27. I was encouraged by my God’s help, and I gathered people from Israel to go up with me.
28. These are the leaders, according to their families and their divisions, who went up with me from Babylon, in King Artaxerxes’ rule:
41. I assembled them at the Theras River, where I inspected them. We camped at that place for three days.
42. When I found no families from the priests or the Levites there,
43. I sent word to Eleazar, Iduel, Maasmas, Elnathan, Shemaiah, Jarib, Nathan, Elnathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were the leaders and persons of great learning.
44. I told them to go to Iddo, who was the official in charge at the residence of the treasury,
45. and ordered them to ask Iddo and his relatives and the treasurers at that place to send us some persons to serve as priests in the Lord’s house.
46. By the Lord’s direction, they brought us knowledgeable persons from the family of Mahli, Levi’s son, and grandson of Israel, namely Sherebiah with eighteen members of his family;
47. also Hashabiah, Annunus, and a brother Jeshaiah, from the family of Hananiah, and their family, twenty persons in all.
48. Of the temple servants, whom David and the leaders had given for the service of the Levites, they brought us two hundred twenty temple servants. All their names were listed in the register.
49. Then I announced a fast for the young people before our Lord,
50. to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, for those with us, our children and our farm animals.
51. I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry, cavalry, and an escort for safety from our enemies,
52. because we told the king, "The Lord’s guidance will be with those who diligently seek after him, until everything is put right again."
53. So we prayed to our Lord about these things, and we obtained mercy.
54. I chose twelve of the leaders of the priestly families, Sherebiah and Hashabiah, and ten of their companions.
55. I weighed out for them the silver, the gold, and the holy equipment from the Lord’s house, which the king himself, his advisors, the officials, and all Israel had contributed.
56. I presented to them 37,050 pounds of silver, silver equipment worth 5,700 pounds, 5,700 pounds of gold, twenty gold bowls, and twelve bronze objects of such fine quality that it glittered like gold.