And I gatheredthemtogether to the riverthatrunneth to Ahava; and thereabode we in tentsthreedays: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and foundtherenone of the sons of Levi.
Thensent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.
And I sentthemwithcommandmentuntoIddo the chief at the placeCasiphia, and I toldthemwhattheyshould say untoIddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the placeCasiphia, thattheyshouldbringunto us ministers for the house of our God.
And by the goodhand of our God upon us theybrought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
Also of the Nethinims, whomDavid and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twentyNethinims: all of themwereexpressed by name.
Then I proclaimed a fastthere, at the river of Ahava, that we mightafflictourselvesbefore our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our littleones, and for all our substance.
For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spokenunto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for goodthatseek him; but his power and his wrath is against all themthatforsake him.
And weigheduntothem the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israeltherepresent, had offered:
And I saiduntothem, Ye are holyunto the LORD; the vessels are holyalso; and the silver and the gold are a freewillofferingunto the LORD God of yourfathers.
Watch ye, and keepthem, until ye weighthembefore the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
Then we departedfrom the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the firstmonth, to go untoJerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vesselsweighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and withthem was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
Also the children of thosethat had beencarriedaway, whichwerecome out of the captivity, offeredburntofferingsunto the God of Israel, twelvebullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and sevenlambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burntofferingunto the LORD.
And theydelivered the king’scommissionsunto the king’slieutenants, and to the governors on thisside the river: and theyfurthered the people, and the house of God.