The Families Who Came Back with Ezra
1 Artaxerxes was king of Persia when I led the following chiefs of the family groups from Babylonia to Jerusalem:
2-14 Gershom of the Phinehas family;Daniel of the Ithamar family;Hattush son of Shecaniah of the David family;Zechariah and 150 other men of the Parosh family, who had family records;Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah with 200 men of the Pahath Moab family;Shecaniah son of Jahaziel with 300 men of the Zattu family; Ebed son of Jonathan with 50 men of the Adin family;Jeshaiah son of Athaliah with 70 men of the Elam family;Zebadiah son of Michael with 80 men of the Shephatiah family;Obadiah son of Jehiel with 218 men of the Joab family;Shelomith son of Josiphiah with 160 men of the Bani family; Zechariah son of Bebai with 28 men of the Bebai family;Johanan son of Hakkatan with 110 men of the Azgad family;Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah who returned sometime later with 60 men of the Adonikam family;Uthai and Zaccur with 70 men of the Bigvai family.
Ezra Finds Levites for the Temple
15 I brought everyone together by the river that flows to the town of Ahava where we camped for three days. Not one Levite could be found among the people and priests. 16 So I sent for the leaders Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam. I also sent for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were very wise counselors. 17 Then I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, and I told them to ask him and his temple workers to send people to serve in God's temple.
18 God was kind to us and caused them to send a skillful man named Sherebiah, who was a Levite from the family of Mahli. Eighteen of his relatives came with him. 19 We were also sent Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the family of Merari along with 20 of their relatives. 20 In addition, 220 others came to help the Levites in the temple. The ancestors of these workers had been chosen years ago by King David and his officials, and they were all listed by name.
Ezra Asks the People To Go without Eating and To Pray
21 Beside the Ahava River, I asked the people to go without eating and to pray. We humbled ourselves and asked God to bring us and our children safely to Jerusalem with all of our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king to send soldiers and cavalry to protect us against enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king that our God takes care of everyone who truly worships him, but that he gets very angry and punishes anyone who refuses to obey. 23 So we went without food and asked God himself to protect us, and he answered our prayers.
The Gifts for the Temple
24 I chose twelve of the leading priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their relatives. 25-27 Then I weighed the gifts that had been given for God's temple, and I divided them among the twelve priests I had chosen. There were gifts of silver and gold, as well as the articles that the king, his advisors and officials, and the people of Israel had contributed. In all there were: 22 tons of silver; 100 silver articles weighing 70 kilograms; 3.4 tons of gold; 20 gold bowls weighing over 8 kilograms; and 2 polished bronze articles as valuable as gold.
28 I said to the priests:
You belong to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and these things also belong to him. The silver and gold were willingly given as gifts to the Lord. 29 Be sure to guard them and keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. Then weigh them inside God's temple in the presence of the chief priests, the Levites, and the heads of the Israelite families.
30 The priests and Levites then took charge of the gifts that had been weighed, so they could take them to the temple of our God in Jerusalem.
The Return to Jerusalem
31 On the twelfth day of the first month, we left the Ahava River and started for Jerusalem. Our God watched over us, and as we traveled along, he kept our enemies from ambushing us.
32 After arriving in Jerusalem, we rested for three days. 33 Then on the fourth day we went to God's temple, where the silver, the gold, and the other things were weighed and given to the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. With him were Eleazar son of Phinehas and the two Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was counted, weighed, and recorded.
35 Those who had returned from exile offered sacrifices on the altar to the God of Israel. Twelve bulls were offered for all Israel. Ninety-six rams and 77 lambs were offered on the altar, and 12 goats were sacrificed for the sins of the people. 36 Some of those who had returned took the king's orders to the governors and officials in Western Province. Then the officials did what they could for the people and for the temple of God.
Olweendo laava va enda pamwe naEsra
1 Ovakulunhu vomapata neshikulafano laava va enda pamwe naame mefimbo lepangelo lohamba Artasasta, va dja muBabilon: 2 vomovana vaPinehas: Gersom. Vomovana vaItamar: Daniel. Vomovana vaDavid: Hattus, 3 vomovana vaSekanja; vomoludalo laParos: Sakaria, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu efele nomilongo nhano va shangelwa meshikulafano. 4 Vomovana vaPahat-Moab: Eljehoenai yaSerahia, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu omafele avali; 5 vomovana vaSattu: Sekanja yaJahasiel, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu omafele atatu; 6 ndele vomovana vaAdin: Ebed yaJonatan, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu omilongo nhano; 7 ndele vomovana vaElam: Jesaja yaAtalia, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu omilongo heyali; 8 ndele vomovana vaSefatja: Sebadja yaMikael, ndelenee pamwe naye ovalumenhu omilongo hetatu; 9 ndele vomovana vaJoab: Obadja, omona waJehiel, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu omafele avali nomulongo navahetatu; 10 ndele vomovana vaBani: Selomit yaJosifiya, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu efele nomilongo hamano; 11 ndele vomovana vaBebai: Sakaria yaBebai, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu omilongo mbali navahetatu; 12 ndele vomovana vaAsgad: Johanan yaHakkatan, ndele pamwe naye ovalumenhu efele nomulongo; 13 ndele vomovana vaAdonikam, ou e uya konima, nomadina avo oyaa: Elifelet, Jehuel naShemaia, ndele pamwe navo ovalumenhu omilongo hamano; 14 ndele vomovana vaBigvai: Utai naSakkur, ndele pamwe navo ovalumenhu omilongo heyali.
