| 1 Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting
himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him
out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the
people wept very sore. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons
of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and
have married foreign women of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope
for Israel concerning this thing. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant
with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them,
according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the
commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise;
for the matter belongeth unto thee, and we are with thee: be of good courage,
and do it. 5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the
Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word.
So they sware. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went
into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came
thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the
trespass of them of the captivity. 7 And they made proclamation throughout
Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should
gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; 8 and that whosoever came not
within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders,
all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the
assembly of the captivity. 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin
gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days; it was the
ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people
sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this
matter, and for the great rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said
unto them, Ye have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase
the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore make confession unto Jehovah, the
God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the
peoples of the land, and from the foreign women. 12 Then all the assembly
answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said concerning us, so must
we do. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we
are not able to stand without: neither is this a work of one day or two; for
we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let now our princes be
appointed for all the assembly, and let all them that are in our cities that
have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders
of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God be
turned from us, until this matter be despatched. 15 Only Jonathan the son
of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this
matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest,
with certain heads of fathers' houses, after their fathers'
houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in
the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they made
an end with all the men that had married foreign women by the first day of
the first month. 18 And among the sons of the priests there were found
that had married foreign women: namely, of the sons of Jeshua, the
son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and
Gedaliah. 19 And they gave their hand that they would put away their
wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their
guilt. 20 And of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 And of the
sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 And of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel,
Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 And of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and
Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 And of the
singers: Eliashib. And of the porters: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. 25 And
of Israel: Of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and
Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. 26 And of the sons of
Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 And of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth,
and Zabad, and Aziza. 28 And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah,
Zabbai, Athlai. 29 And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and
Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth. 30 And of the sons of Pahath-moab:
Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and
Manasseh. 31 And of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah,
Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. 33 Of
the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh,
Shimei. 34 Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel, 35 Benaiah,
Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah,
Mattenai, and Jaasu, 38 and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, 39 and Shelemiah,
and Nathan, and Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, and
Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, Joseph. 43 Of the sons of
Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah. 44 All
these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had
children.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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