Ezra 10

1. Now while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children, for the people wept with a great weeping.

2. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married strange women from the people of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

3. And now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the women, and such as have been born of them, according to the counsel of the LORD, and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. And let it be done according to the law.

4. Arise, for this matter belongs to you. We also will be with you. Be of good courage and do it.”

5. Then Ezra arose and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel to swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore.

6. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he ate no bread nor drank water, for he mourned because of the sin of those who had been exiled.

7. And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity to gather themselves unto Jerusalem,

8. And that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the rulers and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and he himself separated from the congregation of the exiles.

9. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves to Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the street before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and because of the great rain.

10. And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful, and have married strange women to increase the guilt of Israel.

11. Now confess to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His pleasure. And separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the foreign women.”

12. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, “As you have said, so we must do.

13. But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside. And the work is not of one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

14. Let our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all those who have married strange women in our cities, come at set times, and with them the elders of every city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter has turned from us.”

15. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah made a stand against this. And Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16. And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated. And they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.

17. And they were finished with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.

18. And among the sons of the priests, these were found who had taken strange women: from 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 women. And being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their sin.

20. And from the sons of Immer; Hanani and Zebadiah.

21. And from the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

22. And from the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23. And from the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24. And from the singers: Eliashib; and from the gatekeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri.

25. And from Israel: from the sons of Parosh, Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah and Benaiah.

26. And from the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.

27. And from the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

28. And from the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

29. And from the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.

30. And from the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

31. And from the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32. Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

33. From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

34. From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel,

35. Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh,

36. Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37. Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai,

38. And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,

39. And Shelemiah, Nathan, and Adaiah,

40. Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41. Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42. Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

43. From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

44. All these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.