who were of the family of the priests, of silver six
hundred and fifty talents, vessels of silver one hundred talents,
vessels of gold twenty talents, vessels of brass, that was more precious
than gold, [8] twelve talents by weight; for these Presents had been
made by the king and his counselors, and by all the Israelites that
staid at Babylon. So when Esdras had delivered these things to
the priests, he gave to God, as the appointed sacrifices of whole
burnt-offerings, twelve bulls on account of the common preservation
of the people, ninety rams, seventy-two lambs, and twelve kids of the
goats, for the remission of sins. He also delivered the king's epistle
to the king's officers, and to the governors of Celesyria and Phoenicia;
and as they were under a necessity of doing what was enjoined by
him, they honored our nation, and were assistant to them in all their
necessities.

3. Now these things were truly done under the conduct of Esdras; and he
succeeded in them, because God esteemed him worthy of the success of
his conduct, on account of his goodness and righteousness. But some
time afterward there came some persons to him, and brought an accusation
against certain of the multitude, and of the priests and Levites, who
had transgressed their settlement, and dissolved the laws of their
country, by marrying strange wives, and had brought the family of the
priests into confusion. These persons desired him to support the laws,
lest God should take up a general anger against them all, and reduce
them to a calamitous condition again. Hereupon he rent his garment
immediately, out of grief, and pulled off the hair of his head and
beard, and cast himself upon the ground, because this crime had reached
the principal men among the people; and considering that if he should
enjoin them to cast out their wives, and the children they had by them,
he should not be hearkener to, he continued lying upon the ground.
However, all the better sort came running to him, who also themselves
wept, and partook of the grief he was under for what had been done.
So Esdras rose up from the ground, and stretched out his hands towards
heaven, and said that he was ashamed to look towards it, because of the
sins which the people had committed, while they had cast out of
their memories what their fathers had undergone on account of their
wickedness; and he besought God, who had saved a seed and a remnant out
of the calamity and captivity they had been i