The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodaviah), 74.

A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.

You handed us ¹  over like sheep to be eaten; you scattered us among the nations.

Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance! Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey! ¹ 

For this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and you will not be redeemed for money.”

So what will you do on the festival day, on the festival days of the Lord?

Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away ¹  from the body and at home with the Lord.

So then whether we are alive ¹  or away, we make it our ambition to please him. ² 

They ¹  will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, ² 

The church ¹  in Babylon, ²  chosen together with you, ³  greets you, and so does Mark, my son.

So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy. ¹ 

Then you will think to yourself, ¹  ‘Who bore these children for me? I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. ²  Who raised these children? Look, I was left all alone; where did these children come from?’”

But ¹  all who destroyed you will be destroyed. All your enemies will go into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered. I will cause those who pillaged you to be pillaged. ² 

When you try to cultivate ¹  the ground it will no longer yield ²  its best ³  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer ⁴  on the earth.”

Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. ¹  He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.

So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. ¹  He taught them how to worship ²  the Lord.

They were worshiping ¹  the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father ¹  will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

The first to resettle on their property and in their cities were some Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. ¹ 

They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of Israelites ¹  was as follows: ²