38
Of the sons of Astath, Johannes son of Acatan, and with him an hundred and ten men:
39
Of the sons of Adonikam the last, and these are the names of them, Eliphalet, Jewel, and Samaias, and with them seventy men:
40
Of the sons of Bago, Uthi the son of Istalcurus, and with him seventy men.
41
And these I gathered together to the river called Theras, where we pitched our tents three days: and then I surveyed them.
42
But when I had found there none of the priests and Levites,
43
Then sent I unto Eleazar, and Iduel, and Masman,
44
And Alnathan, and Mamaias, and Joribas, and Nathan, Eunatan, Zacharias, and Mosollamon, principal men and learned.
45
And I bade them that they should go unto Saddeus the captain, who was in the place of the treasury:
46
And commanded them that they should speak unto Daddeus, and to his brethren, and to the treasurers in that place, to send us such men as might execute the priests' office in the house of the Lord.
47
And by the mighty hand of our Lord they brought unto us skilful men of the sons of Moli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, Asebebia, and his sons, and his brethren, who were eighteen.
48
And Asebia, and Annuus, and Osaias his brother, of the sons of Channuneus, and their sons, were twenty men.
49
And of the servants of the temple whom David had ordained, and the principal men for the service of the Levites to wit, the servants of the temple two hundred and twenty, the catalogue of whose names were shewed.
50
And there I vowed a fast unto the young men before our Lord, to desire of him a prosperous journey both for us and them that were with us, for our children, and for the cattle:
51
For I was ashamed to ask the king footmen, and horsemen, and conduct for safeguard against our adversaries.
52
For we had said unto the king, that the power of the Lord our God should be with them that seek him, to support them in all ways.
53
And again we besought our Lord as touching these things, and found him favourable unto us.
54
Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Esebrias, and Assanias, and ten men of their brethren with them:
55
And I weighed them the gold, and the silver, and the holy vessels of the house of our Lord, which the king, and his council, and the princes, and all Israel, had given.
56
And when I had weighed it, I delivered unto them six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels of an hundred talents, and an hundred talents of gold,
57
And twenty golden vessels, and twelve vessels of brass, even of fine brass, glittering like gold.
58
And I said unto them, Both ye are holy unto the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the gold and the silver is a vow unto the Lord, the Lord of our fathers.
59
Watch ye, and keep them till ye deliver them to the chief of the priests and Levites, and to the principal men of the families of Israel, in Jerusalem, into the chambers of the house of our God.
60
So the priests and the Levites, who had received the silver and the gold and the vessels, brought them unto Jerusalem, into the temple of the Lord.
61
And from the river Theras we departed the twelfth day of the first month, and came to Jerusalem by the mighty hand of our Lord, which was with us: and from the beginning of our journey the Lord delivered us from every enemy, and so we came to Jerusalem.
62
And when we had been there three days, the gold and silver that was weighed was delivered in the house of our Lord on the fourth day unto Marmoth the priest the son of Iri.
63
And with him was Eleazar the son of Phinees, and with them were Josabad the son of Jesu and Moeth the son of Sabban, Levites: all was delivered them by number and weight.
64
And all the weight of them was written up the same hour.
65
Moreover they that were come out of the captivity offered sacrifice unto the Lord God of Israel, even twelve bullocks for all Israel, fourscore and sixteen rams,
66
Threescore and twelve lambs, goats for a peace offering, twelve; all of them a sacrifice to the Lord.
67
And they delivered the king's commandments unto the king's stewards' and to the governors of Celosyria and Phenice; and they honoured the people and the temple of God.
68
Now when these things were done, the rulers came unto me, and said,
69
The nation of Israel, the princes, the priests and Levites, have not put away from them the strange people of the land, nor the pollutions of the Gentiles to wit, of the Canaanites, Hittites, Pheresites, Jebusites, and the Moabites, Egyptians, and Edomites.
70
For both they and their sons have married with their daughters, and the holy seed is mixed with the strange people of the land; and from the beginning of this matter the rulers and the great men have been partakers of this iniquity.
71
And as soon as I had heard these things, I rent my clothes, and the holy garment, and pulled off the hair from off my head and beard, and sat me down sad and very heavy.
72
So all they that were then moved at the word of the Lord God of Israel assembled unto me, whilst I mourned for the iniquity: but I sat still full of heaviness until the evening sacrifice.
73
Then rising up from the fast with my clothes and the holy garment rent, and bowing my knees, and stretching forth my hands unto the Lord,
74
I said, O Lord, I am confounded and ashamed before thy face;
75
For our sins are multiplied above our heads, and our ignorances have reached up unto heaven.
76
For ever since the time of our fathers we have been and are in great sin, even unto this day.
77
And for our sins and our fathers' we with our brethren and our kings and our priests were given up unto the kings of the earth, to the sword, and to captivity, and for a prey with shame, unto this day.
78
And now in some measure hath mercy been shewed unto us from thee, O Lord, that there should be left us a root and a name in the place of thy sanctuary;