\v 15 Ezra said, "I gathered together all of Jews at the canal that goes from Babylon to Ahava. We set up our tents there and stayed there for three days. During that time I read the lists of names
\v 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, El Nathan, Jarib, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were all leaders of the people. I also summoned Joiarib
\v 17 I sent them all to Iddo, the leader of the descendants of Levi, who was living in Casiphia, to request that he and his relatives and other men who had worked in the temple in Jerusalem send us
\v 18 Because God acted kindly toward us, they brought to us a man named Sherebiah and eighteen of his sons and other relatives. Sherebiah was a very wise man, a descendant of Mahli,
\v 20 They also sent 220 other men to work in the temple. Those men's ancestors had been appointed by King David to assist the descendants of Levi. I listed the names of all
\v 21 There alongside the Ahava Canal, I announced a time for us all to fast and pray. I told them that we should humble ourselves in the presence of our God. We prayed that God would protect
\v 22 Previously we had told the king that our God takes care of all those who truly trust in him, but that he becomes very angry with those who refuse to obey him. So I would have been ashamed
\v 25 I assigned them to supervise the transport to Jerusalem of the gifts of silver and gold and the other valuable items that the king and his advisors and other officials, and the Israelite people who were
living in Babylonia, had contributed for the temple of our God.
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\v 26 As I gave these various items to those priests, I weighed each of the items. This was the total: about twenty-two metric tons of silver, one hundred items made from silver that altogether weighed about 3.4 metric tons, about 3.4 metric tons of gold,
\v 27 twenty gold bowls that altogether weighed about 8.5 kilograms, and two items made of polished bronze that were as valuable as ones made of gold.
\v 28 I said to those priests, 'You are specially set apart for Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors worshiped, and these valuable things are special to him in the same way. The people themselves gave these things to
\v 29 So guard them carefully, and when we arrive in Jerusalem, weigh them in the presence of the priests, the descendants of Levi who will help the priests, and the other Israelite leaders there.
They will then put them in the storerooms in the new temple.'
\v 30 So the priests and descendants of Levi took from me all the gifts of silver and gold and the other valuable items, in order to carry them to the temple in Jerusalem.
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\v 31 On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the Ahava Canal and started to travel to Jerusalem. Our God took care of us, and while we traveled, he prevented our enemies and bandits from attacking us.
\v 32 After we arrived in Jerusalem, we rested for three days.
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\v 33 Then on the fourth day we went to the temple. There the silver and gold and the other items were weighed and given to the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar the son of Phinehas and two descendants of Levi, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui, were with him.
\v 34 They counted everything, and wrote down how much they weighed, and wrote a description of each item.
\v 35 We who had returned from Babylonia offered to God sacrifices on the altar. We offered twelve bulls for all us Israelite people. We also offered ninety-six rams and seventy-seven lambs.
\v 36 Some of us who returned from Babylonia took to the governors and other officials of the province west of the Euphrates River the letter that the king had given to us. After they read the