Chapter 10 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.
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.
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.
Arise, for this matter belongeth unto thee.
We also will be with thee.
Be of good courage and do it.
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 swore.
Then Ezra arose up from before the house of God and went into the chamber of
Johanan, the son of Elisha.
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.
And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children
of the captivity that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem 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.
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.
And Ezra the priest stood up and said unto them, Ye have transgressed and have taken
strange wives to increase the trespass of Israel.
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.
Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said,
so must we do.
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.
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.
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jehoziah the son of Tikva were employed
about this matter, and Meshulam and Shabbatai the Levite helped them,
and the children of the captivity did so.
And Ezra the priest was 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.
And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day
of the first month.
And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives,
namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Josedach and his brethren, Maaseah,
and Eliezer, and Jerib, and Gedaliah.
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.
And of the sons of Emma, and Anani, and Zebediah, and of the sons of Herim,
Maaseah, and Elijah, and Shimeah, and Shechael, and Uzziah, and of the sons
of Pashur, Elioinai, Maaseah, Ishmael, Nathanael, Josabath, and Elassah,
also of the Levites, Josabath, and Shimei, and Keliah, the same as
Kelitah, Petahiah, Judah, and Eliezer, of the singers also, Eliashub,
and of the porters, Shalom, and Telim, and Uri.
Moreover of Israel, of the sons of Perosh, Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malachiah,
and Miamin, and Eliezer, and Melchijah, and Benaiah, and of the sons of Elam,
Mataniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah,
and of the sons of Zatu, Elioinai, Eliashub, Mataniah, and Jeremoth,
and Zebad, and Aziza, of the sons also of Bibai, Jehohanan, Ananiah, Zabai,
and Athlai, and of the sons of Benai, Meshulam, Malak, and Adaiah, Jeshub,
and Sheol, and Ramoth, and of the sons of Peiathmoab, Adna, and Kelo, Baneah,
Measiah, Mataniah, Bezaliel, and Binuai, and Manasseh, and of the sons of Herim,
Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkiah, Shimeah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malak, and Shemariah,
of the sons of Hesham, Matanai, Matathah, Zebad, Eliphelet, Jeremiah,
Manasseh, and Shimei, of the sons of Benai, Meadai, Amram, and Yul,
Baneah, Bedeah, Kela, Vanaiah, Merimoth, Eliashub, Mataniah, Matanai,
and Jehoshor, and Benai, and Binuai, Shimei, and Shelemiah, and Nathan,
and Adaiah, Machnadabai, Sheshai, Sherai, Azariel, and Shelemiah,
Shemariah, Shalom, Amariah, and Joseph, of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah,
Zebad, Zebina, Jeduel, and Joel, Baneah.
All these had taken strange wives, and some of them had wives by whom they
had children.