1 Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households, and this is the genealogy of those who 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 Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were listed by genealogy of the males one hundred fifty.

4 Of the sons of Pahathmoab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah; and with him two hundred males.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 Of the sons of Adonikam, who were the last, their names are: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah; and with them sixty males.

14 Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud; and with them seventy males.

15 I gathered them together to the river that runs to Ahava; and there we encamped three days. Then I looked around at the people and the priests, and found there were none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, for Elnathan, for Jarib, for Elnathan, for Nathan, for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib and for Elnathan, who were teachers. 17 I sent them out to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia; and I told them what they should tell Iddo and his brothers the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God. 18 According to the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen; 19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty; 20 and of the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, two hundred twenty temple servants. All of them were mentioned by name.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us, for our little ones, and for all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him." 23 So we fasted and begged our God for this, and he granted our request.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them, 25 and weighed to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, his counselors, his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered. 26 I weighed into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver vessels, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty bowls of gold weighing one thousand darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold. 28 I said to them, "You are holy to Yahweh, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a free will offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and the princes of the fathers’ households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the rooms of Yahweh’s house."

30 So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver, the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

31 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the bandits by the way. 32 We came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days. 33 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 Uriah 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, the Levites. 34 Everything was counted and weighed; and all the weight was written at that time.

35 The children of the captivity, who had come out of exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to Yahweh. 36 They delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s local governors and to the governors beyond the River. So they supported the people and God’s house.

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, gestuur

17 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.