1 N ow while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before God’s house, there was gathered together to him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very bitterly.

Ezra was praying and telling their sins, and crying and lying on the ground before the house of God. Many people, men, women and children, gathered around him from Israel, for the people cried with many tears.

2 S hecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have not been faithful to our God. We have married strange women from the people of the land. But even so, there is hope for Israel.

3 N ow 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 who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done according to the law.

So let us make an agreement with our God to put away all the wives and their children. Let this be done by the wise words of my lord and of those who shake with fear at the Word of our God. And let it be done by the Law.

4 A rise; for the matter belongs to you, and we are with you. Be courageous, and do it.”

Get up, for this is your duty, but we will be with you. Have strength of heart and do it.”

5 T hen Ezra arose, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore.

So Ezra got up and made the head religious leaders, the Levites and all Israel promise that they would do as he had said, and they promised.

6 T hen Ezra rose up from before God’s house, and went into the room of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came there, he ate no bread, nor drank water; for he mourned because of their trespass of the captivity.

Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the room of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. He went there, but he did not eat bread or drink water, for he was filled with sorrow because the people who returned had not been faithful to God.

7 T hey made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together to Jerusalem;

And it was made known to all the Jews who had returned to Judah and Jerusalem that they should gather together at Jerusalem.

8 a nd that whoever didn’t 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 assembly of the captivity.

Whoever would not come within three days, as the leaders had said, would have all he owned taken away from him. He would be sent away from the people who had returned from Babylon.

9 T hen all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together to Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people sat in the wide place in front of God’s house, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.

So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people sat in the open space before the house of God, shaking because of this trouble and because of much rain.

10 E zra the priest stood up, and said to them, “You have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel.

Then Ezra the religious leader stood up and said to them, “You have been sinful and have married wives of strange lands, adding to the guilt of Israel.

11 N ow therefore make confession to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.”

So now tell your sins to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the strange wives.”

12 T hen all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “As you have said concerning us, so must we do.

Then all the people answered with a loud voice, “That is right! We must do as you have said.

13 B ut the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside; neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.

But there are many people, and there is much rain. We cannot stand in the open. This cannot be done in one or two days, for we have sinned very much.

14 L et now our princes be appointed for all the assembly, and let all those who are in our cities who have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, until this matter is resolved.”

Let our leaders speak for all the people. Then let all those in our cities who have married strange wives come at certain times, together with the leaders and judges of each city. Let this be done until the anger of our God, because of this sin, is turned away from us.”

15 O nly Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this; and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.

Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah were against this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite following them.

16 T he children of the captivity did so. Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers’ households, after their fathers’ houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.

But the other people who had returned from Babylon agreed to do this. Ezra the religious leader chose men who were leaders of family groups for each of their fathers’ houses. Each of them were chosen by name. So they met together on the first day of the tenth month to look into the problem.

17 T hey made an end with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.

And by the first day of the first month, they finished finding the names of all the men who had married wives from the other nations.

18 A mong the sons of the priests there were found who had married foreign women: of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brothers, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.

Of the sons of the religious leaders who had married strange wives were found the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

19 T hey gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.

They promised to put away their wives, and because they were guilty, they gave a ram of the flock for their sin.

20 O f the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

And there were Hanani and Zebadiah of the sons of Immer,

21 O f the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

and Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah, of the sons of Harim,

22 O f the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

and Elionai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah, of the sons of Pashur.

23 O f the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

Of the Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24 O f the singers: Eliashib. Of the porters: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.

Of the singers there was Eliashib. Of the gate-keepers there were Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 O f Israel: Of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.

Of Israel, there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah, of the sons of Parosh.

26 O f the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.

There were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah, of the sons of Elam.

27 O f the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

There were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza, of the sons of Zattu.

28 O f the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.

There were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai, of the sons of Bebai.

29 O f the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.

There were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeramoth, of the sons of Bani.

30 O f the sons of Pahathmoab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

There were Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh, of the sons of Pahath-moab.

31 O f the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

Of the sons of Harim, there were Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32 B enjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.

Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

33 O f the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.

There were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei, of the sons of Hashum.

34 O f the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel,

Of the sons of Bani, there were Maadai, Amram, Uel,

35 B enaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

36 V aniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37 M attaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu,

Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,

38 a nd Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,

Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

39 a nd Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,

Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

40 M achnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41 A zarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42 S hallum, Amariah, Joseph.

Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

43 O f the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah.

And there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah, of the sons of Nebo.

44 A ll these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

All these had married wives of the other nations, and some of the wives had given birth to children.