Ezra 8:1–20

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:

²From the family of Phinehas: Gershom.

From the family of Ithamar: Daniel.

From the family of David: Hattush, ³a descendant of Shecaniah.

From the family of Parosh: Zechariah and 150 other men were registered.

⁴From the family of Pahath-moab: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah and 200 other men.

⁵From the family of Zattu: Shecaniah son of Jahaziel and 300 other men.

⁶From the family of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan and 50 other men.

⁷From the family of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah and 70 other men.

⁸From the family of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael and 80 other men.

⁹From the family of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel and 218 other men.

¹⁰From the family of Bani: Shelomith son of Josiphiah and 160 other men.

¹¹From the family of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai and 28 other men.

¹²From the family of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan and 110 other men.

¹³From the family of Adonikam, who came later: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 other men.

¹⁴From the family of Bigvai: Uthai, Zaccur, and 70 other men.

Ezra’s Journey to Jerusalem

¹⁵I 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. ¹⁶So 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. ¹⁷I 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.

¹⁸Since 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. ¹⁹They also sent Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and twenty of his sons and brothers, ²⁰and 220 Temple servants. The Temple servants were assistants to the Levites—a group of Temple workers first instituted by King David and his officials. They were all listed by name.