18 With the good hand of our God before us, they brought us a man of understanding from the sons of Mahli, son of Levi, son of Israel—Sherebiah and his sons and brothers, eighteen in total.
19 Also Hashabiah and with him Jeshaiah, the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty in total.
20 And from the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set up to serve the Levites, two hundred and twenty in total. All of them were registered by name.
21 I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava to humble ourselves before our God in order to seek from him a safe journey for us, our children, and our possessions.
22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for troops and horses to protect us from enemies on the way because we said to the king, “the hand of our God is favorable to all who seek him, but his strength and anger are against all who forsake them.”
23 So we fasted and sought our God for this and he responded to our prayer.
24 I set apart twelve of the official priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them.