Ezra 10:1–44

¹Now as soon as Ez′ra had prayed and he had made confession while weeping and lying prostrate before the house of the [true] God, those of Israel collected themselves together to him, a very large congregation, men and women and children, for the people had wept profusely.²Then Shec‧a‧ni′ah the son of Je‧hi′el of the sons of E′lam answered and said to Ez′ra: “We—we have acted unfaithfully against our God, so that we gave a dwelling to foreign wives from the peoples of the land. Yet now there exists a hope for Israel concerning this.³And now let us conclude a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and those born from them according to the counsel of Jehovah and of those trembling at the commandment of our God, that it may be done according to the law.⁴Get up, for the matter devolves upon you, and we are with you. Be strong and act.”

⁵At that Ez′ra rose and had the chiefs of the priests, the Levites and all Israel take an oath to do according to this word. Accordingly they took an oath.⁶Ez′ra now rose from before the house of the [true] God and went to the dining hall of Je‧ho‧ha′nan the son of E‧li′a‧shib. Although he went there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiled people.

⁷Then they caused a call to pass throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the former exiles to collect themselves together at Jerusalem;⁸and anyone that did not come in three days’ time according to the counsel of the princes and the older men—all his goods would be put under a ban and he himself be separated from the congregation of the exiled people.⁹So all the men of Judah and Benjamin collected themselves together at Jerusalem within three days, that is, in the ninth month on the twentieth [day] of the month, and all the people kept sitting in the open place of the house of the [true] God, shivering because of the matter and on account of the showers of rain.

¹⁰At length Ez′ra the priest rose and said to them: “YOU​ yourselves have acted unfaithfully in that ​YOU​ gave a dwelling to foreign wives so as to add to the guiltiness of Israel.¹¹And now make confession to Jehovah the God of ​YOUR​ forefathers and do his pleasure and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”¹²To this all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice: “Exactly according to your word it devolves upon us to do.¹³However, the people are many, and it is the season of showers of rain, and it is not possible to stand outside; and the business will not take one day or two, for we have rebelled to a great extent in this matter.¹⁴So, please, let our princes act representatively for all the congregation; and, as for all in our cities who have given a dwelling to foreign wives, let them come at the times appointed and along with them the older men of each individual city and its judges, until we have turned back the burning anger of our God from us, on account of this matter.”

¹⁵(However, Jon′a‧than the son of As′a‧hel and Jah‧zei′ah the son of Tik′vah themselves stood up against this, and Me‧shul′lam and Shab′be‧thai the Levites were the ones that helped them.)¹⁶And the former exiles proceeded to do that way; and Ez′ra the priest [and] the men that were the heads of the fathers for their paternal house, even all of them by [their] names, now separated themselves and began sitting on the first day of the tenth month to inquire into the matter;¹⁷and gradually they finished with all the men that had given a dwelling to foreign wives by the first day of the first month.¹⁸And some of the sons of the priests came to be found that had given a dwelling to foreign wives; of the sons of Jesh′u‧a the son of Je‧hoz′a‧dak and his brothers, Ma‧a‧sei′ah and E‧li‧e′zer and Ja′rib and Ged‧a‧li′ah.¹⁹But they promised by shaking hands to put their wives away, and that, they being guilty, there should be a ram of the flock for their guiltiness.

²⁰And of the sons of Im′mer there were Ha‧na′ni and Zeb‧a‧di′ah;²¹and of the sons of Ha′rim, Ma‧a‧sei′ah and E‧li′jah and She‧mai′ah and Je‧hi′el and Uz‧zi′ah;²²and of the sons of Pash′hur, Eli‧o‧e′nai, Ma‧a‧sei′ah, Ish′ma‧el, Ne‧than′el, Jo′za‧bad and El‧e‧a′sah.²³And of the Levites, Jo′za‧bad and Shim′e‧i and Ke‧lai′ah (that is, Ke‧li′ta), Peth‧a‧hi′ah, Judah and E‧li‧e′zer;²⁴and of the singers, E‧li′a‧shib; and of the gatekeepers, Shal′lum and Te′lem and U′ri.

²⁵And of Israel, of the sons of Pa′rosh there were Ra‧mi′ah and Iz‧zi′ah and Mal‧chi′jah and Mij′a‧min and El‧e‧a′zar and Mal‧chi′jah and Be‧nai′ah;²⁶and of the sons of E′lam, Mat‧ta‧ni′ah, Zech‧a‧ri′ah and Je‧hi′el and Ab′di and Jer′e‧moth and E‧li′jah;²⁷and of the sons of Zat′tu, Eli‧o‧e′nai, E‧li′a‧shib, Mat‧ta‧ni′ah and Jer′e‧moth and Za′bad and A‧zi′za;²⁸and of the sons of Be′bai, Je‧ho‧ha′nan, Han‧a‧ni′ah, Zab′bai, Ath′lai;²⁹and of the sons of Ba′ni, Me‧shul′lam, Mal′luch and A‧dai′ah, Ja′shub and She′al [and] Jer′e‧moth;³⁰and of the sons of Pa′hath‐mo′ab, Ad′na and Che′lal, Be‧nai′ah, Ma‧a‧sei′ah, Mat‧ta‧ni′ah, Bez′al‧el and Bin′nu‧i and Ma‧nas′seh;³¹and [of] the sons of Ha′rim, E‧li‧e′zer, Is‧shi′jah, Mal‧chi′jah, She‧mai′ah, Shim′e‧on,³²Benjamin, Mal′luch [and] Shem‧a‧ri′ah;³³of the sons of Ha′shum, Mat‧te′nai, Mat′tat‧tah, Za′bad, E‧liph′e‧let, Jer′e‧mai, Ma‧nas′seh [and] Shim′e‧i;³⁴of the sons of Ba′ni, Ma‧a‧da′i, Am′ram and U′el,³⁵Be‧nai′ah, Be‧dei′ah, Chel′u‧hi,³⁶Va‧ni′ah, Mer′e‧moth, E‧li′a‧shib,³⁷Mat‧ta‧ni′ah, Mat‧te′nai and Ja′a‧su;³⁸and of the sons of Bin′nu‧i, Shim′e‧i³⁹and Shel‧e‧mi′ah and Nathan and A‧dai′ah,⁴⁰Mach‧nad′e‧bai, Sha′shai, Sha′rai,⁴¹Az′ar‧el and Shel‧e‧mi′ah, Shem‧a‧ri′ah,⁴²Shal′lum, Am‧a‧ri′ah, Joseph;⁴³of the sons of Ne′bo, Je‧i′el, Mat‧ti‧thi′ah, Za′bad, Ze‧bi′na, Jad′dai and Joel [and] Be‧nai′ah.⁴⁴These all had accepted foreign wives, and they proceeded to send away wives along with sons.