While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting
himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men,
women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people
wept bitterly. And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of
Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have
married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now
there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a
covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their
children, 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. Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be
strong and do it.” Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and
Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been
said. So they took the oath.
Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the
chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night,
neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over
the faithlessness of the exiles. And a proclamation was made
throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they
should assemble at Jerusalem, and that if anyone did not come
within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his
property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the
congregation of the exiles.
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem
within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day
of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the
house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the
heavy rain. And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You
have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the
guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of
your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples
of the land and from the foreign wives.” Then all the assembly
answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said.
But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot
stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for
we have greatly transgressed in this matter. Let our officials
stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken
foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and
judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this
matter is turned away from us.” Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and
Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and
Shabbethai the Levite supported them.
Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men,
heads of fathers' houses, according to their fathers' houses, each
of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month
they sat down to examine the matter; and by the first day of the
first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married
foreign women.
Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had
married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some
of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. They
pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt
offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. Of the sons of
Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah,
Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai,
Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita),
Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the
gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah,
Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah. Of the sons of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. Of the
sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and
Aziza. Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and
Athlai. Of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah,
Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna,
Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and
Manasseh. Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah,
Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. Of the sons of
Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh,
and Shimei. Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah,
Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai,
Jaasu. Of the sons of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel,
Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. All these had
married foreign women, and some of the women had even borne
children.
