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Now these are the children of the country, that came up from captivity, of the number which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon carried away, and they returned to Jerusalem and to Juda, every man to his city;

And Esdras the scribe stood on a wooden stage, and there stood next to him Mattathias, and Samaeas, and Ananias, and Urias, and Chelcia, and Massia, on his right hand; and on his left Phadaeas, and Misael, and Melchias, and Asom, and Asabadma, and Zacharias, and Mesollam.

And the people went forth, and brought them, and made booths for themselves, each one upon his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the streets of the city, and as far as the gate of Ephraim.

and thou foundest his heart faithful before thee, and didst make a covenant with him to give to him and to his seed the land of the Chananites, and the Chettites, and Amorites, and Pherezites, and Jebusites, and Gergesites; and thou hast confirmed thy words, for thou art righteous.

And thou shewedst signs and wonders in Egypt, on Pharao and all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knowest that they behaved insolently against them: and thou madest thyself a name, as at this day.

and his brethren, Sabania, Oduia, Calitan, Phelia, Anan,

were urgent with their brethren, and bound them under a curse, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in the law of God, which was given by the hand of Moses, the servant of God; to keep and to do all the commandments of the Lord, and his judgments, and his ordinances;

Now these are the chiefs of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem, and in the cities of Juda; every man dwelt in his possession in their cities: Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nathinim, and the children of the servants of Solomon.

and his brethren, chiefs of families, two hundred and forty-two: and Amasia son of Esdriel, son of Mesarimith, son of Emmer,

and his brethren, mighty men of war, a hundred and twenty-eight: and their overseer was Badiel son of one of the great men.

(12:8A) and his brethren were appointed to the daily courses.

And in the days of Joakim, his brethren the priests and the heads of families were, belonging to Saraia, Amaria; to Jeremia, Anania;

and his brethren, Samaia, and Oziel, Gelol, Jama, Aia, Nathanael, and Juda, Anani, to praise with the hymns of David the man of God; (12:37) and Esdras the scribe was before them,

And they kept the charges of their God, and the charges of the purification, and ordered the singers and the porters, according to the commandments of David and his son Solomon.

And I understood that the portion of the Levites had not been given: and they had fled every one to his field, the Levites and the singers doing the work.

So I purged them from all foreign connection, and established courses for the priests and the Levites, every man according to his work.

in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to his friends, and the other nations, and to the nobles of the Persians and Medes, and the chief of the satraps.

And after this, after he had shewn to them the wealth of his kingdom, and the abundant glory of his wealth during a hundred and eighty days,

And this banquet was not according to the appointed law; but so the king would have it: and he charged the stewards to perform his will and that of the company.

And he said to his friends, Thus hast Astin spoken: pronounce therefore upon this case law and judgment.