1Now while Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very great assembly of Israel gathered to him—men and women and children—for the people wept with great weeping.
2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra: ‘We ourselves have acted unfaithfully against our God and have taken foreign wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this.
3So now let us cut a covenant with our God to send away all the wives and those born of them, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the Law.
4Arise, for the matter rests upon you, and we are with you. Be strong and act.’
5Then Ezra arose and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear that they would act according to this word; and they swore.
6Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib; he went there, but he ate no bread and drank no water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7And they sent a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile, that they should gather at Jerusalem;
8and that anyone who did not come within three days, according to the counsel of the officials and the elders, all his property would be devoted to destruction and he himself would be separated from the assembly of the exiles.
9So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days—it was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month—and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling on account of the matter and because of the heavy rains.
10Then Ezra the priest arose and said to them: ‘You yourselves have acted unfaithfully and have taken foreign wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.
11Now therefore make confession to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.’
12Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice: ‘It is so; as you have spoken, so it is upon us to do.
13But the people are many, and it is the season of heavy rains, and there is no strength to stand outside; and the task is not for one day nor for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
14Let our officials now stand for all the assembly, and let all who are in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city and its judges, until the burning anger of our God is turned away from us over this matter.’
15Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah stood against this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.
16So the sons of the exile did accordingly. Ezra the priest, along with men who were heads of the fathers’ houses by their fathers’ houses, all of them by name, separated themselves; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.
17And by the first day of the first month they had finished dealing with all the men who had taken foreign wives.
18There were found among the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives: from the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers—Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19They gave their hand to send away their wives, and being guilty they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt.
20And from the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21And from the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22And from the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23And of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, and Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24And of the singers: Eliashib. And of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25And of Israel: from the sons of Parosh—Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26And from the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27And from the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28And from the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29And from the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30And from the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31And of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.
33Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
34Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,
38and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.
43Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, and Joel, Benaiah.
44All these had taken foreign wives, and some of them were wives who had borne sons.
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