51
For I was ashamed to ask the king for foot soldiers and cavalry 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;
55
and I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the holy vessels of the house of our Lord, which the king himself and his counselors and the nobles and all Israel had given.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, 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.