Ezra 2
The List of Those who Returned from Exile
1Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own cities. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners. 2Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:
Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) — 2,812
Ater (also called Hezekiah) — 98
21-35People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:
Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth — 743
Lod, Hadid, and Ono — 725
36-39This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:
Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) — 973
40-42Clans of Levites who returned from exile:
Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) — 74
Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) — 128
Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) — 139
43-54Clans of temple workmen who returned from exile:
55-57Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami.
58The total number of descendants of the temple workmen and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.
59-60There were 652 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.
61-62The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and had taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. 63The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.
64-67Total number of exiles who returned — 42,360
Their male and female servants — 7,337
Male and female musicians — 200
68When the exiles arrived at the LORD's Temple in Jerusalem, some of the leaders of the clans gave freewill offerings to help rebuild the Temple on its old site. 69They gave as much as they could for this work, and the total came to 500 kilogrammes of gold, 2.8 tonnes of silver, and 100 robes for priests.
70The priests, the Levites, and some of the people settled in or near Jerusalem; the musicians, the temple guards, and the temple workmen settled in nearby towns; and the rest of the Israelites settled in the towns where their ancestors had lived.
Good News Translation® with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Anglicisation © The British and Foreign Bible Society 1976, 1994, 2004
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