10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed,
weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there
assembled to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men
and women and children: for the people wept very bitterly.
10:2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, [one] of the sons of
Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our
God, and have taken foreign wives of the people of the land:
yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
10:3 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.
10:4 Arise; for [this] matter [belongeth] to thee: we also [will
be] with thee: be of good courage, and do [it].
10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites,
and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this
word. And they swore.
10:6 Then Ezra arose from before the house of God, and went into
the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and [when] he came
thither, he ate no bread, nor drank water: for he mourned
because of the transgression of them that had been carried
away.
10:7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem
to all the children of the captivity, that they should assemble
at Jerusalem;
10:8 And that whoever 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.
10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at
Jerusalem within three days. It [was] the ninth month, and 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.
10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said to them, Ye have
transgressed, and have taken foreign wives to increase the
trespass of Israel.
10:11 Now therefore make confession to the LORD God of your
fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the
people of the land, and from the foreign wives.
10:12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud
voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
10:13 But the people [are] many, and [it is] a time of much
rain, and we are not able to stand abroad, neither [is this] a
work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed
in this thing.
10:14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let
all them who have taken foreign wives in our cities come at
appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and
its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter
shall be turned from us.
10:15 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.
10:16 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.
10:17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken
foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
10:18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that
had taken foreign wives: [namely], of the sons of Jeshua the
son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and
Jarib, and Gedaliah.
10:19 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.
10:20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
10:21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and
Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
10:22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael,
Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
10:23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the
same [is] Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
10:24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters;
Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
10:25 Moreover, of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and
Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah,
and Benaiah.
10:26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel,
and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
10:27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah,
and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
10:28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai,
[and] Athlai.
10:29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah,
Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
10:30 And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah,
Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
10:31 And [of] the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah,
Shemaiah, Shimeon,
10:32 Benjamin, Malluch, [and] Shemariah.
10:33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad,
Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, [and] Shimei.
10:34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
10:35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
10:36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
10:37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
10:38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
10:39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
10:40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
10:41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
10:42 Shallum, Amariah, [and] Joseph.
10:43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina,
Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
10:44 All these had taken foreign wives: and [some] of them had
wives by whom they had children.
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