1   While Ezra was praying and making confession, prostrate in tears before the house of God, a very great crowd of Israelites assembled round him, men, women, and children, and they all wept bitterly. 2   Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the family of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, ‘We have committed an offence against our God in marrying foreign wives, daughters of the foreign population. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. 3   Now, therefore, let us pledge ourselves to our God to dismiss all these women and their brood, according to your advice, my lord, and the advice of those who go in fear of the command of our God; and let us act as the law prescribes. 4   Up now, the task is yours, and we will support you. Take courage and act.’

5   Ezra stood up and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all the Israelites swear to do as had been said; and they took the oath. 6   Then Ezra left his place in front of the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan grandson ^note of Eliashib and lodged ^note there; he neither ate bread nor drank water, for he was mourning for the offence committed by the exiles who had returned. 7   Next, there was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem a proclamation that all the exiles

Ezra's mission to Jerusalem should assemble in Jerusalem, 8   and that if anyone did not arrive within three days, it should be within the discretion of the chief officers and the elders to confiscate ^note all his property and to exclude him from the community of the exiles. 9   So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem within the three days; and on the twentieth day of the ninth month the people all sat in the forecourt of the house of God, trembling with apprehension and shivering in the heavy rain. 10   Ezra the priest stood up and said, ‘You have committed an offence in marrying foreign wives and have added to Israel's guilt. 11   Make your confession now to the Lord the God of your fathers and do his will, and separate yourselves from the foreign population and from your foreign wives.’ 12   Then all the assembled people shouted in reply, ‘Yes; we must do what you say. 13   But there is a great crowd of us here, and it is the rainy season; we cannot go on standing out here in the open. Besides, this business will not be finished in one day or even two, because we have committed so grave an offence in this matter. 14   Let our leading men act for the whole assembly, and let all in our cities who have married foreign women present themselves at appointed times, each man with the elders and judges of his own city, until God's anger against us on this account ^note is averted.’ 15   Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.

16   So the exiles acted as agreed, and Ezra the priest selected ^note certain men, heads of households representing their families, all of them designated by name. They began their formal inquiry into the matter on the first day of the tenth month, 17   and by the first day of the first month they had finished their inquiry into all the marriages with foreign women.

18   Among the members of priestly families who had married foreign women were found Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah of the family of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19   They pledged themselves to dismiss their wives, and they brought a ram from the flock as a guilt-offering for their sins. 20   Of the family of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21   Of the family of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah. 22   Of the family of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad and Elasah.

23   Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer. 24   Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the door-keepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.

2   And of Israel: of the family of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchiah and Benaiah. 26   Of the family of Elam:

Ezra's mission to Jerusalem Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah. 27   Of the family of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza. 28   Of the family of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai. 29   Of the family of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth. 30   Of the family of Pahath-moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh. 31   Of ^note the family of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Simeon, Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah. 32    33   Of the family of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei. 34    35   Of the family of Bani: Maadai, Amram and Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah and Keluhi, 36    37   Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasau. 38    39   Of the family of ^note Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan and Adaiah, Maknadebai, 40    41   Shashai and Sharai, Azareel, Shelemiah and Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 42    43   Of the family of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah. 44   All these had married foreign women, and they dismissed them, together with their children. ^note

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