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Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women, and children, gathered around him, and they also wept very bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God, and have married foreign women from the surrounding peoples, but there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So let us now make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. 4 Get up, for this matter is your responsibility. We will also support you, so be of good courage, and do it.”
5 So Ezra got up and he made the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been suggested. And they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra went from the house of God through to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. While he was there, he did not eat any food or drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 A proclamation was circulated throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to gather at Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who did not come within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the decision of the leaders and the elders, and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles. 9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the open square at the house of God, trembling because of this issue and because of the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign wives, adding to Israel’s guilt. 11 Now make a confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”
12 Then all the assembly responded with a loud voice, “Yes, as you have said, so we will do! 13 But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we are not able to stand outside. Besides, this is not something that can be resolved in one or two day, for many of us have transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, along with the elders and the judges of each town, until the fierce wrath of our God in this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levites supported them.
16 So the exiles did what had been proposed. Ezra the priest selected individual men by name, each of whom was a family head from his own ancestral house. Then on the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the matter. 17 They finished dealing with all the men who had taken foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
18 Among the descendants of the priests, these men were found to have married foreign women:
From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers:
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They pledged to send their wives away, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.
20 From the descendants of Immer:
Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the descendants of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 From the descendants of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Among the Levites:
Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 From the singers:
Eliashib.
From the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 From among the people of Israel:
From the descendants of Parosh:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26 From the descendants of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 From the descendants of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From the descendants of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 From the descendants of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 From the descendants of Pahath-moab:
Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 From the descendants of Harim:
Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From the descendants of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 From the descendants of Bani:
Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 From the descendants of Nebo:
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.