Ezra 10
1 Now when
Ezra had
prayed, and when he had
confessed,
weeping and casting himself
down before the
house of
God, there
assembled unto him out of
Israel a
very great congregation of
men and
women and
children: for the
people wept very sore. 2 And
Shechaniah the
son of
Jehiel, one of the
sons of
Elam, answered and
said unto
Ezra, We have
trespassed against our
God, and have
taken strange wives of the
people of the
land: yet now there
is hope in
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 this
matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good
courage, and
do it.
5 Then
arose Ezra, and made the
chief priests, the
Levites, and all
Israel, to
swear that they should
do according to this
word. And they
sware.
6 Then
Ezra rose
up from
before the
house of
God, and
went into the
chamber of
Johanan the
son of
Eliashib: and when he
came thither, he did
eat no
bread, nor
drink water: for he
mourned because of the
transgression of them that had been carried
away. 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 would not
come within
three days, according to the
counsel of the
princes and the
elders, all his
substance should be
forfeited, and himself
separated from the
congregation of those that had been carried
away. 9 Then all the
men of
Judah and
Benjamin gathered themselves
together unto
Jerusalem within
three days. It was the
ninth month, on the
twentieth day of the
month; and all the
people sat in the
street of 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
transgressed, and have
taken strange wives, to
increase the
trespass of
Israel. 11 Now therefore
make confession unto the
LORD God of your
fathers, and
do his
pleasure: and
separate yourselves from the
people of the
land, and from the
strange wives. 12 Then all the
congregation answered and
said with a
loud voice, As thou hast
said, 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 are
many that have
transgressed in this
thing. 14 Let now our
rulers of all the
congregation stand, and let all them which have
taken strange wives in our
cities come at
appointed times, and with them the
elders of every
city, and the
judges thereof, until the
fierce wrath of our
God for this
matter be
turned from us.
15 Only
Jonathan the
son of
Asahel and
Jahaziah the
son of
Tikvah were
employed about 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 chief of the
fathers, after the
house of their
fathers, and all of them by their
names, were
separated, and 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
taken strange wives by the
first day of the
first month. 18 And among the
sons of the
priests there were
found that had
taken strange wives: 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
hands that they would put
away their
wives; and being
guilty, they offered a
ram of the
flock for their
trespass. 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
Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and
Elasah. 23 Also of the
Levites; Jozabad, and
Shimei, and
Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,)
Pethahiah, Judah, and
Eliezer. 24 Of the
singers also;
Eliashib: and of the
porters; Shallum, and
Telem, and
Uri. 25 Moreover of
Israel: of the
sons of
Parosh; Ramiah, and
Jeziah, and
Malchiah, and
Miamin, and
Eleazar, and
Malchijah, and
Benaiah. 26 And of the
sons of
Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and
Jehiel, and
Abdi, and
Jeremoth, and
Eliah. 27 And of the
sons of
Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and
Jeremoth, and
Zabad, and
Aziza. 28 Of the
sons also of
Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and
Athlai. 29 And of the
sons of
Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and
Adaiah, Jashub, and
Sheal, and
Ramoth. 30 And of the
sons of
Pahathmoab; Adna, and
Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and
Binnui, and
Manasseh. 31 And of the
sons of
Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and
Shemariah. 33 Of the
sons of
Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and
Shimei. 34 Of the
sons of
Bani; Maadai, Amram, and
Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and
Jaasau, 38 And
Bani, and
Binnui, Shimei, 39 And
Shelemiah, and
Nathan, and
Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azareel, and
Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and
Joseph. 43 Of the
sons of
Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and
Joel, Benaiah. 44 All these had
taken strange wives: and some of them
had wives by whom they
had children.