Ezra 10:1Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly.
Ezra 10:2Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, "We 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.
Ezra 10:3"So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, 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.
Ezra 10:4"Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act."
Ezra 10:5¶ Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.
Ezra 10:6Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
Ezra 10:7They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem,
Ezra 10:8and 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.
Ezra 10:9¶ 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, trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.
Ezra 10:10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel.
Ezra 10:11"Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."
Ezra 10:12Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, "That's right! As you have said, so it is our duty to do.
Ezra 10:13"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.
Ezra 10:14"Let our leaders represent 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 fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us."
Ezra 10:15Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
Ezra 10:16¶ But the exiles did so. And Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers' households for eachof their father's households, all of them by name. So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.
Ezra 10:17They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
Ezra 10:18¶ Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.
Ezra 10:19They pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense.
Ezra 10:20Of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah;
Ezra 10:21and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah;
Ezra 10:22and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.
Ezra 10:23¶ Of Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
Ezra 10:24¶ Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.
Ezra 10:25¶ Of Israel, of the sons of Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah;
Ezra 10:26and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah;
Ezra 10:27and of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza;
Ezra 10:28and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai;
Ezra 10:29and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth;
Ezra 10:30and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh;
Ezra 10:31and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
Ezra 10:32Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah;
Ezra 10:33of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei;
Ezra 10:34of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
Ezra 10:35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Ezra 10:36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
Ezra 10:37Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,
Ezra 10:38Bani, Binnui, Shimei,
Ezra 10:39Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
Ezra 10:40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Ezra 10:41Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
Ezra 10:42Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.
Ezra 10:43Of the sons of Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.
Ezra 10:44All these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.