Ezra Chapter 8
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
2
the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
3
this Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him.
4
And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
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And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
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For upon the first
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day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon; and on the first
8
day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
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For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.
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Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of his statutes to Israel:
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Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.
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I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee.
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Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king and his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand,
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and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
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and all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;
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therefore thou shalt with all diligence buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and shalt offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
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And whatsoever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do ye after the will of your God.
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And the vessels that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
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And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure-house.
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And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers that are beyond the River, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with all diligence,
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unto a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
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Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
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Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, upon them.
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And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people that are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye him that knoweth them not.
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And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
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Blessed be Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem;
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and hath extended lovingkindness unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened according to the hand of Jehovah my God upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
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Now these are the heads of their fathers’
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houses, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king:
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Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush.
31
Of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the males a hundred and fifty.
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Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah; and with him two hundred males.
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Of the sons of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel; and with him three hundred males.
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And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan; and with him fifty males.
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And of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah; and with him seventy males.
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And of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael; and with him fourscore males.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
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.
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And of the children of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
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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.
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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.
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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 ourGod.
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And by the good hand of ourGod 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;
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and Hashabiah, and with him Isaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;
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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 ourGod, 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 ourGod is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his anger is against all them that forsake him.
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And we fasted, and besought ourGod for this; and he was entreated of us.
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And I separated twelve of the chiefs of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,
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and I weighed to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the heave-offering for the house of ourGod, which the king and his counsellors and his princes, and all Israel present, had offered.
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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;
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and twenty basons of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of shining copper, precious as gold.
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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 theGod of your fathers.
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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 ourGod.
31
And we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month, to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of ourGod was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
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And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
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And on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of ourGod 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:
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the whole by number and by weight; and all the weight was written down at that time.
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The children of those that had been carried away, who had come out of the captivity, presented burnt-offerings to theGod 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 ofGod.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
And these [are] the heads of their families, the leaders that went up with me in the reign of Arthasastha the king of Babylon.
2
Of the sons of Phinees; Gerson: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of the sons of David; Attus.
3
Of the sons of Sachania, and of the sons of Phoros; Zacharias: and with him a company [of] a hundred and fifty.
4
Of the sons of Phaath-Moab; Eliana the son of Saraia, and with him two hundred that were males.
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And of the sons of Zathoes; Sechenias the son of Aziel, and with him three hundred males.
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And of the sons of Adin; Obeth the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.
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And of the sons of Elam; Isæas the son of Athelia, and with him seventy males.
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And of the sons of Saphatia; Zabadias the son of Michael, and with him eighty males.
9
And of the sons of Joab; Abadia the son of Jeiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males.
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And of the sons of Baani; Selimuth the son of Josephia, and with him a hundred and sixty males.
11
And of the sons of Babi; Zacharias the son of Babi, and with him twenty-eight males.
12
And of the sons of Asgad; Joanan the son of Accatan, and with him a hundred and ten males.
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And of the sons of Adonicam [were the] last, and these [were] their names, Eliphalat, Jeel, and Samæa, and with them sixty males.
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And of the sons of Baguæ, Uthai, and Zabud, and with him seventy males.
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And I gathered them to the river that comes to Evi, and we encamped there three days: and I reviewed the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there.
16
And I sent men of understanding to Eleazar, to Ariel, to Semeias, and to Alonam, and to Jarib, and to Elnatham, and to Nathan, and to Zacharias, and to Mesollam, and to Joarim, and to Elnathan.
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And I forwarded them to the rulers with the money of the place, and I put words in their mouth to speak to their brethren the Athinim with the money of the place, that they should bring us singers for the house of our God.
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And they came to us, as the good hand of our God was upon us, even a man of understanding of the sons of Mooli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and at the commencement came his sons and his brethren, eighteen.
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And Asebia, and Isaia of the sons of Merari, his brethren and his sons, twenty.
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And of the Nathinim, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites [there were] two hundred and twenty Nathinim; all were gathered by [their] names.
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And I proclaimed there a fast, at the river Aüe, that [we] should humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our children, and for all our property.
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For I was ashamed to ask of the king a guard and horsemen to save us from the enemy in the way: for we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God [is] upon all that seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath [are] upon all that forsake him.
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So we fasted, and asked of our God concerning this; and he hearkened to us.
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And I gave charge to twelve of the chiefs of the priests, to Saraia, to Asabia, and ten of their brethren with them.
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And I weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of the first-fruits of the house of our God, which the king, and his councillors, and his princes, and all Israel that were found, had dedicated.
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I even weighed into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and a hundred silver vessels, and a hundred talents of gold;
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and twenty golden bowls, [weighing] about a thousand drachms, and superior vessels of fine shining brass, [precious] as gold.
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And I said to them, Ye [are] holy to the Lord; and the vessels [are] holy; and the silver and the gold are freewill-offerings to the Lord God of our fathers.
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Be watchful and keep them, until ye weigh [them] before the chief priests and the Levites, and the chiefs of families in Jerusalem, at the chambers of the house of the Lord.
