1 And these are the chief fathers, and their genealogy, who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes the king.2 Of the children of Phinehas, Gershom; of the children of Ithamar, Daniel; of the children of David, Hattush;3 of the children of Shecaniah, of the children of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.4 Of the children of Pahath-Moab, Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males.5 Of the children of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.6 And of the children of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.7 And of the children of Elam, Isaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males.8 And of the children of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males.9 Of the children of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.10 And of the children of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males.11 And of the children of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males.12 And of the children of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males.13 And of the children of Adonikam, the last ones, whose names are these: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males.14 And of the children of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.15 And I gathered them together at the river that runs to Ahava; and there we encamped three days; and I surveyed the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there.16 And I sent 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, and for Joiarib and for Elnathan, men of understanding.17 And I gave them a commission to Iddo the chief, at the place Casiphia, and I put words in their mouths to say to Iddo {and} his brethren the Nethinim, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to 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, namely, Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;19 and Hashabiah, and with him Isaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;20 and of the Nethinim, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim: all of them were expressed by name.21 And I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble 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; for we had spoken to the king saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his anger is against all them that forsake him.23 And we fasted, and besought our God for this; and he was entreated of us.24 And I separated twelve of the chiefs of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,25 and I weighed to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the heave-offering for the house of our God, which the king and his counsellors and his princes, and all Israel present, had offered.26 And I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver; and silver vessels a hundred talents, {and} of gold a hundred talents;27 and twenty basons of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of shining copper, precious as gold.28 And I said to them, Ye are holy unto Jehovah; the vessels also are holy; and the silver and the gold is a voluntary offering to Jehovah the God of your fathers.29 Watch and keep {them} until ye weigh them before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the chiefs of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of Jehovah.30 And the priests and the Levites received by weight the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.31 And we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month, to go to 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 And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Urijah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites:34 the whole by number and by weight; and all the weight was written down at that time.35 The children of those that had been carried away, who had come out of the captivity, presented burnt-offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering: all for a burnt-offering to Jehovah.36 And they delivered the king's edicts to the king's satraps, and to the governors on this side the river. And they furthered the people and the house of God.

