1 Eis, com sua genealogia, os chefes de família que partiram comigo de Babilônia, sob o reinado do rei Artaxerxes.2 Dos filhos de Finéias: Gersom; dos filhos de Itamar: Daniel; dos filhos de Davi; Hatus, que descendia de Sequenias.3 Dos filhos de Faros: Zacarias e com ele cento e cinqüenta homens inscritos no registro da família.4 Dos filhos de Fahat-Moab: Elioenai, filho de Zaréias e com ele duzentos homens.5 Dos filhos de Sequenias: o filho de Ezequiel, e com ele trezentos homens;6 dos filhos de Adã: Abed, filho de Jonatã, e com ele cinqüenta homens;7 dos filhos de Alão: Isaías, filho de Atalias, e com ele setenta homens;8 dos filhos de Safatias: Zebedias, filho de Micael, e com ele oitenta homens;9 dos filhos de Joab: Obedias, filho de Jeiel, e com ele duzentos e dezoito homens;10 dos filhos de Selomith: o filho de Josefias, e com ele cento e sessenta homens;11 dos filhos de Bebai: Zacarias, filho de Bebai, e com ele vinte e oito homens;12 dos filhos de Azgad: Joanã, filho de Ecetã, e com ele cento e dez homens;13 dos filhos de Adonicão, os últimos, dos quais são estes os nomes: Elifelet, Jeiel e Samaías, e com eles sessenta homens;14 dos filhos de Beguai: Utai e Zacur, e com eles setenta homens.15 Reuni-os perto do riacho que corre para Aava e ali acampamos três dias. Tendo observado o povo e os sacerdotes não encontrei entre eles nenhum dos filhos de Levi.16 Então mandei procurar os chefes Eliezer, Ariel, Semeías, Elnatã, Jarib, um outro Elnatã, Natã, Zacarias e Mosolão, bem como Joiarib e Elnata, doutores da lei.17 Enviei-os ao chefe Eddo, que residia em Casfia. Ditei-lhes as palavras que deviam dizer a Eddo e a seus irmãos, os natineus, residentes em Casfia, a fim de que nos trouxessem ministros para a casa de nosso Deus.18 E como a mão benfazeja de nosso Deus estivesse conosco, trouxeram eles um homem inteligente dentre os filhos de Mooli, filho de Levi, filho de Israel, Sarabias, com seus filhos e irmãos em números de dezoito.19 Hasabias, e com ele Isaías, dentre os filhos de Merari, seus irmãos e seus filhos em número de vinte;20 e dentre os natineus, que Davi e os chefes tinham entregue para o serviço dos levitas, duzentos e vinte natineus, todos designados por seu nome.21 Ali, perto do riacho Aava, publiquei um jejum a fim de nos humilharmos diante de nosso Deus e implorar dele uma feliz viagem, para nós, nossos filhos, e para todos os nossos haveres.22 Tive vergonha, com efeito, de pedir ao rei uma escolta e cavaleiros para nos proteger contra os inimigos durante o trajeto; porque havíamos dito ao rei: a mão de nosso Deus protege com sua bondade todos os que o procuram; mas sua força e sua cólera se fazem sentir em todos aqueles que o abandonam.23 Por isso jejuamos e invocamos o nosso Deus, e ele nos ouviu.24 Escolhi doze chefes dos sacerdotes, Sarabias e Hasabias, e dez de seus irmãos.25 Diante deles pesei a prata, o ouro e os utensílios dados em oferenda para a casa de nosso Deus pelo rei, seus conselheiros e seus príncipes, bem como pelos israelitas que ali se encontravam.26 Entreguei-lhes o peso de seiscentos e cinqüenta talentos de prata, utensílios de prata do peso de cem talentos, cem talentos de ouro,27 vinte taças de ouro valendo mil dáricos, e dois vasos de um bronze muito claro e brilhante, tão belo como ouro.28 E disse-lhes: vós sois santos diante do Senhor; estes utensílios são consagrados; esta prata e este ouro são uma oferta espontânea feita ao Senhor, Deus de vossos pais.29 Guardai-os com cuidado até o momento em que vós os pesareis diante dos chefes dos sacerdotes e dos levitas, e diante dos chefes da família de Israel, em Jerusalém, nas salas da casa do Senhor.30 Os sacerdotes e levitas receberam, pois, o ouro, a prata e os utensílios assim pesados, para levá-los a Jerusalém, à casa de nosso Deus.31 Partimos do riacho de Aava no duodécimo dia do primeiro mês a fim de irmos para Jerusalém. A mão de nosso Deus nos protegia e nos salvava das mãos dos inimigos e de suas emboscadas durante o trajeto.32 Chegados a Jerusalém, repousamos durante três dias.33 Ao quarto dia, a prata, o ouro e os utensílios foram pesados na casa de nosso Deus e entregues a Merimut, filho de Urias, o sacerdote. Ele tinha consigo Eleazar, filho de Finéias, e com eles os levitas Josabad, filho de Josué, e Noadias, filho de Benui.34 Tudo foi contado e pesado. E ao mesmo tempo o peso total foi consignado por escrito.35 Os que voltavam do exílio, homens nascidos no cativeiro, ofereceram em holocausto, ao Deus de Israel, doze touros por todo o Israel, noventa e seis carneiros, setenta e sete cordeiros e doze bodes pelos pecados, tudo em holocausto ao Senhor.36 Entregaram o decreto do rei aos sátrapas do rei e aos governadores de além do rio. Estes deram seu apoio ao povo e à casa de Deus.

