T4T EZR 2 | Testimonia

1 King Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers had captured many Israeli people and taken them to Babylonia. Many years later, some Israeli people returned to Judah. Some returned to Jerusalem, and some returned to other places in Judah. They went to the towns where their ancestors had lived. This is a list of the groups who returned.

10 642 descendants of Bani

11 623 descendants of Bebai

12 1,222 descendants of Azgad

13 666 descendants of Adonikam

14 2,056 descendants of Bigvai

15 454 descendants of Adin

16 98 descendants of Ater, whose other name was Hezekiah

17 323 descendants of Bezai

18 112 descendants of Jorah

19 223 descendants of Hashum

2 The leaders of those groups were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. There were:

20 95 descendants of Gibbar. People whose ancestors had lived in these towns in Judah:

21 123 from Bethlehem

23 128 from Anathoth

25 743 from Kiriath-Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth

26 621 from Ramah and Geba

28 223 from Bethel and Ai

3 2,172 descendants of Parosh

33 725 from Lod, Hadid, and Ono

35 3,630 from Senaah.

36 Priests who returned: 973 descendants of Jedaiah (that is, those from the family of Jeshua)

37 1,052 descendants of Immer

38 1,247 descendants of Pashhur

39 1,017 descendants of Harim. The ones from the rest of the tribe of Levi who returned were:

4 372 descendants of Shephatiah

40 74 descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, who were from the family of Hodaviah

41 128 singers who were descendants of Asaph

42 139 ◄gatekeepers/men who guarded the gates of the temple► who were descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai.

43 The ◄temple workers/men who would work in the temple► who were descendants of these men: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

44 Keros, Siaha, Padon,

45 Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,

46 Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,

47 Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,

48 Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,

49 Uzza, Paseah, Besai,

5 775 descendants of Arah

50 Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim,

51 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

52 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

53 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

54 Neziah, and Hatipha.

55 These descendants of King Solomon’s servants returned: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

56 Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,

57 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Ami.

58 Altogether, there were 392 temple workers and descendants of Solomon’s servants who returned.

59 There was another group who returned to Judah from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer towns in Babylonia. But they could not prove that they were descendants of people who previously lived in Israel.

6 2,812 descendants of Pahath-Moab, from the families of Jeshua and Joab

60 This group included 652 people who were descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda.

61 Hobaiah’s clan, Hakkoz’s clan, and Barzillai’s clan also returned. Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai from the Gilead region, and he had taken for himself the name of his father-in-law’s clan.

62 The people in that group searched in the documents that had the names of the ancestors of all the clans, but these men’s names were not found. So they were not permitted do the work that priests did.

63 The governor told them that they would need to ask a priest to consult Yahweh by ◄casting/throwing the sacred lots/stones that had been marked►, to determine if those men were truly Israelis. When the priests did that, if the stones showed that those men were Israelis, they would be permitted to eat the shares of the sacrifices that were given to the priests.

64 Altogether 42,360 Israeli people who returned to Judah.

65 There were also 7,337 servants and 200 musicians, both men and women, who returned.

66 The Israelis brought with them from Babylonia 736 horses, 245 mules,

67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

68 When they arrived at the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem, some of the clan leaders gave money for the supplies needed to rebuild the temple at the place where the temple had been previously.

69 They all gave as much money as they were able to give. Altogether they gave 61,000 gold coins, ◄6,250 pounds/3,000 kg.► of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.

7 1,254 descendants of Elam

70 Then the priests, the other descendants of Levi, the musicians, the temple guards, and some of the other people started to live in the towns and villages near Jerusalem. The rest of the people went to the other places in Israel where their ancestors had lived.