Ezra 2
1King Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers had captured many Israeli people and taken them to Babylonia. Many years later, some Israeli people returned to Judah. Some returned to Jerusalem, and some returned to other places in Judah. They went to the towns where their ancestors had lived. This is a list of the groups who returned.
2The leaders of those groups were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. There were:
32,172 descendants of Parosh
4372 descendants of Shephatiah
5775 descendants of Arah
62,812 descendants of Pahath-Moab, from the families of Jeshua and Joab
71,254 descendants of Elam
8945 descendants of Zattu
9760 descendants of Zaccai
10642 descendants of Bani
11623 descendants of Bebai
121,222 descendants of Azgad
13666 descendants of Adonikam
142,056 descendants of Bigvai
15454 descendants of Adin
1698 descendants of Ater, whose other name was Hezekiah
17323 descendants of Bezai
18112 descendants of Jorah
19223 descendants of Hashum
2095 descendants of Gibbar. People whose ancestors had lived in these towns in Judah:
21123 from Bethlehem
2256 from Netophah
23128 from Anathoth
2442 from Azmaveth
25743 from Kiriath-Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth
26621 from Ramah and Geba
27122 from Micmash
28223 from Bethel and Ai
2952 from Nebo
30156 from Magbish
311,254 from Elam
32320 from Harim
33725 from Lod, Hadid, and Ono
34345 from Jericho
353,630 from Senaah.
36Priests who returned: 973 descendants of Jedaiah (that is, those from the family of Jeshua)
371,052 descendants of Immer
381,247 descendants of Pashhur
391,017 descendants of Harim. The ones from the rest of the tribe of Levi who returned were:
4074 descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, who were from the family of Hodaviah
41128 singers who were descendants of Asaph
42139 ◄gatekeepers/men who guarded the gates of the temple► who were descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai.
43The ◄temple workers/men who would work in the temple► who were descendants of these men: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
44Keros, Siaha, Padon,
45Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
46Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan,
47Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
48Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
49Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
50Asnah, Meunim, Nephusim,
51Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
52Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
53Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
54Neziah, and Hatipha.
55These descendants of King Solomon’s servants returned: Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
56Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
57Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Ami.
58Altogether, there were 392 temple workers and descendants of Solomon’s servants who returned.
59There was another group who returned to Judah from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Kerub, Addan, and Immer towns in Babylonia. But they could not prove that they were descendants of people who previously lived in Israel.
60This group included 652 people who were descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda.
61Hobaiah’s clan, Hakkoz’s clan, and Barzillai’s clan also returned. Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai from the Gilead region, and he had taken for himself the name of his father-in-law’s clan.
62The people in that group searched in the documents that had the names of the ancestors of all the clans, but these men’s names were not found. So they were not permitted do the work that priests did.
63The governor told them that they would need to ask a priest to consult Yahweh by ◄casting/throwing the sacred lots/stones that had been marked►, to determine if those men were truly Israelis. When the priests did that, if the stones showed that those men were Israelis, they would be permitted to eat the shares of the sacrifices that were given to the priests.
64Altogether 42,360 Israeli people who returned to Judah.
65There were also 7,337 servants and 200 musicians, both men and women, who returned.
66The Israelis brought with them from Babylonia 736 horses, 245 mules,
67435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
68When they arrived at the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem, some of the clan leaders gave money for the supplies needed to rebuild the temple at the place where the temple had been previously.
69They all gave as much money as they were able to give. Altogether they gave 61,000 gold coins, ◄6,250 pounds/3,000 kg.► of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.
70Then the priests, the other descendants of Levi, the musicians, the temple guards, and some of the other people started to live in the towns and villages near Jerusalem. The rest of the people went to the other places in Israel where their ancestors had lived.