Ovalevi tava yongolwa
15 Ndele ame nde va ongela pomulonga tau kungulukile kuAhava, ndele oko twa kala monhanda omafiku atatu. Ndele eshi nda tala ovanhu novapristeli, inandi mona mo Omulevi nande umwe. 16 Onghee hano nda tuma ovakulunhu Elieser, Ariel, Shemaia naElnatan naJarib naElnatan naNatan naSakaria naMesullam novalongi Jojarib naElnatan, 17 ndele nde va lombwela va ye komukulunhu Iddo momukunda Kasifja. Ndele nda paka eendjovo momakanya avo, odo ve noku di lombwela Iddo novayakuli ovakwao votembeli momukunda Kasifja, opo ve tu tumine ovayakuli vongulu yaKalunga ketu. 18 Ndele shaashi eke liwa laKalunga la li kombada yetu, ove tu tumina ovalumenhu ovanaendunge vomovana vaMahli yaLevi yaIsrael nokutya, Serebja pamwe novana vaye novamwaina ovalumenhu omulongo navahetatu; 19 naHasabja, ndele pamwe naye Jesaja womovana vaMerari novamwaina novana ovamati omilongo mbali. 20 Ndele movayakuli votembeli, ovo David novakulunhu va yandja kOvalevi, va yakule, mwa dja ovayakuli votembeli omafele avali nomilongo mbali, vo aveshe va tumbulwa omadina.
Elidiliko neeshali dotembeli
21 Opo nee nda shiivifa efimbo lelidiliko pomulonga waAhava, opo tu lininipike koshipala shaKalunga ketu, tu mu indile tu mone elao molweendo letu fye vene novanhu vetu noinima yetu aishe. 22 Osheshi nda li nda fya ohoni okupula kohamba etanga lovakwaita novalondi veenghambe, ve tu kwafe okulwifa ovatondadi mondjila, shaashi twa lombwela ohamba, twa tya: Eke laKalunga oli li kombada yaaveshe ovo have mu kongo, ndelenee eenghono daye nehandu laye li li kombada yaaveshe tave mu liteeka. 23 Osho ngaha hano twe lidilika ndele twa indila Kalunga ketu. Ndele Ye okwe tu uda.
24 Opo nee nda hoolola mo movakulunhu vovapristeli omulongo navavali: Serebja, Hasabja nomulongo vomovamwaina pamwe navo. 25 Ndele ame nde va yelekela oisiliveli noingoldo noinima nokutya, eeshaliyambo dongulu yaKalunga ketu, odo da yandjwa kohamba nokovapukululi vayo nokomalenga ayo nokOvaisraeli aveshe venya va li ko. 26 Ndele momake avo nda yelekela mo eekilograma eetona omilongo mbali nambali doisiliveli neekilograma omilongo heyali doinima oisiliveli, eekilograma omayovi atatu nomafele ane doshingoldo, 27 noiyaxa omilongo mbali oingoldo, ondado yao oimaliwa eyovi limwe, noiyaxa yoshikushu, iwaelela ya fefengwa nawa, ondado yayo ngaashi oshingoldo. 28 Ndele nde va lombwela: Nye mwa yapulilwa Omwene, noinima ya yapulwa, noisiliveli noingoldo oyo eeshali dehalo liwa dOmwene Kalunga kooxo. 29 I pashukileni hano noku i diinina fiyo tamu i yeleke moipafi yovakulunhu vovapristeli novOvalevi nomoipafi yovakulunhu vomapata Ovaisraeli muJerusalem momalimba ongulu yOmwene. 30 Opo nee ovapristeli nOvalevi va tambula oisiliveli noingoldo noinima oyo ya yelekwa, ve i twale kuJerusalem, mongulu yaKalunga ketu.
Olweendo tali fiki kuJerusalem
31 Opo nee twa dja po pomulonga Ahava mefiku etimulongo netivali mohani yotete, tu ye kuJerusalem. Neke laKalunga ketu la li kombada yetu, onghee Ye e tu xupifa mo meke lomutondadi nomomahanyeno mondjila. 32 Ndele fye twa fika kuJerusalem ndele twa kala ko twa mwena omafiku atatu. 33 Ndele mefiku etine oisiliveli noingoldo noinima ya yelekwa mongulu yaKalunga ketu noya yandjwa momake omupristeli Meremot yaUria, ndele puye pwa li Eliaser yaPinehas, ndele puvo pwa li Josabad yaJosua naNoadja yaBinnui, Ovalevi. 34 Ashishe sha yelekwa pauhapu nopaudjuu washo, noudjuu aushe wa shangwa. 35 Eenghwate odo da dja moukwatwa, oda yambela Kalunga kaIsrael omaxwikiloyambo: eengobe omulongo nambali deemhedi molwOvaisraeli aveshe needi deemhedi omilongo omugoi, noudjona omilongo heyali navaheyali, oikombo omulongo naivali etimbayambo, oyo aishe exwikiloyambo kOmwene. 36 Ndele va yandja onhumwafo omo mwa shangwa oshipango shohamba kovapangeli vohamba nokomalenga ombinga yokouninginino waEufrat, ndele vo ova kwafa ovanhu nongulu yaKalunga.
