1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping
and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out
of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the
people wept very sore.
2 And
Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said
unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of
the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3 Now
therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and
such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those
that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the
law.
4 Arise;
for this matter belongeth unto
thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
5 Then
arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear
that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
6 Then
Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan
the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread,
nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had
been carried away.
7 And
they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of
the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
8 And
that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of
the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself
separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
9 Then
all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem
within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of
the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling
because of this matter,
and for the great rain.
10 And
Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have
taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now
therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his
pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the
strange wives.
12 Then
all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so
must we do.
13 But
the people are many,
and it is a
time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a
work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.
14 Let
now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken
strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders
of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for
this matter be turned from us.
15 Only
Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about
this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped
them.
16 And
the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain
chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names,
were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the
matter.
17 And
they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day
of the first month.
18 And
among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of 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 wives; and being guilty, they offered a
ram of the flock for their trespass.
20 And
of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
21 And
of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and
Uzziah.
22 And
of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and
Elasah.
23 Also
of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,)
Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Of
the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
25 Moreover
of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin,
and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26 And
of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth,
and Eliah.
27 And
of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad,
and Aziza.
28 Of
the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 And
of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and
Ramoth.
30 And
of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah,
Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 And of the
sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin,
Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 Of
the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 Of
the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
35 Benaiah,
Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah,
Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah,
Mattenai, and Jaasau,
38 And
Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39 And
Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai,
Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azareel,
and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum,
Amariah, and Joseph.
43 Of
the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All
these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had
children.
