Now ^awhile Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself ^bbefore the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “^aWe have been unfaithful to our God and have ¹married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So now ^alet us cut a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and ^1btheir children, according to the counsel of ²my lord and of ^cthose who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done ^daccording to the law. 4 Arise! For this matter is ¹your responsibility, but we will be with you; ^abe strong and act.”

5 Then Ezra arose and ^amade the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, swear an oath that they would do according to this word; so they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra ^aarose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. He went there, but ^bhe did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the prince and the elders, all his possessions should be devoted to destruction and he himself separated from the assembly of the exiles.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, ^atrembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest arose and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 So now, ^amake confession to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and ^bdo His will; and ^cseparate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “This is so! As you have said, so it is ¹our duty to do. 13 But there are many people; it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 Let our princes stand in for the whole assembly, and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at set times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the ^aburning anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 However, Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood against this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helping them.

16 But the exiles did so. And ¹Ezra the priest separated out men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they ²convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 And they completed investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

18 Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of ^aJeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 They gave their hand in pledge to put away their wives, and being guilty, ^athey offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.

44 All these had taken up ^aforeign women as wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Now ^awhile Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself ^bbefore the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “^aWe have been unfaithful to our God and have ¹married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So now ^alet us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and ^1btheir children, according to the counsel of ²my lord and of ^cthose who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done ^daccording to the law. 4 Arise! For this matter is ¹your responsibility, but we will be with you; ^abe courageous and act.”

5 Then Ezra rose and ^amade the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this ¹proposal; so they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra ^arose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, ^bhe did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, ^atrembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, ^amake confession to the LORD God of your fathers and ^bdo His will; and ^cseparate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “That’s right! As you have said, so it is ¹our duty to do. 13 But there are many people; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 Let our leaders ¹represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the ^afierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah ¹opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

16 But the exiles did so. And ¹Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they ²convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

18 Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of ^aJeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 They ¹pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, ^athey offered a ram of the flock for their offense. 20 Of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

23 Of Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.

24 Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.

25 Of Israel, of the sons of ^aParosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah; 27 and of the sons of ^aZattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza; 28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, ^aMalchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of ^aNebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah. 44 All these had married ^aforeign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Now ^awhile Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and laying himself face down ^bbefore the house of God, a very large group from Israel, of men, women, and children, gathered to him, for the people wept bitterly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “^aWe have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore ^alet us now make a covenant with our God to send away all the foreign wives and ^btheir children, in accordance with the advice of my lord and of ^cthose who tremble in reverent obedience at the commandment of our God; and let it be done ^din accordance with the Law. 4 Stand up, for it is your duty, and we will be with you. ^aBe brave and act.”

5 Then Ezra stood and ^amade the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, take an oath that they would act in accordance with this proposal; so they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra ^agot up from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib and spent the night there. ^bHe did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the former exiles’ faithlessness. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the former exiles, that they were to assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, by order of the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions and property would be forfeited and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month, and all the people sat in the open square in front of the house of God, ^atrembling because of the seriousness of this matter and because of the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful to God and have married foreign (pagan) women, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 So now, ^amake confession to the LORD God of your fathers and ^bdo His will. ^1cSeparate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “It is our responsibility to do just as you have said. 13 But there are many people and it is the season of heavy rain; so we are unable to stand outside. Nor can the task be done in a day or two, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 Let our leaders stand for and represent the entire assembly; let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the ^aburning anger of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah ¹opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16 Then the former exiles did so. Ezra the priest and men who were heads of fathers’ households were selected, according to their fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 And by the first day of the first month they finished investigating all the men married to foreign wives.

18 Now among the sons of the priests who had married foreign women were found: of the sons of ^aJeshua the high priest the son of Jozadak, and his brothers—Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They vowed to send away their pagan wives, and being guilty, ^athey each offered a ram of the flock for their offense. 20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah, that is, Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24 Of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 Of Israel, of the sons of ^aParosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah (Hashabiah) , and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah; 27 and of the sons of ^aZattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 and of the sons also of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, ^aMalchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of ^aNebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All these had married ^aforeign women, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Now ^awhile Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself ^bbefore the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept greatly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “^aWe have been unfaithful to our God and have ¹married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So now ^alet’s make a covenant with our God to send away all the wives and ^1btheir children, following the counsel of ²my lord and of ^cthose who fear the commandment of our God; and let it be done ^daccording to the Law. 4 Arise! For this matter is ¹your responsibility, but we will be with you; ^abe courageous and act.”

5 Then Ezra stood and ^amade the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath that they would do according to this ¹proposal; so they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra ^arose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, ^bhe did not eat bread nor drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 So they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they were to assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever did not come within three days, in accordance with the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the public square before the house of God, ^atrembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, ^amake confession to the LORD God of your fathers and ^bdo His will; and ^cseparate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “It is ¹our duty to do exactly as you have said! 13 However, there are many people, it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, because we have done a great wrong in this matter. 14 Please let our leaders ¹represent all the assembly and have all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the ^afierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah ¹opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

16 But the exiles did so. And ¹Ezra the priest selected men who were the heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they ²convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 And they finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

18 Now among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of ^aJeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They ¹pledged to send away their wives, and being guilty, ^athey offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20 Of the sons of Immer, there were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Of the Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24 Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 Of Israel, of the sons of ^aParosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah; 27 and of the sons of ^aZattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, ^aMalchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of ^aNebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All of these men had married ^aforeign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.