1 THESE are now the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.
2 Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Hattush.
3 Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males an hundred and fifty.
4 Of the sons of Pahath-moab; Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.
5 Of the sons of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.
6 Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.
7 And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.
8 And of the sons of Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males.
9 Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.
10 And of the sons of Shelomith; the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.
11 And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.
12 And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.
13 And of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.
14 Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.
16 Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
18 And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
19 And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;
20 Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.
24 Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,
25 And weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellers, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
26 I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;
27 Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.
28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord God of your fathers.
29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.
30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.
31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
32 And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
33 Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
34 By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.
35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the Lord.
36 And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.

1These are now the chiefe of their fathers, and this is the genealogie of them that went vp with mee from Babylon, in the reigne of Artaxerxes the king.

2Of the sonnes of Phinehas, Gershom: of the sonnes of Ithamar, Daniel: of the sonnes of Dauid, Hattush.

3Of the sonnes of Shechaniah, of the sonnes of Pharosh, Zechariah, and with him were reckoned, by genealogie of the males, an hundred and fiftie.

4Of the sonnes of Pahath Moab, Elihoenai the sonne of Zerahiah: and with him, two hundred males.

5Of the sonnes of Shechaniah, the sonne of Iahaziel, and with him three hundred males.

6Of the sonnes also of Adin, Ebed the sonne of Ionathan, and with him fiftie males.

7And of the sonnes of Elam, Ieshaiah the sonne of Athaliah, and with him seuentie males.

8And of the sonnes of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the sonne of Michael, and with him fourescore males.

9Of the sonnes of Ioab, Obadiah the sonne of Iehiel: and with him two hundred and eighteene males.

10And of the sonnes of Shelomith, the sonne of Iosiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.

11And of the sonnes of Bebai, Zechariah the sonne of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight males.

12And of the sonnes of Azgad, Iohanan the sonne of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males.

13And of the last sonnes of Adonikam, whose names are these: Eliphelet, Iehiel, and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males.

14Of the sonnes also of Biguai, Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seuentie males.

15 And I gathered them together to the riuer, that runneth to Ahaua, and there abode wee in tents three dayes: and I viewed the people, and the Priests, and found there none of the sonnes of Leui.

16Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Iarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chiefe men; also for Iarib, and for Elnathan, men of vnderstanding.

17And I sent them with commandement vnto Iddo the chiefe at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say vnto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring vnto vs ministers for the house of our God.

18And by the good hand of our God vpon vs, they brought vs a man of vnderstanding, of the sonnes of Mahli the sonne of Leui, the sonne of Israel, and Sherebiah, with his sonnes, and his brethren, eighteene.

19And Hashabiah, and with him Ieshaiah of the sonnes of Merari, his brethren, and their sonnes, twentie.

20Also of the Nethinims, whom Dauid, and the Princes had appointed for the seruice of the Leuites, two hundred and twentie Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the riuer Ahaua, that we might afflict our selues before our God, to seeke of him a right way for vs, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

22For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of souldiers and horsmen, to helpe vs against the enemie in the way: because wee had spoken vnto the king, saying, The hand of our God is vpon all them for good, that seeke him, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

23So we fasted, and besought our God for this, and hee was intreated of vs.

24 Then I separated twelue of the chiefe of the Priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,

25And weighed vnto them the siluer and the gold, and the vessels, euen the offering of the house of our God, which the king and his counsellours, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:

26I euen weighed vnto their hand, sixe hundred and fifty talents of siluer, and siluer vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents:

27Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand drammes, and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.

28And I said vnto them, Yee are holy vnto the Lord, the vessels are holy also, and the siluer and the gold are a free-will offring vnto the Lord God of your fathers.

29Watch ye, and keepe them, vntill yee weigh them before the chiefe of the Priests, and the Leuites, and chiefe of the fathers of Israel at Ierusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.

30So tooke the Priests and the Leuites the weight of the siluer and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Ierusalem, vnto the house of our God.

