25. I weighed for them the silver, the gold, and the utensils. ⌊These were⌋ the contributions that the king, his advisers, his officials, and all the Israelites had contributed for our God’s temple.
26. I weighed ⌊the contributions⌋ for them to guard: about 24 tons of silver, 100 silver utensils weighing 150 pounds apiece, 7,500 pounds of gold,
27. 20 gold bowls weighing 18 pounds apiece, and two utensils of fine polished bronze that were as precious as gold.
28. I told them, “You and the utensils are holy to the Lord. The silver and gold are freewill offerings to the Lord God of your ancestors.
29. Guard them carefully. In Jerusalem, inside the storerooms of the Lord’s temple, weigh these items. Do this in front of the chief priests, Levites, and the leaders of Israel’s families.”
30. So the priests and the Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the utensils. They were responsible for bringing these items to the temple of our God in Jerusalem.
31. Then we left the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. God was guiding us, and he rescued us from our enemies and from ambushes along the way.
32. When we reached Jerusalem, we rested for three days.
33. On the fourth day we weighed the silver, the gold, and the utensils in our God’s temple. We put them under the supervision of Meremoth, son of the priest Uriah, as well as Eleazar, the son of Phinehas. The Levites, Jeshua’s son Jozabad, and Binnui’s son Noadiah, assisted them.
34. Everything was counted and weighed, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.
35. The exiles who had come back from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and 12 male goats for an offering for sin. All of these animals were burnt offerings for the Lord.
36. The exiles delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and governors ⌊in the province⌋ west of the Euphrates River. These officials then gave their support to the people and the temple of God.