1While Ezra was praying and making confession, prostrate in tears before the house of God, there gathered round him a vast throng of Israelites, men, women, and children, and there was widespread lamentation among the crowd.
2Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the family of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have broken faith with our God in taking foreign wives from the peoples of the land. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.
3Let us now pledge ourselves to our God to get rid of all such wives with their children, according to your counsel, my lord, and the counsel of those who go in fear of the command of our God; and let the law take its course.
4Rise up, the matter is in your hands; and we are with you. Take strong action!”
5Ezra got up and put the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all the Israelites on oath to act in this way, and they took the oath.
6Ezra then left the forecourt of the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan grandson of Eliashib. He stayed there, eating no bread and drinking no water, for he was still mourning for the unfaithfulness of the returned exiles.
7A proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem directing all the returned exiles to assemble at Jerusalem.
8If any failed to arrive within three days, as decided by the chief officers and the elders, they were to have all their property confiscated and would themselves be excluded from the community that had come from exile.
9Three days later, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had assembled in Jerusalem, where they all sat in the open space before the house of God, full of apprehension and shivering in the heavy rain.
10Ezra the priest stood up and addressed them: “You have broken faith in marrying foreign women,” he said “and have added to Israel's guilt.
11Now, make confession to the LORD the God of your fathers; do his will, cut yourselves off from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives.”
12The whole company assented loudly, saying, “We shall do as you say!
13But”, they added, “our numbers are great; it is the rainy season and we cannot stay out in the open. Besides, this is not the work of one or two days only, for the offence is rife amongst us.
14Let our leading men act for the whole assembly, and let all those who have married foreign wives present themselves at stated times, accompanied by the elders and judges for each town, until our God's fierce anger at what has been done is averted from us.”
15Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.
16The returned exiles duly put this into effect, and Ezra the priest selected, each by name, certain men, heads of households representing their families. They met in session to investigate the matter on the first day of the tenth month,
17and by the first day of the first month the enquiry into all the marriages with foreign women was brought to a conclusion.
18Among the members of priestly families who had married foreign women were found Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, of the line of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers.
19They pledged themselves to dismiss their wives, and to offer a ram from the flock as a reparation-offering for their offence.
20Of the line of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21Of the line of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22Of the line 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 door-keepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25And of Israel: of the line of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchiah, and Benaiah.
26Of the line of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27Of the line of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28Of the line of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29Of the line of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30Of the line of Pahath-moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31Of the line of Harim: Eliezer, Isshiah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Simeon,
32Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33Of the line of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34Of the line of Bani: Maadai, Amram and Uel,
35Benaiah, Bedeiah and Keluhi,
36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau.
38Of the line of Binnui: Shimei,
39Shelemiah, Nathan and Adaiah,
40Maknadebai, Shashai and Sharai,
41Azarel, Shelemiah and Shemariah,
42Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43Of the line of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44All these had married foreign women, and they dismissed them, together with their children.
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