15
I assembled them by the river that runs to Ahava, and we camped there three days. I reviewed the people and the cohanim but found no L'vi'im there.
16
So I sent for Eli'ezer, Ari'el, Sh'ma'yah, Elnatan, Yariv, Elnatan, Natan, Z'kharyah and Meshulam, who were leaders, and also for Yoyariv and Elnatan, who were men of discernment.
17
I gave them instructions for Iddo, the leading man in a place called Kasifya, and told them what to say to Iddo and his brother, who were in charge of Kasifya, so that they would bring us men to minister in the house of our God.
18
Since the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us Ish-Sekhel from the descendants of Machli the son of Levi, the son of Isra'el; Sherevyah with eighteen of his sons and kinsmen;
19
Hashavyah, with Yesha'yah, from the descendants of M'rari, and twenty of his kinsmen and their sons;
20
and from the temple servants, whom David and the princes had assigned to serve the L'vi'im, two hundred temple servants, all recorded by name.
21
Then, there at the Ahava River, I proclaimed a fast; so that we could humble ourselves before our God and ask a safe journey of him for ourselves, our little ones and all our possessions.
22
For I would have been ashamed to ask the king for a detachment of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies along the road, since we had said to the king, "The hand of our God is on all who seek him, for good; but his power and fury is against all who abandon him."
23
So we fasted and asked our God for this, and he answered our prayer.
24
Then I separated twelve of the chief cohanim, along with Sherevyah, Hashavyah and ten of their kinsmen.
25
I weighed out to them the silver, the gold and the utensils for the house of our God contributed by the king, his counselors, his princes and all Isra'el present there.