 1 When Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered to him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children, for the people wept with a great weeping. 2 Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, We have sinned against our God and have taken strange women from the people of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this. 3 Now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the women, and such as have been born of them, according to the counsel of the Lord, and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. And let it be done according to the Law. 4 Arise, for this matter belongs to you. We also will be with you. Be of good courage and act. 5 Then Ezra arose and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel to swear that they should do according to this word and they swore. 6 Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he ate no bread nor drank water. For he mourned because of the sin of those who had been exiled. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, to gather to Jerusalem. 8 Whoever would not come within three days, according to the advice of the rulers and the elders, all he owned would be lost and he himself separated from the congregation of the exiles. 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered to Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth 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. 10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have sinned and have taken strange women to increase the sin of Israel. 11 Now confess to the Lord God of your fathers and do His pleasure. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the strange women. 12 Then all the congregation said with a loud voice, As you have said, so we must do. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside. And the work is not of one or two days. For we who have sinned in this are many. 14 Let our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all those who have taken strange women in our cities, come at a set time, and with them the elders of every city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter has turned from us. 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah made a stand against this. Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them. 16 The children of the captivity did so and Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by names, were separated. They sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 They made an end with all the men who had taken strange women by the first day of the first month. 18 Among the sons of the priests, these were found who had taken strange women: From the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers were Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They gave their hands that they would put away their women. And being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their sin. 20 From the sons of Immer were Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 From the sons of Harim were Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 From the sons of Pashur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 From the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah the same is Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 From the singers: Eliashib. And from the gatekeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri. 25 From Israel: From the sons of Parosh, Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah and Benaiah. 26 From the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. 27 From the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. 28 From the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai. 29 From the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. 30 From the sons of Pahathmoab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 From the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. 33 From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei. 34 From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, 38 and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, 39 and Shelemiah, Nathan, and Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, Joseph. 43 From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah. 44 All these had taken strange women. And many of them had women by whom they had sons.
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