The arrival in Jerusalem
On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazer son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.
35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male 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 orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.
After their arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra and the people promptly fulfilled three responsibilities. They delivered the offerings to the appropriate officials at the temple, and everything was fully accounted for. They offered sacrifices for themselves and all the people of Israel. And they delivered their orders from the king to the Persian officials, who now cooperated fully with them.
At last, the exiles were home in Jerusalem. Once again, they had the joy of worshiping in the temple. Their trip seemed to be a great success. But the joy was not to last. Ezra soon came face-to-face with a serious problem that threatened the very future of Israel.