1 Now these are the chiefs of their divisions, and this is the genealogy of those that went up with me, in the reign of king Artaxerxes, from Babylon.2 Of these sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Chattush;3 Of the sons of Shechanyah, who was of the sons of Par’osh, Zechariah; and with him were recorded by genealogy of males one hundred and fifty.4 Of the sons of Pachath–moab, Elyeho’enai the son of Zerachyah, and with him were two hundred males.5 Of the sons of Shechanyah, the son of Yachaziel, and with him were three hundred males.6 And of the sons of ‘Adin, ‘Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him were fifty males.7 And of the sons of ‘Elam, Jesha’yah the son of ‘Athalyah, and with him were seventy males.8 And of the sons of Shephatyath, Zebadyah the son of Michael, and with him were eighty males.9 Of the sons of Joab, ‘Obadiah the son of Jechiel, and with him were two hundred and eighteen males.10 And of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Jossiphyah, and with him were one hundred and sixty males.11 And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him were twenty and eight males.12 And the sons of ‘Azgad, Jochanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him were one hundred and ten males.13 And of the sons of Adonikam the last; and those are their names, Eliphelet, Je’iel, and Shema’yah, and with them were sixty males.14 And of the sons of Bigvai, ‘Uthai, and Zabbur, and with them were seventy males.15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth into the Ahava, and we encamped there three days: and I looked about among the people, and the priests, but of the sons of Levi I found none there.16 Then sent I for Eli’ezer, for Ariel, for Shema’yah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, the head men; also for Joyarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.17 And I sent them with a charge unto Iddo the chief at the place Cassiphia, and I laid the words in their mouth to speak unto Iddo, and to his brother, who were appointed at the place Cassiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.18 And they brought unto us according to the good hand of our God upon us a man of intelligence, of the sons of Machli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely, Sherebyah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen;19 And Chashabyah, and with him Jesha’yah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty.20 Also of the temple–servants, whom David and the princes had assigned for the service of the Levites two hundred and twenty temple–servants, all of whom were expressed by names.21 Then did I proclaim a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to request from him a prosperous journey for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.22 For I was ashamed to ask of the king an army and horsemen to assist us against an enemy on the way; because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those that seek him for good; but his power and his wrath are against all those that forsake him.23 So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he suffered himself to be entreated by us.24 Then set I apart of the chiefs of the priests twelve persons, Sherebyah, Chashabyah, and with them ten of their brethren.25 And I weighed out unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered.26 And I weighed out into their hand of silver six hundred and fifty talents, and of silver vessels one hundred talents, of gold one hundred talents;27 Also twenty cups of gold, of a thousand drachms; and two vessels of fine polished copper, valuable as gold.28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord; and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the Lord the God of your fathers.29 Watch ye, and guard them, until ye weigh them out before the chiefs of the priests and the Levites, and the chiefs of the divisions of Israel, at Jerusalem, into the chambers of the house of the Lord.30 And the priests and the Levites accepted what was weighed out of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring the same to Jerusalem to the house of our God.31 And we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was over us, and he delivered us from the hand of any enemy, and of such as lie in wait on the way.32 And we came to Jerusalem, and remained there three days.33 And on the fourth day were the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriyah the priest; and with him was El’azar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua’, and No’adyah the son of Binnui, the Levites;34 By number and by weight of everything: and all the weight was written down at the same time.35 Those that came out of the captivity, the children of the exile, offered burnt–offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven sheep, twelve he–goats for a sin–offering: all as burnt–offerings unto the Lord.36 And they delivered the king’s commands unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side of the river; and these endowed the people, and the house of God.