Ezra 8:21–32

21 There, by the Ahava Canal,r I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journeys for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldierst and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyoneu who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.v” 23 So we fastedw and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah,x Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, 25 and I weighed outy 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 talentsc of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,d 100 talentse 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.z 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 Canala to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,b and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.c