31 Then wee departed from the riuer of Ahaua, on the twelfth day of the first moneth, to goe vnto Ierusalem; and the hand of our God was vpon vs, and hee deliuered vs from the hand of the enemie, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

32And we came to Ierusalem, and abode there three dayes.

33 Now on the fourth day was the siluer and the gold, and the vessels weighed in the house of our God, by the hand of Meremoth the sonne of Uriah the Priest, and with him was Eleazar the sonne of Phinehas, and with them was Iozabad the sonne of Ieshua, and Noadiah the sonne of Binnui, Leuites:

34By number, and by weight of uery one: and all the weight was written at that time.

35Also the children of those that had bene caried away which were come out of the captiuitie, offered burnt offrings vnto the God of Israel, twelue bullocks for all Israel, ninetie and sixe rammes, seuentie and seuen lambes, twelue hee goates for a sinne offering: All this was a burnt offering vnto the Lord.

36 And they deliuered the Kings commissions vnto the kings lieuteuants, and to the gouernours on this side the riuer, and they furthered the people, and the house of God.

 

 

II == 1st Chr 3:22

 

III == Ezra 2:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XV == Ezra 7:7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == 2nd Sam 14:3 , 19

 

 

 

XVIII == Neh 8:7 ; 9:4-5

 

 

 

 

XX == Ezra 2:43

 

 

 

XXI == Lev 16:29 ; 23:29 ; 2nd Chr 20:3 ; Ps 5:8 ; Isa 58:3 , 5

 

XXII == 2nd Chr 15:2 ; Ezra 7:6 , 9 , 28 ; Ps 33:18-19 ; 34:15-16 , 22 ; rom 8:28 ; 1st Cor 9:15

 

 

XXIII == 1st Chr 5:20 ; 2nd Chr 33:13 ; Isa 19:22

 

 

XXV == Ezra 7:15-16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXVIII == Lev 21:6-8 ; 22:2-3 ; Deut 33:8 ; Num 4:4 , 15 , 19-20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXI == Ezra 7:6 , 9 , 28

 

 

XXXII == Neh 2:11

 

XXXIII == Ezra 8:26 , 30

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXV == Ezra 6:17

 

 

 

 

 

XXXVI == Ezra 7:21

 

 

 

1 This is the list of the family heads who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

2 Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershon; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush,

3 son of Shecaniah; of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him one hundred and fifty males were enrolled;

4 of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai, son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males;

5 of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah, son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males;

6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed, son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males;

7 of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah, son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males;

8 of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah, son of Michael, and with him eighty males;

9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah, son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males;

10 of the sons of Bani, Shelomith, son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males;

11 of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males;

12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan, son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males;

13 of the sons of Adonikam, younger sons, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males;

14 of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai, son of Zakkur, and with him seventy males.

15 I had them assemble by the river that flows toward Ahava, where we made camp for three days. There I perceived that both laymen and priests were present, but I could not discover a single Levite.

16 Therefore I sent Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, wise leaders,

17 with a command for Iddo, the leader in the place Casiphia, instructing them what to say to Iddo and his brethren, and to the temple slaves in Casiphia, in order to procure for us ministers for the house of our God.

18 They sent to us - for the favoring hand of our God was upon us - a well-instructed man, one of the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brethren, eighteen men.

19 They also sent us Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah, sons of Merari, and their brethren and their sons, twenty men.

20 Of the temple slaves (those whom David and the princes appointed to serve the Levites) there were two hundred and twenty. All these men were enrolled by name.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast, there by the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to petition from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.

22 For I would have been ashamed to ask the king for troops and horsemen to protect us against enemies along the way, since we had said to the king, "The favoring hand of our God is upon all who seek him, but his mighty wrath is against all who forsake him."

23 So we fasted, and prayed to our God for this, and our petition was granted.

24 Next I selected twelve of the priestly leaders along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren,

25 and I weighed out before them the silver and the gold and the utensils offered for the house of our God by the king, his counselors, his officials, and all the Israelites of that region.