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So the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem into the house of our God.
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And we departed from the river of Aüe on the twelfth day of the first month, to come to Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and delivered us from the hand of the enemy and adversary in the way.
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And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
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And it came to pass on the fourth day that we weighed the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, in the house of our God, into the hand of Merimoth the son of Uria the priest; and with him [was] Eleazar the son of Phinees, and with them Jozabad the son of Jesus, and Noadia the son of Banaia, the Levites.
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All things [were reckoned] by number and weight, and the whole weight was written [down].
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At that time the children of the banishment that came from the captivity offered whole-burnt-offerings to the God of Israel, twelve calves for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve goats for a sin-offering: all whole-burnt-offerings to the Lord.
36
And they gave the king's mandate to the king's lieutenants, and the governors beyond the river: and they honoured the people and the house of God.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Hi sunt ergo principes familiarum, et genealogia eorum, qui ascenderunt mecum in regno Artaxerxis regis de Babylone.
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De filiis Phinees, Gersom. De filiis Ithamar, Daniel. De filiis David, Hattus.
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De filiis Secheniæ, filiis Pharos, Zacharias: et cum eo numerati sunt viri centum quinquaginta.
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De filiis Phahath Moab, Elioenai filius Zarehe, et cum eo ducenti viri.
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De filiis Secheniæ, filius Ezechiel, et cum eo trecenti viri.
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De filiis Adan, Abed filius Ionathan, et cum eo quinquaginta viri.
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De filiis Alam, Isaias filius Athaliæ, et cum eo septuaginta viri.
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De filiis Saphatiæ, Zebedia filius Michael, et cum eo octoginta viri.
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De filiis Ioab, Obedia filius Iahiel, et cum eo ducenti decem et octo viri.
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De filiis Selomith, filius Iosphiæ, et cum eo centum sexaginta viri.
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De filiis Bebai, Zacharias filius Bebai, et cum eo vigintiocto viri.
12
De filiis Azgad, Iohanan filius Eccetan, et cum eo centum et decem viri.
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De filiis Adonicam, qui erant novissimi: et hæc nomina eorum: Elipheleth, et Iehiel, et Samaias, et cum eis sexaginta viri.
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De filii Begui, Uthai et Zachur, et cum eis septuaginta viri.
15
Congregavi autem eos ad fluvium, qui decurrit ad Ahava, et mansimus ibi tribus diebus: quæsivique in populo et in sacerdotibus de filiis Levi, et non inveni ibi.
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Itaque misi Eliezer, et Ariel, et Semeiam, et Elnathan, et Iarib, et alterum Elnathan, et Nathan, et Zachariam, et Mosollam principes: et Ioiarib, et Elnathan sapientes.
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Et misi eos ad Eddo, qui est primus in Chasphiæ loco, et posui in ore eorum verba, quæ loquerentur ad Eddo, et fratres eius Nathinæos in loco Chasphiæ ut adducerent nobis ministros domus Dei nostri.
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Et adduxerunt nobis per manum Dei nostri bonam super nos, virum doctissimum de filiis Moholi filii Levi filii Israel, et Sarabiam et filios eius et fratres eius decem et octo,
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et Hasabiam, et cum eo Isaiam de filiis Merari, fratresque eius, et filios eius viginti:
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et de Nathinæis, quos dederat David et principes ad ministeria Levitarum, Nathinæos ducentos viginti: omnes hi suis nominibus vocabantur.
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Et prædicavi ibi ieiunium iuxta fluvium Ahava ut affligeremur coram Domino Deo nostro, et peteremus ab eo viam rectam nobis et filiis nostris, universæque substantiæ nostræ.
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Erubui enim petere a rege auxilium et equites, qui defenderent nos ab inimico in via: quia dixeramus regi: Manus Dei nostri est super omnes, qui quærunt eum in bonitate: et imperium eius et fortitudo eius, et furor super omnes, qui derelinquunt eum.
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Ieiunavimus autem, et rogavimus Deum nostrum per hoc: et evenit nobis prospere.
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Et separavi de principibus Sacerdotum duodecim, Sarabiam, et Hasabiam, et cum eis de fratribus eorum decem.
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appendique eis argentum et aurum, et vasa consecrata domus Dei nostri, quæ obtulerat rex et consiliatores eius, et principes eius, universusque Israel eorum, qui inventi fuerant:
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et appendi in manibus eorum argenti talenta sexcenta quinquaginta, et vasa argentea centum, auri centum talenta:
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et crateres aureos viginti, qui habebant solidos millenos, et vasa æris fulgentis optimi duo, pulchra, ut aurum.
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Et dixi eis: Vos sancti Domini, et vasa sancta, et argentum et aurum, quod sponte oblatum est Domino Deo patrum nostrorum:
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vigilate et custodite, donec appendatis coram principibus Sacerdotum, et Levitarum, et ducibus familiarum Israel in Ierusalem, in thesaurum domus Domini.
