8:1-14, the gathering of them together at a river, from whence he sent to Babylon for Levites to come to him, who did, Ezr 8:15-20, the proclaiming a fast for a safe and prosperous journey, Ezr 8:21-23, the delivery of the vessels and money given him into the hands of priests, to take the care and charge thereof, Ezr 8:24-30, their safe arrival at Jerusalem, where they deposited the gifts in the temple, offered sacrifices to God, and delivered the king's commissions to his lieutenants and governors, Ezr 8:31-36.

The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.