14. and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud, and 70 males with them.
15. Now I assembled them at the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I observed the people and the priests, I did not find any Levites there.
16. So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers.
17. I sent them to Iddo the leading man at the place Casiphia; and I told them what to say to Iddo and his brothers, the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God.
18. According to the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of insight of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, 18 men;
19. and Hashabiah and Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men;
20. and 220 of the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.
21. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.
22. For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, "The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him."
23. So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.
24. Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers;
25. and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes and all Israel present there had offered.
26. Thus I weighed into their hands 650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth 100 talents, and 100 gold talents,
27. and 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold.
28. Then I said to them, "You are holy to the Lord, and the utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers.
29. Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leading priests, the Levites and the heads of the fathers' households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord."
30. So the priests and the Levites accepted the weighed out silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31. Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way.