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Susceperunt autem Sacerdotes et Levitæ pondus argenti, et auri, et vasorum ut deferrent Ierusalem in domum Dei nostri.
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Promovimus ergo a flumine Ahava duodecimo die mensis primi ut pergeremus Ierusalem: et manus Dei nostri fuit super nos, et liberavit nos de manu inimici et insidiatoris in via.
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Et venimus Ierusalem, et mansimus ibi tribus diebus.
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Die autem quarta appensum est argentum, et aurum, et vasa in domo Dei nostri per manum Meremoth filii Uriæ Sacerdotis, et cum eo Eleazar filius Phinees, cumque eis Iozabed filius Iosue, et Noadaia filius Bennoi Levitæ,
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iuxta numerum et pondus omnium: descriptumque est omne pondus in tempore illo.
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Sed et qui venerant de captivitate filii transmigrationis, obtulerunt holocautomata Deo Israel, vitulos duodecim pro omni populo Israel, arietes nonaginta sex, agnos septuaginta septem, hircos pro peccato, duodecim: omnia in holocaustum Domino.
36
Dederunt autem edicta regis satrapis, qui erant de conspectu regis et ducibus trans Flumen, et elevaverunt populum et domum Dei.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
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 the LORD, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a free will offering to the LORD, 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 the LORD’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 the LORD.
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.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
And these <FI>are<Fi> heads of their fathers, and the genealogy of those going up with me, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king, from Babylon.
2
From the sons of Phinehas: Gershom; from the sons of Ithamar: Daniel; from the sons of David: Hattush;
3
from the sons of Shechaniah, from the sons of Pharosh: Zechariah, and with him, reckoning themselves by genealogy, of males a hundred and fifty.
4
From the sons of Pahath-Moab: Elihoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred who are males.
5
From the sons of Shechaniah: the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred who are males.
6
And from the sons of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him fifty who are males.
7
And from the sons of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him seventy who are males.
8
And from the sons of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him eighty who are males.
9
From the sons of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen who are males.
10
And from the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty who are males.
11
And from the sons of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him twenty and eight who are males.
12
And from the sons of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten who are males.
13
And from the younger sons of Adonikam--and these <FI>are<Fi> their names--Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty who are males.
14
And from the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and with them seventy who are males.
15
And I gather them unto the river that is going unto Ahava, and we encamp there three days; and I consider about the people, and about the priests, and of the sons of Levi I have found none there;
16
and I send for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, heads, and for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding;
17
and I charge them for Iddo the head, in the place Casiphia, and put in their mouth words to speak unto Iddo, <FI>and<Fi> his brethren the Nethinim, in the place Casiphia, to bring to us ministrants for the house of our God.
18
And they bring to us, according to the good hand of our God upon us, a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel, and Sherebiah, and 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
and from the Nethinim, whom David and the heads gave for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim, all of them defined by name.
21
And I proclaim there a fast, by the river Ahava, to afflict ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our infants, and for all our substance,
22
for I was ashamed to ask from the king a force and horsemen to help us because of the enemy in the way, for we spake to the king, saying, `The hand of our God <FI>is<Fi> upon all seeking Him for good, and His strength and His wrath <FI> is<Fi> upon all forsaking Him.'
23
And we fast, and seek from our God for this, and He is entreated of us.
24
And I separate from the heads of the priests, twelve, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them of their brethren ten,
25
and I weigh to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, a heave-offering of the house of our God, that the king, and his counsellors, and his heads, and all Israel--those present--lifted up;
26
and I weigh to their hand, of silver, talents six hundred and fifty, and of vessels of silver a hundred talents, of gold a hundred talents,
27
and basins of gold twenty, of a thousand drams, and two vessels of good shining brass, desirable as gold.
28
And I say unto them, `Ye <FI>are<Fi> holy to Jehovah, and the vessels <FI>are<Fi> holy, and the silver and the gold <FI>are<Fi> a willing-offering to Jehovah, God of your fathers;
29
watch, and keep, till ye weigh before the heads of the priests, and of the Levites, and the heads of the fathers of Israel, in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of Jehovah.'
30
And the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and of the gold, and of the vessels, to bring to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31
And we journey from the river Ahava, on the twelfth of the first month, to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God hath been upon us, and He delivereth us from the hand of the enemy and the lier in wait by the way;
32
and we come in to Jerusalem, and dwell there three days.
33
And on the fourth day hath been weighed the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, in the house of our God, unto the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah the priest, and with him Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them Jozabad son of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui, the Levites:
34
by number, by weight of every one, and all the weight is written at that time.
35
Those coming in of the captives--sons of the removal--have brought near burnt-offerings to the God of Israel, bullocks twelve, for all Israel, rams ninety and six, lambs seventy and seven, young he-goats for a sin-offering twelve--the whole a burnt-offering to Jehovah;
36
and they give the laws of the king to the lieutenants of the king and the governors beyond the river, and they have lifted up the people and the house of God.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).