xty men.

8:14. Of the sons of Begui, Uthai and Zachur, and with them seventy men.

8:15. And I gathered them together to the river, which runneth down to
Ahava, and we stayed there three days: and I sought among the people and
among the priests for the sons of Levi, and found none there.

8:16. So I sent Eliezer, and Ariel, and Semeias, and Elnathan, and
Jarib, and another Elnathan, and Nathan, and Zacharias, and Mosollam,
chief men: and Joiarib, and Elnathan, wise men.

8:17. And I sent them to Eddo, who is chief in the place of Chasphia,
and I put in their mouth the words that they should speak to Eddo, and
his brethren the Nathinites in the place of Chasphia, that they should
bring us ministers of the house of our God.

8:18. And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a most
learned man of the sons of Moholi the son of Levi the son of Israel, and
Sarabias and his sons, and his brethren eighteen,

8:19. And Hasabias, and with him Isaias of the sons of Merari, and his
brethren, and his sons twenty.

8:20. And of the Nathinites, whom David, and the princes gave for the
service of the Levites, Nathinites two hundred and twenty: all these
were called by their names.

8:21. And I proclaimed there a fast by the river Ahava, that we might
afflict ourselves before the Lord our God, and might ask of him a right
way for us and for our children, and for all our substance.

And I proclaimed a fast... It is not enough to part from Babylon, that
is, figuratively from sin, but we must also do works of penance; and
therefore Esdras here proclaimed an extraordinary fast to those that
were come from captivity. This shews that fasting was commanded and
practised from the earliest times.

8:22. For I was ashamed to ask the king for aid and for horsemen, to
defend us from the enemy in the way: because we had said to the king:
The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness: and his
power and strength, and wrath upon all them that forsake him.

8:23. And we fasted, and besought our God for this: and it fell out
prosperously unto us.

8:24. And I separated twelve of the chief of the priests, Sarabias, and
Hasabias, and with them ten of their brethren,

8:25. And I weighed unto them the silver and gold, and the vessels
consecrated for the house of our God, which the king and his
counsellors, and his princes, and all Israel, that were found had
offered.

8:26. And I weighed to their hands six hun