1 Esdras 8:22-48

Common English Bible

²²Also no foreign tax or any other fine should be placed on any of the priests, Levites, temple singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or people working on this temple. No one has authority to impose anything on them.

²³You, Ezra, according to God’s wisdom, should appoint judges and justices to have jurisdiction over all those who know the Law from your God, throughout all Syria and Phoenicia. You should teach it to those who don’t know it. ²⁴All who disobey the Law from your God or the royal law will be strictly punished, whether by death or some other punishment, either fine or arrest.

²⁵^[a] Bless the Lord alone, who put this into the king’s heart, to glorify his house in Jerusalem, ²⁶and who honored me before the king, the counselors, all of his political advisors,^[b] and officials. ²⁷I was encouraged by my God’s help, and I gathered people from Israel to go up with me.

²⁸These are the leaders, according to their families and their divisions, who went up with me from Babylon, in King Artaxerxes’ rule:

²⁹From the family of Phinehas, Gershom.

From the family of Ithamar, Gamael.

From the family of David, Hattush, Shecaniah’s son.

³⁰From the family of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him 150 men registered.

³¹From the family of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai, Zerahiah’s son and with him 200 men.

³²From the family of Zattu, Shecaniah, Jahaziel’s son and with him 300 men.

From the family of Adin, Obed, Jonathan’s son and with him 250 men.

³³From the family of Elam, Jeshaiah, Gotholiah’s son and with him 70 men.

³⁴From the family of Shephatiah, Zeraiah, Michael’s son and with him 70 men.

³⁵From the family of Joab, Obadiah, Jehiel’s son and with him 212 men.

³⁶From the family of Bani, Shelomith, Josiphiah’s son and with him 160 men.

³⁷From the family of Bebai, Zechariah, Bebai’s son and with him 28 men.

³⁸From the family of Azgad, Johanan, Hakkatan’s son and with him 110 men.

³⁹From the family of Adonikam, the last ones, their names were Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 70 men.

⁴⁰From the family of Bigvai, Uthai, Istalcurus’ son and with him 70 men.

⁴¹I assembled them at the Theras River, where I inspected them. We camped at that place for three days. ⁴²When I found no families from the priests or the Levites there, ⁴³I sent word to Eleazar, Iduel, Maasmas, Elnathan, Shemaiah, Jarib, Nathan, Elnathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were the leaders and persons of great learning. ⁴⁴I told them to go to Iddo, who was the official in charge at the residence of the treasury, ⁴⁵and ordered them to ask Iddo and his relatives and the treasurers at that place to send us some persons to serve as priests in the Lord’s house. ⁴⁶By the Lord’s direction, they brought us knowledgeable persons from the family of Mahli, Levi’s son, and grandson of Israel, namely Sherebiah^[c] with eighteen members of his family; ⁴⁷also Hashabiah, Annunus, and a brother Jeshaiah, from the family of Hananiah, and their family, twenty persons in all. ⁴⁸Of the temple servants, whom David and the leaders had given for the service of the Levites, they brought us two hundred twenty temple servants. All their names were listed in the register.