Ezra 10

1While Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and falling down before the house of God, a very large assembly from Israel gathered to him—men, women, and children—for the people wept bitterly.

2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have acted unfaithfully against our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this.

3So now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all the women and what has been born from them, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

4Rise up, for this matter is on you, and we are with you. Be strong and do it.

5So Ezra arose and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear to do according to this word, and they swore.

6Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He went there and ate no bread and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile, that they should gather in Jerusalem.

8And everyone who does not come within three days, according to the counsel of the officials and the elders, all his property shall be forfeited, and he himself shall be separated from the assembly of the exiles.

9So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.

10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have acted unfaithfully and have taken foreign women as wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.”

11So now give praise to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.

12Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes, according to your words, so it is upon us to do.”

13But the people are many, and it is the rainy season, and there is no strength to stand outside. And the work is not for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.

14Please let our leaders stand for the whole assembly, and let everyone in our cities who has taken foreign wives come at appointed times, with them the elders of each city and its judges, until the burning anger of our God is turned back from us in this matter.

15Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah stood against this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16So the sons of the exile did so. And Ezra the priest set apart men, heads of fathers’ houses according to their fathers’ houses, all of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.

17And they finished with all the men who had taken foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

18And among the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives, there were found from the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

19They pledged themselves to send away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt.

20And from the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

21And from the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

22And from the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23And from the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Keliah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24And from the singers: Eliashib; and from the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25And from Israel, from the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.

26And from the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

27And from the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

28And from the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.

29And from the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluk, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.

30And from the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

31And from the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, and Shimeon.

32Binyamin, Malluk, Shemaryah.

33From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

34From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel.

35Benaiah, Bediah, Keluhi.

36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib.

37Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai.

38and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei.

39and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah.

40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai.

41Azarel, Shelemiah, and Shemariah.

42Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.

43From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

44All these had married foreign women, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.