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.*8.12 the son…: or, the youngest son 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.*8.14 Zabbud: or, Zaccur, as some read

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.*8.15 abode: or, pitched 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.*8.17 I told…: Heb. I put words in their mouth 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 counsellors, 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.*8.27 fine…: Heb. yellow, or, shining brass*8.27 precious: Heb. desirable 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.

1 EN dit is hulle familiehoofde, met hulle geslagsregister, wat saam met my onder die regering van koning Artasásta uit Babel opgetrek het:

2 van die kinders van Pínehas: Gersom; van die kinders van Ítamar: Daniël; van die kinders van Dawid: Hattus,

3 van die kinders van Segánja; van die kinders van Parhos: Sagaría, en saam met hom in die register opgeneem, aan manspersone, honderd-en-vyftig;

4 van die kinders van Pahat-Moab: Eljehóënai, die seun van Serágja, en saam met hom tweehonderd manspersone;

5 van die kinders van Sattu: Segánja, die seun van Jahásiël, en saam met hom driehonderd manspersone;

6 en van die kinders van Adin: Ebed, die seun van Jónatan, en saam met hom vyftig manspersone;

7 en van die kinders van Elam: Jesaja, die seun van Atálja, en saam met hom sewentig manspersone;

8 en van die kinders van Sefátja: Sebádja, die seun van Mígael, en saam met hom tagtig manspersone;

9 van die kinders van Joab: Obádja, die seun van Jéhiël, en saam met hom tweehonderd-en-agttien manspersone;

10 en van die kinders van Bani: Selómit, die seun van Josífja, en saam met hom honderd-en-sestig manspersone;

11 en van die kinders van Bébai: Sagaría, die seun van Bébai, en saam met hom agt-en-twintig manspersone;

12 en van die kinders van Asgad: Jóhanan, die seun van Hakkátan, en saam met hom honderd-en-tien manspersone;

13 en van die kinders van Adoníkam wat later gekom het, en dit was hulle name: Elifélet, Jeï-el en Semája, en saam met hulle sestig manspersone;

14 en van die kinders van Bigwai: Útai en Sabbud, en saam met hom sewentig manspersone.

15 En ek het hulle versamel by die rivier wat na Áhawa 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, Áriël, Semája en Élnatan en Jarib en Élnatan en Natan en Sagaría en Mesúllam, die hoofde, en Jójarib en Élnatan, die leraars, gestuur

17 en hulle bevel gegee aan Iddo, die hoof in die plek Kasífja; en ek het die woorde in hulle mond gelê wat hulle met Iddo, en sy broers, die tempelbediendes in die plek Kasífja, 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 Serébja met sy seuns en sy broers, agttien;

19 en Hasábja, en saam met hom Jesaja, van die kinders van Merári, sy broers en hulle seuns, twintig;

20 en van die tempelbediendes wat Dawid en die owerstes vir die diens van die Leviete gegee het, tweehonderd-en-twintig tempelbediendes wat almal met hulle name aangewys was.

21 Toe het ek daar 'n vastyd uitgeroep aan die rivier Áhawa, 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: Serébja, Hasábja 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: seshonderd-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 Áhawa 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 Méremot, die seun van Uría, en by hom was Eleásar, die seun van Pínehas, en by hulle Jósabad, die seun van Jésua, en Noádja, die seun van Bínnuï, 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, sewen-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 dié het die volk en die huis van God ondersteun.