The Families Who Came Back with Ezra
1 Artaxerxes was king of Persia when I led the following chiefs of the family groups from Babylonia to Jerusalem:
2-14 Gershom of the Phinehas family;Daniel of the Ithamar family;Hattush son of Shecaniah of the David family;Zechariah and 150 other men of the Parosh family, who had family records;Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah with 200 men of the Pahath Moab family;Shecaniah son of Jahaziel with 300 men of the Zattu family; Ebed son of Jonathan with 50 men of the Adin family;Jeshaiah son of Athaliah with 70 men of the Elam family;Zebadiah son of Michael with 80 men of the Shephatiah family;Obadiah son of Jehiel with 218 men of the Joab family;Shelomith son of Josiphiah with 160 men of the Bani family; Zechariah son of Bebai with 28 men of the Bebai family;Johanan son of Hakkatan with 110 men of the Azgad family;Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah who returned sometime later with 60 men of the Adonikam family;Uthai and Zaccur with 70 men of the Bigvai family.
Ezra Finds Levites for the Temple
15 I brought everyone together by the river that flows to the town of Ahava where we camped for three days. Not one Levite could be found among the people and priests. 16 So I sent for the leaders Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam. I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were very wise counselors. 17 Then I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, and I told them to ask him and his temple workers to send people to serve in God's temple.
18 God was kind to us and caused them to send a skillful man named Sherebiah, who was a Levite from the family of Mahli. Eighteen of his relatives came with him. 19 We were also sent Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the family of Merari along with 20 of their relatives. 20 In addition, 220 others came to help the Levites in the temple. The ancestors of these workers had been chosen years ago by King David and his officials, and they were all listed by name.
Ezra Asks the People To Go without Eating and To Pray
21 Beside the Ahava River, I asked the people to go without eating and to pray. We humbled ourselves and asked God to bring us and our children safely to Jerusalem with all of our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king to send soldiers and cavalry to protect us against enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king that our God takes care of everyone who truly worships him, but that he gets very angry and punishes anyone who refuses to obey. 23 So we went without food and asked God himself to protect us, and he answered our prayers.
The Gifts for the Temple
24 I chose twelve of the leading priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their relatives. 25-27 Then I weighed the gifts that had been given for God's temple, and I divided them among the twelve priests I had chosen. There were gifts of silver and gold, as well as the articles that the king, his advisors and officials, and the people of Israel had contributed. In all there were: 22 tons of silver; 100 silver articles weighing 70 kilograms; 3.4 tons of gold; 20 gold bowls weighing over 8 kilograms; and 2 polished bronze articles as valuable as gold.
28 I said to the priests:
You belong to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and these things also belong to him. The silver and gold were willingly given as gifts to the Lord. 29 Be sure to guard them and keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. Then weigh them inside God's temple in the presence of the chief priests, the Levites, and the heads of the Israelite families.
30 The priests and Levites then took charge of the gifts that had been weighed, so they could take them to the temple of our God in Jerusalem.
The Return to Jerusalem
31 On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the Ahava River and started for Jerusalem. Our God watched over us, and as we traveled along, he kept our enemies from ambushing us.
32 After arriving in Jerusalem, we rested for three days. 33 Then on the fourth day we went to God's temple, where the silver, the gold, and the other things were weighed and given to the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. With him were Eleazar son of Phinehas and the two Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was counted, weighed, and recorded.
35 Those who had returned from exile offered sacrifices on the altar to the God of Israel. Twelve bulls were offered for all Israel. Ninety-six rams and 77 lambs were offered on the altar, and 12 goats were sacrificed for the sins of the people. 36 Some of those who had returned took the king's orders to the governors and officials in Western Province. Then the officials did what they could for the people and for the temple of God.
Israēla dzimtas, kas atgriezās kopā ar Ezru
1 Šie ir to tēvu namu galveno cilts raksti, kuri kopā ar mani ķēniņa Artakserksa valdīšanas laikā devās projām no Bābeles: 2 no Pinhāsa dēliem Gēršoms, no Ītāmāra dēliem Daniēls, no Dāvida dēliem Hatūšs, 3 no Šehanjas, no Paroša dēliem Zekarja un simts piecdesmit vīru kopā ar viņu, ierakstīti cilts rakstos, 4 no Pahat-Moāba dēliem Eljehoēnajs, Zerahjas dēls, un divi simti vīru kopā ar viņu, 5 no Šehanjas dēliem Jahaziēla dēls un trīs simti vīru kopā ar viņu, 6 no Ādīna dēliem Ebeds, Jonatāna dēls, un piecdesmit vīru kopā ar viņu, 7 no Ēlāma dēliem Ješaja, Ataljas dēls, un septiņdesmit vīru kopā ar viņu, 8 no Šefatjas dēliem Zebadja, Mihaēla dēls, un astoņdesmit vīru kopā ar viņu, 9 no Joāba dēliem Obadja, Jehiēla dēls, un divi simti astoņpadsmit vīru kopā ar viņu, 10 no Šelomīta dēliem Josifjas dēls un simts sešdesmit vīru kopā ar viņu, 11 no Bēbaja dēliem Zeharja, Bēbaja dēls, un divdesmit astoņi vīri kopā ar viņu, 12 no Azgāda dēliem Johānāns, Kātāna dēls, un simts desmit vīru kopā ar viņu, 13 un Adonīkāma dēli, kuri nāca vēlāk, šie ir viņu vārdi: Elīfelets, Jeiēls, Šemaja un sešdesmit vīri kopā ar viņiem, 14 no Bigvaja dēliem Ūtajs, Zābūds un septiņdesmit vīru kopā ar viņiem.
