| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1These are the family leaders and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: | 1These are the leaders of the families listed among those who left Babylon with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes: |
| 2Gershom, from Phinehas's descendants; Daniel, from Ithamar's descendants; Hattush, from David's descendants, | 2From Phinehas's descendants: Gershom. From Ithamar's descendants: Daniel. From David's descendants: Hattush. |
| 3who was of Shecaniah's descendants; Zechariah, from Parosh's descendants, and 150 men with him who were registered by genealogy; | 3From Shecaniah's descendants and from Parosh's descendants: Zechariah, along with 150 men whose genealogies had been certified. |
| 4Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah from Pahath-moab's descendants, and 200 men with him; | 4From Pahath-moab's descendants: Zerahiah's son Eliehoenai and 200 men with him. |
| 5Shecaniah son of Jahaziel from Zattu's descendants, and 300 men with him; | 5From Zattu's descendants: Jahaziel's son Shecaniah and 300 men with him. |
| 6Ebed son of Jonathan from Adin's descendants, and 50 men with him; | 6From Adin's descendants: Jonathan's son Ebed and 50 men with him. |
| 7Jeshaiah son of Athaliah from Elam's descendants, and 70 men with him; | 7From Elam's descendants: Athaliah's son Jeshaiah and 70 men with him. |
| 8Zebadiah son of Michael from Shephatiah's descendants, and 80 men with him; | 8From Shephatiah's descendants: Michael's son Zebadiah and 80 men with him. |
| 9Obadiah son of Jehiel from Joab's descendants, and 218 men with him; | 9From Joab's descendants: Jehiel's son Obadiah and 218 men with him. |
| 10Shelomith son of Josiphiah from Bani's descendants, and 160 men with him; | 10From Bani's descendants: Josiphiah's son Shelomith and 160 men with him. |
| 11Zechariah son of Bebai from Bebai's descendants, and 28 men with him; | 11From Bebai's descendants: Bebai's son Zechariah and 28 men with him. |
| 12Johanan son of Hakkatan from Azgad's descendants, and 110 men with him; | 12From Azgad's descendants: Hakkatan's son Johanan and 110 men with him. |
| 13these are the last ones, from Adonikam's descendants, and their names are: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and 60 men with them; | 13From Adonikam's later descendants: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 men with him. |
| 14Uthai and Zaccur from Bigvai's descendants, and 70 men with them. | 14From Bigvai's descendants: Uthai, Zabbud, and 70 men with him. |
| 15I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there. | 15I gathered them together at the river that flows toward Ahava, where we camped three days. Afterwards, I examined the people and the priests, but found no descendants of Levi there. |
| 16Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. | 16So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were senior leaders, as well as for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of discernment. |
| 17I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God. | 17I told them to go see Iddo, a leader of Casiphia, and tell him and his relatives (administrators of Casiphia) to bring us men who could serve in the Temple of our God. |
| 18Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah--a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel--along with his sons and brothers, 18 men, | 18By the grace of our God they brought back a discerning man from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Israel's son Levi, along with Sherebiah and eighteen of his sons and brothers; |
| 19plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. | 19Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari and 20 of his brothers and their sons; |
| 20There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name. | 20220 descendants of the Temple Servants whom David and the leaders had appointed to serve the descendants of Levi, listed by name. |
| 21I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions. | 21Then I called for a fast there at the Ahava River so we could humble ourselves before our God and seek from him an appropriate way for us and our little ones to live, and how we should guard our personal wealth, |
| 22I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, "The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who abandon Him." | 22because I was ashamed to ask the king for a contingent of soldiers and cavalry to protect us from enemies we might encounter on the way. After all, we had told the king, "The hand of our God seeks the good of all who seek him, but his power and anger are against everyone who forsakes him." |
| 23So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request. | 23So we fasted and asked our God about this, and he listened to us. |
| 24I selected 12 of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and 10 of their brothers. | 24Next I selected twelve of the chief priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them— |
| 25I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles--the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered. | 25and divided between them the silver, the gold, the vessels, and the offering for the Temple of our God which the king had offered, along with his advisors, his senior officials, and all of Israel assembled there. |
| 26I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold, | 26I divided among them 650 silver talents, silver utensils weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, |
| 27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold. | 2720 gold basins weighing 1,000 darics each, and two vessels made of polished brass, as valuable as gold. |
| 28Then I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. | 28I told them, "You are consecrated to the LORD, and the vessels are also consecrated. The silver and the gold are a freely given offering to the LORD God of your ancestors. |
| 29Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the LORD's house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem." | 29Guard and protect them until you disperse them to the chief priests, the descendants of Levi, and to the family leaders of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the Temple of the LORD." |
| 30So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem. | 30So the priests and descendants of Levi took possession of the silver, the gold, and the vessels in order to bring them to Jerusalem, to the Temple of our God. |
| 31We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and He protected us from the power of the enemy and from ambush along the way. | 31Then we left the Ahava River for Jerusalem on the twelfth day of the first month. Our God's protection was with us, and he delivered us from the enemy's power and from ambush along the way. |
| 32So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days. | 32We arrived in Jerusalem and remained there three days. |
| 33On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them. | 33On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the vessels were distributed at the Temple of our God into the care of Uriah's son Meremoth the priest, Phinehas' son Eleazar, Jeshua's son Jozabad, and Binnui's son Noadiah, the descendants of Levi. |
| 34Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time. | 34Distribution was according to inventory and weight, with all weights being recorded at that time. |
| 35The exiles who had returned from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, and 77 lambs, along with 12 male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the LORD. | 35The descendants of those who had been taken into captivity and who had returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all of Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering—all of them burnt offerings to the LORD. |
| 36They also delivered the king's edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God. | 36Then they delivered copies of the king's orders to the king's officers, and governors on this side of the Euphrates River. The orders were in support of the people and God's Temple. |
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