18. And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely, Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen;
19. and Hashabiah, and with him Isaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty;
20. and of the Nethinim, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim: all of them were expressed by name.
21. And I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
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; for 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 anger is against all them that forsake him.
23. And we fasted, and besought our God for this; and he was entreated of us.
24. And I separated twelve of the chiefs of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them,
25. and I weighed to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the heave-offering for the house of our God which the king and his counsellors and his princes, and all Israel present, had offered.
26. And I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver; and silver vessels a hundred talents, and of gold a hundred talents;
27. and twenty basons of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of shining copper, precious as gold.
28. And I said to them, Ye are holy unto Jehovah; the vessels also are holy; and the silver and the gold is a voluntary offering to Jehovah the God of your fathers.