50
There I proclaimed a fast for the young men before our Lord, to seek from him a prosperous journey for ourselves and for our children and the cattle that were with us.
51
For I was ashamed to ask the king for foot soldiers and horsemen and an escort to keep us safe from our adversaries;
52
for we had said to the king, "The power of our Lord will be with those who seek him, and will support them in every way."
53
And again we prayed to our Lord about these things, and we found him very merciful.
54
Then I set apart twelve of the leaders of the priests, Sherebiah and Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them;
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.