1 Now in
the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called
Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the
tetrarch) and Saul.2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,
the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which
I have called them.”3 So
after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them
off.
15 I
assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three
days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites
there. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan,
Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib
and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and I ordered them
to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his
fellow Levites, the temple servants in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants
to us for the house of our God. 18 Because the gracious hand of
our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the
descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and
brothers, 18 in all; 19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah
from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. 20 They
also brought 220 of the temple servants—a body that David and the officials had
established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.
21 There,
by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves
before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all
our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers
and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the
king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his
great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted
and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
24 Then
I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten
of their brothers, 25 and I weighed out to them the offering of
silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and
all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. 26 I
weighed out to them 650 talents[c] of silver,
silver articles weighing 100 talents,[d] 100 talents[e] of gold, 27 20
bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,[f] and two
fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.
28 I
said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill
offering to the Lord, the God of
your ancestors. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them
out in the chambers of the house of the Lord
in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of
Israel.” 30 Then the priests and Levites received the silver
and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house
of our God in Jerusalem.
31 On
the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to
Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and
bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we
rested three days.
33 On
the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and
the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest.
Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of
Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was accounted
for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.
35 Then
the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the
God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male
lambs and, as a sin offering,[g] twelve male
goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.
36 They also delivered the king’s orders to the royal satraps
and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people
and to the house of God.
