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EZRA 8
province west of the Euphrates River*: ‘You
are to give Ezra, the priest and teacher of
the law of the God of heaven, whatever he
requests of you. 22 You are to give him up
to 7,500 pounds* of silver, 500 bushels*
of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons
of olive oil,* and an unlimited supply of
salt. 23 Be careful to provide whatever the
God of heaven demands for his Temple, for
why should we risk bringing God’s anger
against the realm of the king and his sons?
24 I also decree that no priest, Levite, singer,
gatekeeper, Temple servant, or other worker
in this Temple of God will be required to pay
tribute, customs, or tolls of any kind.’
25 “And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom
your God has given you to appoint
magistrates and judges who know your God’s
laws to govern all the people in the province
west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law
to anyone who does not know it. 26 Anyone
who refuses to obey the law of your God
and the law of the king will be punished
immediately, either by death, banishment,
confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.”
Ezra Praises the LORD
27 Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors,
who made the king want to beautify the Temple
of the Lord in Jerusalem! 28 And praise him for
demonstrating such unfailing love to me by
honoring me before the king, his council, and
all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because
the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on
me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel
to return with me to Jerusalem.
• Opportunities
E Z R A 8 :1 5 -1 7
It was not a small problem that Ezra
and the Israelites were en route back to
their homeland when they discovered
there was not a Levite among them. The
Levites were members of the tribe of
Levi, and they alone were entrusted with
the daily sacrifices and rituals of worship.
Without their service the spiritual life
of the nation was hamstrung. This was
such a crucial issue that Ezra recruited
Levites from another settlement. The
New Testament teaches that God has
given each member of his family a unique
ability to contribute to his Kingdom
(Romans 12:4-8). What are your gifts,
and what opportunities have presented
themselves to you in the last week,
month, or year?
page 422
Exiles Who Returned with Ezra
Here is a list of the family leaders and the genealogies of those who came with me from
Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
8
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
From the family of Phinehas: Gershom.
From the family of Ithamar: Daniel.
From the family of David: Hattush,
3 a descendant of Shecaniah.
From the family of Parosh: Zechariah and
150 other men were registered.
From the family of Pahath-moab: Eliehoenai
son of Zerahiah and 200 other men.
From the family of Zattu*: Shecaniah son
of Jahaziel and 300 other men.
From the family of Adin: Ebed son of
Jonathan and 50 other men.
From the family of Elam: Jeshaiah son of
Athaliah and 70 other men.
From the family of Shephatiah: Zebadiah
son of Michael and 80 other men.
From the family of Joab: Obadiah son of
Jehiel and 218 other men.
From the family of Bani*: Shelomith son
of Josiphiah and 160 other men.
From the family of Bebai: Zechariah son of
Bebai and 28 other men.
From the family of Azgad: Johanan son of
Hakkatan and 110 other men.
From the family of Adonikam, who came
later*: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and
60 other men.
From the family of Bigvai: Uthai, Zaccur,*
and 70 other men.
Ezra’s Journey to Jerusalem
15 I assembled the exiles at the Ahava Canal,
and we camped there for three days while I
went over the lists of the people and the priests
who had arrived. I found that not one Levite
had volunteered to come along. 16 So I sent for
Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who
were leaders of the people. I also sent for Joiarib
and Elnathan, who were men of discernment.
17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader of the Levites
at Casiphia, to ask him and his relatives and
the Temple servants to send us ministers for the
Temple of God at Jerusalem.
18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on
us, they sent us a man named Sherebiah, along
with eighteen of his sons and brothers. He was a
very astute man and a descendant of Mahli, who
was a descendant of Levi son of Israel.* 19 They
7:21 Aramaic the province beyond the river; also in 7:25.
7:22a Aramaic 100 talents [3,400 kilograms]. 7:22b Aramaic
100 cors [22 kiloliters]. 7:22c Aramaic 100 baths
[2.1 kiloliters] of wine, 100 baths of olive oil. 8:5 As in some
Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras 8:32); Hebrew lacks
Zattu. 8:10 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras
8:36); Hebrew lacks Bani. 8:13 Or who were the last of his
family. 8:14 As in Greek and Syriac versions and an alternate
reading of the Masoretic Text; the other alternate reads
Zabbud. 8:18 Israel is the name that God gave to Jacob.