Tempļa kalpotāji
15 Es sapulcināju viņus pie upes, kas tek uz Ahavu, tur mēs apmetāmies uz trim dienām. Es pārlūkoju tautu un priesterus, bet neatradu tur nevienu no Levī dēliem. 16 Tad es sūtīju pie cilts tēviem Elīezera, Ariēla, Šemaja, Elnātāna, Jārība, Elnātāna, Nātāna, Zeharjas, Mešullāma un mācītiem vīriem Jehojārība un Elnātāna, 17 es sūtīju viņus pie Ido, Kāsifjas apgabala priekšnieka, un teicu tiem, kas jāsaka Ido, viņa brāļiem un tempļa kalpiem Kāsifjas apgabalā, lai tie nosūta kalpotājus mūsu Dieva namam. 18 Tādēļ ka Dievs bija labs pret mums, viņi sūtīja mums kādu saprotošu vīru no Mahlī dēliem, Levī dēla dēliem, Israēla dēliem – Šērēbju kopā ar viņa dēliem un brāļiem, astoņpadsmit vīrus; 19 arī Hašabju un kopā ar viņu Ješaju no Merārī dēliem, viņa brāļus un dēlus, divdesmit vīrus. 20 Tur bija divi simti divdesmit tempļa kalpotāju, kurus Dāvids un augstmaņi bija norīkojuši kalpot levītiem, tika nosaukti visu viņu vārdi.
Lūgšana pēc Dieva pasargājuma ceļā
21 Tur pie Ahavas upes es izsludināju gavēni, lai zemotos mūsu Dieva priekšā un izlūgtos no viņa labāko ceļu mums, mūsu bērniem un visam, 22 jo es kaunējos lūgt ķēniņam karaspēku un jātniekus, lai tie mūs ceļā sargā no ienaidniekiem, tādēļ ka mēs bijām teikuši ķēniņam: “Mūsu Dieva roka ir laba pret visiem, kas viņu meklē, un viņa spēks un dusmība nāk pār visiem, kas viņu atmet!” 23 Tā mēs gavējām un lūdzām Dievu par šo lietu, un viņš mūs uzklausīja.
Ziedojums templim
24 Tad es nošķīru divpadsmit no priesteru vadoņiem: Šērēbju, Hašabju un desmit viņu brāļus, 25 un piešķīru tiem sudrabu un zeltu, traukus, kas bija ziedoti mūsu Dieva namam, ko bija ziedojuši ķēniņš, viņa padomnieki, augstmaņi un viss Israēls, kas tur bija. 26 Es viņiem piešķīru seši simti piecdesmit talantus sudraba, kā arī sudraba traukus simts talantu vērtē un simts talantus zelta, 27 divdesmit zelta kausus tūkstoš drahmu vērtē un divus labus, pulētus vara traukus zelta vērtē 28 un sacīju viņiem: “Jūs esat svēti Kungam, un šie trauki ir svēti, un sudrabs un zelts ir labprātīgi ziedots Kungam, jūsu tēvu Dievam, 29 uzmaniet tos un sargājiet, līdz priesteru un levītu vadoņu un Israēla tēvu namu galveno priekšā tos būsiet nogādājuši Dieva nama telpās Jeruzālemē!” 30 Tā priesteri un levīti ņēma piešķirto sudrabu, zeltu un traukus, lai nestu uz Jeruzālemi, mūsu Dieva namu.
Pārnākšana Jeruzālemē
31 No Ahavas upes mēs devāmies projām pirmā mēneša divpadsmitajā dienā, lai ietu uz Jeruzālemi, un mūsu Dieva roka bija ar mums, un viņš mūs sargāja no ienaidniekiem un ceļa laupītājiem. 32 Nonākuši Jeruzālemē, mēs palikām tur trīs dienas, 33 un ceturtajā dienā mēs nodevām sudrabu, zeltu un traukus mūsu Dieva namā priesterim Merēmotam, Ūrijas dēlam, un kopā ar viņu bija Elāzārs, Pinhāsa dēls, un Jehozābāds, Jozuas dēls, un Noadja, Binnūja dēls, no levītiem. 34 Viss tika saskaitīts, nosvērts un svars pierakstīts.
35 No gūsta pārnākušie upurēja sadedzināmos upurus Israēla Dievam – divpadsmit vēršus par visu Israēlu, deviņdesmit sešus aunus, septiņdesmit septiņus jērus un divpadsmit āžus upurim par grēkiem, tas viss bija sadedzināmais upuris Kungam. 36 Viņi nodeva ķēniņa pavēles Viņpusupes apgabala ķēniņa soģiem un pārvaldniekiem, un tie palīdzēja tautai un Dieva namam.
