Ezra 8:1-36

(1)  These are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king:

(2)  Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush.

(3)  Of the sons of Shecaniah, who was of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, with whom were registered 150 men.

(4)  Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men.

(5)  Of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men.

(6)  Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men.

(7)  Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men.

(8)  Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him 80 men.

(9)  Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men.

(10)  Of the sons of Bani, Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men.

(11)  Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah, the son of Bebai, and with him 28 men.

(12)  Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men.

(13)  Of the sons of Adonikam, those who came later, their names being Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men.

(14)  Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

(15)  I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi.

(16)  Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight,

(17)  and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God.

(18)  And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18;

(19)  also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20;

(20)  besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.

(21)  Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.

(22)  For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, "The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him."

(23)  So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

(24)  Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them.

(25)  And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered.

(26)  I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold,

(27)  20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.

(28)  And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.

(29)  Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD."

(30)  So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

(31)  Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.

(32)  We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.

(33)  On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui.

(34)  The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

(35)  At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

(36)  They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.

Acts 3:1-26

(1)  Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

(2)  And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.

(3)  Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.

(4)  And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us."

(5)  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.

(6)  But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"

(7)  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

(8)  And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

(9)  And all the people saw him walking and praising God,

(10)  and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

(11)  While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's, astounded.

(12)  And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?

(13)  The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.

(14)  But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

(15)  and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

(16)  And his name--by faith in his name--has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

(17)  "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

(18)  But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

(19)  Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

(20)  that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

(21)  whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

(22)  Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.

(23)  And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.'

(24)  And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.

(25)  You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'

(26)  God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."

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