Ezra 10
10
Foreign Wives and Children Put Away
1Now 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. 2And Shechani´ah the son of Jehi´el, 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. 3Now 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. 4Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. 5Then 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.
6Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jo´hanan the son of Eli´ashib: 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. 7And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; 8and 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.
9Then 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. 10And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. 11Now 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. 12Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. 13But 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. 14Let 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. 15Only Jonathan the son of As´ahel and Jahazi´ah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshul´lam and Shab´bethai the Levite helped them.
16And 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 tenth month to examine the matter. 17And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
18And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jesh´u-a the son of Joz´adak, and his brethren; Ma-asei´ah, and Eli-e´zer, and Jarib, and Gedali´ah. 19And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass. 20And of the sons of Immer; Hana´ni, and Zebadi´ah. 21And of the sons of Harim; Ma-asei´ah, and Eli´jah, and Shemai´ah, and Jehi´el, and Uzzi´ah. 22And of the sons of Pashur; Eli-oe´nai, Ma-asei´ah, Ish´ma-el, Nethan´e-el, Joz´abad, and Ela´sah.
23Also of the Levites; Joz´abad, and Shim´e-i, and Kelai´ah, (the same is Keli´ta,) Pethahi´ah, Judah, and Eli-e´zer. 24Of the singers also; Eli´ashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
25Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Rami´ah, and Jezi´ah, and Malchi´ah, and Mi´amin, and Ele-a´zar, and Malchi´jah, and Benai´ah. 26And of the sons of Elam; Mattani´ah, Zechari´ah, and Jehi´el, and Abdi, and Jer´emoth, and Eli´ah. 27And of the sons of Zattu; Eli-oe´nai, Eli´ashib, Mattani´ah, and Jer´emoth, and Zabad, and Azi´za. 28Of the sons also of Be´bai; Jeho´hanan, Hanani´ah, Zab´bai, and Ath´lai. 29And of the sons of Bani; Meshul´lam, Malluch, and Adai´ah, Jashub, and She´al, and Ramoth. 30And of the sons of Pahath–mo´ab; Adna, and Chelal, Benai´ah, Ma-asei´ah, Mattani´ah, Bez´aleel, and Bin´nu-i, and Manas´seh. 31And of the sons of Harim; Eli-e´zer, Ishi´jah, Malchi´ah, Shemai´ah, Shim´e-on, 32Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemari´ah. 33Of the sons of Hashum; Mat´tenai, Mat´ta-thah, Zabad, Eliph´elet, Jer´emai, Manas´seh, and Shim´e-i. 34Of the sons of Bani; Ma´adai, Amram, and U´el, 35Benai´ah, Bedei´ah, Chelluh, 36Vani´ah, Mer´emoth, Eli´ashib, 37Mattani´ah, Mat´tenai, and Ja´asau, 38and Bani, and Bin´nu-i, Shim´e-i, 39and Shelemi´ah, and Nathan, and Adai´ah, 40Mach-nad´ebai, Sha´shai, Sha´rai, 41Az´areel, and Shelemi´ah, Shemari´ah, 42Shallum, Amari´ah, and Joseph. 43Of the sons of Nebo; Je-i´el, Mattithi´ah, Zabad, Ze-bi´na, Ja´dau, and Joel, Benai´ah. 44All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
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Ezra 10: KJVAE
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.