Ezra 10

1While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children from Israel gathered around him, for the people were weeping bitterly.

2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.

3So now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of the Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done according to the law.

4Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we are with you. Be strong and act.”

5So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do what had been said. And they swore the oath.

6Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. When he got there, he ate no bread and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles.

7A proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they were to assemble in Jerusalem,

8and that anyone who did not come within three days, as the officials and elders had decided, would forfeit all his property and would himself be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

9So within three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.

10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.

11Now then, make confession to Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

12The whole assembly answered with a loud voice, “Yes! It is our duty to do as you have said.

13But the people are many, and it is the rainy season; we cannot stand outside. Nor is this a task for one day or two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.

14Let our officials act on behalf of the whole assembly. Let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”

15Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16So the returned exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest and certain men who were heads of ancestral houses, by their ancestral houses, all of them designated by name, were set apart. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the matter.

17By the first day of the first month they had finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

18Among the descendants of the priests, these were found to have married foreign women: of the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers, Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

19They pledged to send away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt.

20Of the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

21Of the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

22Of the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah, that is, Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25And of Israel: of the descendants of Parosh, Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.

26Of the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

27Of the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

28Of the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

29Of the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth.

30Of the descendants of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

31Of the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

33Of the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

34Of the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu,

36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai,

38Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

39Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

43Of the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

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