1 En dit is hulle familiehoofde, met hulle geslagsregister, wat saam met my onder die regering van koning Artas sta uit Babel opgetrek het:2 van die kinders van P¡nehas: Gersom; van die kinders van Itamar: Daniël; van die kinders van Dawid: Hattus,3 van die kinders van Seg nja; van die kinders van P rhos: Sagar¡a, en saam met hom in die register opgeneem, aan manspersone, honderd en vyftig;4 van die kinders van Pahat-Moab: Eljehoënai, die seun van Ser gja, en saam met hom twee honderd manspersone;5 van die kinders van Sattu: Seg nja, die seun van Jah siël, en saam met hom drie honderd manspersone;6 en van die kinders van Adin: Ebed, die seun van Jonatan, en saam met hom vyftig manspersone;7 en van die kinders van Elam: Jesaja, die seun van At lja, en saam met hom sewentig manspersone;8 en van die kinders van Sef tja: Seb dja, die seun van M¡gael, en saam met hom tagtig manspersone;9 van die kinders van Joab: Ob dja, die seun van J,hiël, en saam met hom twee honderd en agttien manspersone;10 en van die kinders van Bani: S,lomit, die seun van Jos¡fja, en saam met hom honderd en sestig manspersone;11 en van die kinders van B,bai: Sagar¡a, die seun van B,bai, en saam met hom agt en twintig manspersone;12 en van die kinders van Asgad: Johanan, die seun van Hakk tan, en saam met hom honderd en tien manspersone;13 en van die kinders van Adon¡kam wat later gekom het, en dit was hulle name: Elif,let, Je‹-el en Sem ja, en saam met hulle sestig manspersone;14 en van die kinders van Bigwai: Utai en Sabbud, en saam met hom sewentig manspersone.15 En ek het hulle versamel by die rivier wat na Ahawa loop, en ons het daar drie dae laer opgeslaan; en ek het op die volk en die priesters ag gegee, maar van die kinders van Levi daar nie aangetref nie.16 Daarom het ek Eliëser, Ariël, Sem ja en lnatan en Jarib en lnatan en Natan en Sagar¡a en Mesullam, die hoofde, en Jojarib en lnatan, die leraars, gestuur17 en hulle bevel gegee aan Iddo, die hoof in die plek Kas¡fja; en ek het die woorde in hulle mond gelê wat hulle met Iddo, en sy broers, die tempelbediendes in die plek Kas¡fja, moes spreek, dat hulle vir ons dienaars vir die huis van onse God moes bring.18 En hulle het vir ons, omdat die goeie hand van onse God oor ons was, verstandige manne uit die kinders van Magli, die seun van Levi, die seun van Israel, gebring, naamlik Ser,bja met sy seuns en sy broers, agttien;19 en Has bja, en saam met hom Jesaja, van die kinders van Mer ri, sy broers en hulle seuns, twintig;20 en van die tempelbediendes wat Dawid en die owerstes vir die diens van die Leviete gegee het, twee honderd en twintig tempelbediendes wat almal met hulle name aangewys was.21 Toe het ek daar 'n vastyd uitgeroep aan die rivier Ahawa, om ons te verootmoedig voor die aangesig van onse God ten einde van Hom 'n voorspoedige reis te vra vir ons en ons families en al ons goed.22 Want ek was skaam om van die koning 'n leër en perderuiters te vra om ons te help teen vyande op die pad, omdat ons met die koning gespreek en gesê het: Die hand van onse God is ten goede oor almal wat Hom soek, maar sy krag en sy toorn oor almal wat Hom verlaat.23 So het ons dan gevas en onse God dit gevra, en Hy het ons verhoor.24 Toe het ek van die priesterowerstes twaalf afgesonder: Ser,bja, Has bja en tien van hulle broers saam met hulle.25 En ek het vir hulle die silwer en die goud en die voorwerpe afgeweeg, die offergawe aan die huis van onse God wat die koning en sy raadsmanne en sy vorste en die hele Israel wat aanwesig was, aangebied het.26 En ek het in hulle hand afgeweeg: ses honderd en vyftig talente silwer en silwervoorwerpe van honderd talente, honderd talente in goud,27 en twintig goue bekers van duisend darieke en twee mooi goudgeel voorwerpe van koper, kosbaar soos goud.28 En ek het vir hulle gesê: Julle is heilig aan die HERE, en die voorwerpe is heilig, en die silwer en die goud is 'n vrywillige gawe aan die HERE, die God van julle vaders.29 Waak daaroor en bewaar dit, totdat julle dit afweeg voor die owerstes van die priesters en die Leviete en die familie-owerstes van Israel in Jerusalem, in die vertrekke van die huis van die HERE.30 Toe het die priesters en die Leviete die gewig van die silwer en die goud en die voorwerpe ontvang om dit na Jerusalem, na die huis van onse God te bring.31 Daarna het ons weggetrek van die rivier Ahawa af op die twaalfde van die eerste maand, om na Jerusalem te gaan; en die hand van onse God was oor ons, sodat Hy ons gered het uit die hand van die vyand en die wat ons voorlê op die pad.32 En ons het in Jerusalem aangekom en daar drie dae gebly.33 En op die vierde dag is die silwer en die goud en die voorwerpe in die huis van onse God afgeweeg onder bewaring van die priester M,remot, die seun van Ur¡a, en by hom was Ele sar, die seun van P¡nehas, en by hulle Josabad, die seun van J,sua, en No dja, die seun van B¡nnu‹, die Leviete --34 volgens getal en gewig van alles; en tegelykertyd is die hele gewig opgeskrywe.35 Hulle wat uit die gevangenskap gekom het, die seuns van die ballingskap, het brandoffers gebring aan die God van Israel: twaalf bulle vir die hele Israel, ses en negentig ramme, sewe en sewentig lammers, twaalf bokke as sondoffer -- dit alles as brandoffer aan die HERE.36 En hulle het die bevelskrifte van die koning gegee aan die landvoogde van die koning en die goewerneurs wes van die Eufraat, en die het die volk en die huis van God ondersteun.