18 Καὶ ἤλθοσαν ἡμῖν ὡς χεὶρ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀγαθὴ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς, ἀνὴρ σαχὼν ἀπὸ υἱῶν Μοολὶ, υἱοῦ Λευὶ, υἱοῦ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἀρχὴν ἦλθον οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ δεκαοκτώ·
Υἱοὶ Λευὶ, Γεδσὼν, Καὰθ, καὶ Μεραρί.
υἱοῦ Ἑλκανὰ, υἱοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ, υἱοῦ Ἐλιὴλ, υἱοῦ Θοοὺ,
Υἱοὶ Μεραρὶ, Μοολὶ, καὶ ὁ Μουσί· καὶ αὗται αἱ πατριαὶ τοῦ Λευὶ κατὰ πατριὰς αὐτῶν.
Καὶ ἐλάλησεν Ἐζεκίας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν καρδίαν τῶν Λευιτῶν καὶ τῶν συνιόντων σύνεσιν ἀγαθὴν τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ συνετέλεσαν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, θύοντες θυσίαν σωτηρίου, καὶ ἐξομολογούμενοι τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν.
καὶ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ ἔκλινεν ἔλεος ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν συμβούλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ βασιλέως, τῶν ἐπῃρμένων· καὶ ἐγὼ ἐκραταιώθην ὡς χεὶρ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀγαθὴ ἐπʼ ἐμέ, καὶ συνῆξα ἀπὸ Ἰσραὴλ ἄρχοντας ἀναβῆναι μετʼ ἐμοῦ.
Αὐτὸς Ἔσδρας ἀνέβη ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ αὐτὸς γραμματεὺς ταχὺς ἐν νόμῳ Μωυσῆ, ὃν ἔδωκε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὅτι χεὶρ Κυρίου Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐζήτει αὐτός.
Ὅτι ἐν μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν ἀνάβασιν τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος· ἐν δὲ τῇ πρώτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πέμπτου ἤλθοσαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅτι χεὶρ Θεοῦ αὐτοῦ ἦν ἀγαθὴ ἐπʼ αὐτόν.
Καὶ ἀπέστειλα τῷ Ἐλεάζαρ, τῷ Ἀριὴλ, τῷ Σεμεΐᾳ, καὶ τῷ Ἀλωνὰμ, καὶ τῷ Ἰαρὶβ, καὶ τῷ Ἐλνάθαμ, καὶ τῷ Νάθαν, καὶ τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ, καὶ τῷ Μεσολλὰμ, καὶ τῷ Ἰωαρὶμ, καὶ τῷ Ἐλνάθαν, συνιέντας.
Καὶ τὸν Ἀσεβία, καὶ τὸν Ἰσαΐα ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Μεραρὶ, ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ εἴκοσι.
Ὅτι ᾐσχύνθην αἰτήσασθαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως δύναμιν καὶ ἱππεῖς σῶσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ ἐχθροῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὅτι εἴπαμεν τῷ βασιλεῖ, λέγοντες, χεὶρ τοῦ Θεου ἡμῶν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ζητοῦντας αὐτὸν εἰς ἀγαθόν· καὶ κράτος αὐτοῦ, καὶ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐγκαταλείποντας αὐτόν.
Καὶ διέστειλα ἀπὸ ἀρχόντων τῶν ἱερέων δώδεκα, τῷ Σαραΐα, τῷ Ἀσαβία, καὶ μετʼ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν δέκα.
Μετὰ σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖται οἶκος, καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως ἀνορθοῦται.
Πάσαις ὁδοῖς σου γνώριζε αὐτὴν, ἵνα ὀρθοτομῇ τὰς ὁδούς σου.
καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν ὑμᾶς ποιμαίνοντες μετʼ ἐπιστήμης.
Καὶ υἱοὶ Μεραρὶ κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν· Μοολὶ καὶ Μουσί· οὗτοί εἰσι δῆμοι τῶν Λευιτῶν κατʼ οἴκους πατριῶν αὐτῶν.