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Ezra / Ezra's Fast, Prayer, and Safe Journey to Jerusalem
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Ezra's Fast, Prayer, and Safe Journey to Jerusalem

Ezra 8:15-36

8
Chapter 8
15 I gathered them together at the river that flows to Ahava, and we encamped there three days. I looked among the people and the priests, and among the sons of Levi—I found none there. 16 And I sent to Eliezer, to Ariel, to Shemaiah, and to Elnathan, and to Jarib, and to Elnathan, and to Nathan, and to Zechariah, and to Meshullam—heads—and to Jorib, and to Elnathan, the discerning ones. 17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at the place called Casiphia, and I put these words in their mouths to speak to Iddo and his brothers the Nethinim at the place called Casiphia, to bring us servants for the house of our God. 18 And they brought to us according to the good hand of our God upon us—a man of understanding from the sons of Mahli son of Levi son of Israel, and Sherebiah and his sons and his brothers, eighteen. 19 and Hashabiah and with him Ishiah from the sons of Merari, his brothers, and their sons, twenty. 20 and from the Nethinim, whom David and the officials had given for the service of the Levites—two hundred and twenty Nethinim; all of them were designated by name. 21 And I called a fast there by the river Ahava to afflict ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us and for our little ones and for all our property. 22 for we had asked the king for an armed force and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, for we had said to the king, "The hand of the LORD is upon all who seek him for good, but his power and his anger are upon all who forsake him." 23 So we fasted and sought our God about this, and he was entreated for us. 24 Then I separated twelve of the leading priests: Serabiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers. 25 I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his officials and all Israel who were found there had raised. 26 I weighed out into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels worth a hundred talents, and a hundred talents of gold. 27 and twenty gold bowls worth a thousand darics and two desirable good vessels of polished bronze like gold 28 And you shall say to them: "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a voluntary offering to the LORD God of your fathers." 29 Watch over them and guard them until you weigh them before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, the chiefs of the fathers of Israel, in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. 30 The priests and the Levites received the silver, the gold, and the vessels by weight to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. 31 And we set out from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of the LORD was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and ambusher on the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem and dwelt there three days. 33 And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad son of Jesus and Noadiah son of Binnui, the Levites. 34 by number and by weight for each one, and all the weights were recorded at that time. 35 Those who had returned from the captivity, the sons of the exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, rams ninety-six, sheep seventy-seven, he-goats for the sin offering twelve. The whole was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36 They gave the king's decrees to the king's satraps and governors beyond the River, and they supported the people and the house of God.