25. Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the Lord alone! He has made the emperor willing to restore the glory of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.
26. By God's grace, I have won the respect of the emperor, his counsellors, all his Friends, and all his powerful officials.
27. The Lord my God has given me courage, and I have been able to persuade many men to return with me.”
28. This is the list of the leaders of the clans and families who had been in exile in Babylonia and returned with Ezra to Jerusalem when Artaxerxes was emperor:
29-40. Gershom, of the clan of PhinehasGamael, of the clan of IthamarHattush son of Shecaniah, of the clan of DavidZechariah of the clan of Parosh, with 150 men of his clan (there were records of their family line)Eliehoenai son of Zechariah, of the clan of Pahath Moab, with 200 menShecaniah son of Jehaziel, of the clan of Zattu, with 300 menEbed son of Jonathan, of the clan of Adin, with 250 menJeshaiah son of Gotholiah, of the clan of Elam, with seventy menZeraiah son of Michael, of the clan of Shephatiah, with seventy menObadiah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Joab, with 212 menShelomith son of Josiphiah, of the clan of Bani, with 160 menZechariah son of Bebai, of the clan of Bebai, with 28 menJohanan son of Hakkatan, of the clan of Azgad, with 110 menEliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, of the clan of Adonikam, with seventy men (they returned at a later date)Uthai son of Istalcurus, of the clan of Bigvai, with seventy men
41. I assembled the entire group at the River Theras, and we camped there for three days. I inspected them
42. and found that there were no priests or Levites in the group,
43-44. so I sent a message to ten of the leaders who were competent men: Eliezer, Iduel, Maasmas, Elnathan, Shemaiah, Jarib, Nathan, Elnathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
45. I told them to go to Iddo, the chief official at the treasury,
46. and ask him, his associates, and the treasury officials to send us priests to serve in the Temple of our Lord.
47. With God's help they sent us some able men: Sherebiah, a Levite from the clan of Mahli, with eighteen of his sons and relatives,
48. and Hashabiah, Annunus, and his brother Jeshaiah of the clan of Hananiah, with twenty of their sons.
49. There were also 220 Temple workmen whose ancestors had been designated by King David and his officials to assist the Levites. They were all listed in the register by name.
50. There by the River Theras I made a vow that the young men should fast in the presence of our Lord and ask him for a safe journey for us, our children, and our animals.