Ezra 2:23

In response, the chief fathers of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites, and all whose spirits God has raised, prepare to go. Their neighbors provide them with vessels of silver and gold, goods, beasts, and other precious things. King Cyrus also brings out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem. He has them counted out by the treasurer, Mithredath, to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. The inventory includes thousands of gold and silver vessels, which Sheshbazzar brings with the returning exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra 2 A detailed list records the children of the province who return from the Babylonian captivity. They come with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, and other leaders, each returning to his own city in Judah and Jerusalem. The chapter provides a census of the people of Israel, listing the numbers of men from various families, such as the children of Parosh, Shephatiah, Arah, and Pahath-moab. It also enumerates the men from different towns, including Bethlehem, Netophah, and Anathoth. Following the general population, the priests are numbered by their families: the children of Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur, and Harim. The Levites are also counted, along with the singers from the family of Asaph and the porters (gatekeepers) from the families of Shallum, Ater, and others. The record also includes the Nethinims (temple servants) and the children of Solomon’s servants. A group of people who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer are noted because they cannot prove their lineage. Similarly, some of the priests—the children of Habaiah, Koz, and Barzillai—are excluded from the priesthood as polluted because they cannot find their genealogical records. The Tirshatha (governor) instructs them not to eat of the most holy things until a priest can consult the Urim and Thummim. The total number of the congregation is 42,360, besides 7,337 servants and 200 singing men and women. Their livestock includes horses, mules, camels, and asses. Upon arriving at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the chief fathers offer freely for the work, giving gold, silver, and priests’ garments. The priests, Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, and the rest of the people settle in their respective cities.