Ezra 10
Open Word Bible
While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children from Israel gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly.
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign wives from the peoples of the land. But even so, there is still hope for Israel. So now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these wives and their children, following the counsel of the Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done according to the law. Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we are with you. Be strong and do it.”
So Ezra got up and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath to do what had been proposed. And they took the oath. Then Ezra left his place before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He went there, but he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles.
A proclamation was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they were to assemble in Jerusalem. Anyone who did not come within three days, as the leaders and elders had decided, would forfeit all his property and would himself be cut off from the assembly of the returned exiles.
So within the three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people sat in the open square in front of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign wives, and so you have added to Israel’s guilt. Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives.” The whole assembly answered with a loud voice, “Yes! We must do as you have said. But there are many people here, and it is the rainy season; we cannot stand out in the open. Besides, this is not a task for one or two days, because many of us have sinned seriously in this matter. Let our leaders act for the whole assembly. Let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign wife come at a set time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”
Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them. So the returned exiles did as they had proposed. Ezra the priest and certain heads of families, one for each family and all of them named, were set apart for the task. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the matter. By the first day of the first month they had finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign wives.
These were found to have married foreign wives. From the priests: of the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers, Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They pledged themselves to send away their wives, and because they were guilty they offered a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
From the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
From the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Eleasah.
From the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
From the rest of Israel: from the descendants of Parosh, Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.
From the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
From the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
From the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth.
From the descendants of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Isshiah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Simeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
From the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai, Bani, Binnui, Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
From the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. All these had married foreign women, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Ezra
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