EZRA
Ezra 10 ©
The people weep with Ezra, v. 1, etc. Shechaniah comforts Ezra, and gives him good counsel, 2. Which he follows, engaging the chief of the priests, the Levites and all the people by oath, to do according to the law of God, 5. All the people, by a strict proclamation, are assembled unto Jerusalem, where Ezra convinces them, and redresses all things into good order according to the law of God, 7. The names of the priests and Levites who had also married foreign wives, and were parted from them, 18.
NOW when Ezra had prayed, and when he had 1confessed, 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, 2answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and 3have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is 4hope 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 5tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
Arise; for this matter 6belongeth 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 sware.
¶Then Ezra rose up from 7before the house of God, and 8went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no 9bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them 10that had been carried away.
And they made 11proclamation 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 12forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those 13that had been carried away.
¶Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the 14ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the 15street of the house of God, 16trembling 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 17increase the trespass of Israel.
Now therefore 18make 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 19loud voice, As thou hast said, so 20must we do.
But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are 21not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are 22many 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 23elders 24of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God 25for this matter be turned from us.
¶ 26Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this 27matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with 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 28tenth 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 29first 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 Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
And they 30gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock 31for their trespass.
And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
Moreover of 32Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
And of the sons of Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, 33Chelluh,
Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
34Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, 35Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives 36by whom they had children.