22. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
23. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated by us.
24. Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,
25. And weighed to them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his counselors, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered:
26. I even weighed to their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels a hundred talents, and of gold a hundred talents;
27. Also twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold.
28. And I said to them, Ye are holy to the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a free-will-offering to the LORD God of your fathers.
29. Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them, before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
30. So the priests and the Levites took the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31. Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
32. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
33. Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
34. By number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.
35. Also the children of those that had been carried away, who had come out of the captivity, offered burnt-offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he-goats for a sin-offering: all this was a burnt-offering to the LORD.
36. And they delivered the king's commissions to the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this side of the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.