Ezra
Chapter 10
1 After Ezra prayed and confessed, crying and falling down in front of God’s house, a large crowd of men, women, and children from Israel gathered around him because they were all crying a lot.
2 Shechaniah, son of Jehiel and from Elam’s family, spoke to Ezra, “We have sinned against God by marrying foreign women from this land, but there is still hope for Israel in this matter.”
3 So now, let’s make an agreement with God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, based on the advice of my lord and those who respect God’s commands; and we’ll follow the law in doing this.
4 Get up; this task is yours to do: we will be with you: be brave and go ahead.
5 Then Ezra stood up and had the lead priests, the Levites, and all Israel promise to do as he said. And they promised.
6 Ezra got up from in front of God’s house and went into Johanan son of Eliashib’s room. There, he didn’t eat bread or drink water because he was sad about the sins of the people who were taken away.
7 They announced throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles that they should come together in Jerusalem.
8 Anyone who did not come within three days, as the leaders and elders advised, would lose all their belongings and be cut off from the group that had been taken away.
9 All the men from Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem in three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day; and everyone sat in the street by God’s house, shaking because of the issue and the heavy rain.
10 Priest Ezra stood up and said to them, “You have done wrong by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.”
11 Now, say sorry to God, the God of your ancestors, and do what makes him happy. Stay away from the local people and from the foreign wives.
12 Then the whole group replied loudly, “We will do as you have said.”
13 There are many people, and it’s raining a lot, so we can’t stay outside, and we can’t finish this job in one or two days because many of us have done wrong in this matter.
14 Let our leaders and everyone who married foreign women in our towns meet at set times, along with the elders and judges of each town, until God’s strong anger about this is calmed.
15 Jonathan, son of Asahel, and Jahaziah, son of Tikvah, worked on this issue, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite assisting them.
16 The captives’ children did this. Ezra, the priest, with some leaders of the families, grouped by their ancestors’ families and each by name, set apart and started to look into the matter on the first day of the tenth month.
17 They finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.
18 Some priests’ sons had married foreign women, including Jeshua’s descendants—Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 They promised to send away their wives and, admitting their guilt, they brought a sheep to make up for their wrong.
20 From Immer’s sons: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From Harim’s sons were Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 The sons of Pashur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 From the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Among the singers was Eliashib; and the gatekeepers were Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 From Israel: sons of Parosh are Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Miamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26 The sons of Elam were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah.
27 From Zattu’s descendants were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From Bebai’s sons: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 From Bani’s descendants came Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth.
30 From the descendants of Pahathmoab were Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 From Harim’s descendants came Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, and Shimeon.
32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From Hashum’s sons: Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 From Bani’s descendants: Maadai, Amram, and Uel.
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib.
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
38 Bani, Binnui, and Shimei,
39 Shelemiah, Nathan, and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azareel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 From Nebo’s descendants: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these men married foreign women, and some of them had children with these wives.