26 I consigned it to them in these amounts: silver, six hundred and fifty talents; silver utensils, one hundred; gold, one hundred talents;

27 twenty golden bowls valued at a thousand darics; two vases of excellent polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28 I addressed them in these words: "You are consecrated to the LORD, and the utensils are also consecrated; the silver and the gold are a free-will offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

29 Keep good watch over them till you weigh them out in Jerusalem in the presence of the chief priests and Levites and the family leaders of Israel, in the chambers of the house of the LORD."

30 The priests and the Levites then took over the silver, the gold, and the utensils that had been weighed out, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

31 We set out for Jerusalem from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month. The hand of our God remained upon us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.

32 Thus we arrived in Jerusalem, where we first rested for three days.

33 On the fourth day, the silver, the gold, and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God and consigned to the priest Meremoth, son of Uriah, who was assisted by Eleazar, son of Phinehas; they were assisted by the Levites Jozabad, son of Jeshua, and Noadiah, son of Binnui.

34 Everything was in order as to number and weight, and the total weight was registered. At that same time,

35 those who had returned from the captivity, the exiles, offered as holocausts to the God of Israel twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve goats as sin-offerings: all these as a holocaust to the LORD.

36 Finally, the orders of the king were presented to the king's satraps and to the governors in West-of-Euphrates, who gave their support to the people and to the house of God.

v 1-14. This is a list of the family heads of those returning, others with them, and their number. Many were related to those who returned under Zerubbabel, 79 years before. Notable families included that of Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, who killed the Jewish man and woman in their immorality Num. 25:7,8. Also the families of Ithamar, son of Aaron and of David. The 18 heads of families had 1496 other men with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 15-20. They began leaving Babylon the first day of the seventh month, then after nine days were assembled and camped along river Ahava three days, v 21, departing from there the twelfth day of the month, v 31.  We can understand the nine days as being the assembly period, not nine days journey from the city. It was common for caravans to assemble a ways outside the city and make sure everything is in order and nothing else needed before continuing.  There they realized  that In spite of the specific offer, no Levites or Nethanims came.  Presumably they were settled down content and not interested in the arduous journey and the problems of settling in a far country.  They would be like missionaries, leaving secure jobs to go live on uncertain offerings of the people. Probably with firm words, Ezra sent nine leaders and two men of special learning to Casaphia, meaning Silver Street. There Iddo was head of a college of Levites, probably training for their synagogues. They recruited four leaders and men with them, a total of 38 Levites and 220 Nethanims. Within the three days, they had joined the others. The total of men with Ezra was 1754, so with women and children there may have been around 5000, far short of the 50,000 with Zerubbabel.

 

v 21-23. Instead of selecting the way and asking God’s protection, they asked God to direct the way, and protection was His responsiblity. Many times we fail by making plans ourselves, then asking God to help us carry them out. Since he had indicated to the king their reliance on the Lord, he felt it inconsistent to ask the king for a protecting guard. This was a real step of faith, because with much wealth they were entering a land of fierce raiding parties. So they fasted and called upon God for help. Contrast Neh. 2:9, where Nehemiah readily accepted the help of an army detachment.

 

v 24-30. Ezra appointed 24 chief men to be responsible for the precious metals. It was weighed to them and was to be weighed again when they got to the temple. There were 25 tons of silver, three and three quarter tons of silver articles, three and three quarter tons of gold, twenty bowls of gold that weighed about 19 pounds, and two bronze vessels that were as valuable as gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 31-34. They apparently rested and got settled in three days before weighing the precious metals on the fourth day, the amount being correct.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 35. The returning people offered sacrifices of the same animals as at the temple dedication, 6:17, but in much smaller number.

 

 

v 36. The commission from Artaxerxes was delivered to all the governors west of the Euphrates, and they responded helpfully. Lieutenants or Satraps were governors and those listed as governors were lessor officials.