Ezra Chapter 10

Ezra Chapter 10
1 Whiles Ezra prayed thus, and
confessed himself weeping, and falling
down before the house of God, there
assembled unto him of Israel a very
great congregation of men and women
and children: for the people wept with a
great lamentation.
2 Then Shechaniah the son of Jehiel one
of the sons of Elam answered, and said
to 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.
3 Now 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 the Lord, and of those
that fear the commandments of our God,
and let it be done according to the law.
4 Arise: for the matter belongeth unto
thee: we also will be with thee: be of
comfort and do it.
5 Then arose Ezra, and caused the chief
priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to
swear that they would do according to
this word. So they swear. 6 And Ezra
rose up from before the house of God,
and went into the chamber of Johanan the
son of Eliashib: he went even thither,
but he did eat neither bread, nor drunk
water: for he mourned, because of the
transgression of them of the captivity.
7 And they caused a proclamation to go
throughout Judah and Jerusalem, unto all
them of the captivity, that they should
assemble themselves unto Jerusalem.
8 And whosoever would not come
within three days according to the
counsel of the princes and elders, all his
substance should be forfeit, and he
should be separate from the congregation
of them of the captivity.
9 Then all the men of Judah and
Benjamin assembled themselves unto
Jerusalem within three days, which was
the twentieth day of the ninth month, and
all the people sat in the street of the
house of God, trembling for this matter,
and for the rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and
said unto them, Ye have transgressed,
and have taken strange wives, to
increase the trespass of Israel. 11 Now
therefore give praise unto the Lord God
of your fathers, and do his will, and
separate yourselves from the people of
the land, and from the strange wives.
12 And all the congregation answered,
and said with a loud voice, So will we
do according to thy words unto us.
13 But the people are many, and it is a
rainy weather, and we are not able to
stand without, neither is it the work of
one day or two: for we are many that
have offended in this thing.
14 Let our rulers stand therefore before
all the congregation, and let all them
which have taken strange wives in our
cities, come at the time appointed, and
with them the elders of every city and
the judges thereof, till the fierce wrath of
our God for this matter turn away from
us.
15 Then were appointed Jonathan the
son of Asa-hel, and Jahaziah the son of
Tikvah over this matter, and Meshullam
and Shabbethai the Levites helped them.
16 And they of the captivity did so, and
departed, even Ezra the priest, and the
men that were chief fathers to the family
of their fathers by name, and sat down in
the first day of the tenth month to
examine the matter. 17 And until the first
day of the first month they were finishing
the business with all the men that had
taken strange wives.
18 And of the sons of the priests there
were men found, that had taken strange
wives, to wit, of the sons of Jeshua, the
son of Jozadak, and of his brethren,
Maaseiah, Eliezer, and Jarib and
Gedaliah.
19 And they gave their hands, that they
would put away their wives, and they
that had trespassed, gave a ram for their
trespass.
20 And of the sons of Immer, Hanani,
and Zebadiah.
21 And of the sons of Harim, Maaseiah,
and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel,
and Uzziah.
22 And of the sons of Pashur, Elioenai,
Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad,
and Elasah.
23 And of the Levites, Jozabad and
Shimei, and Kelaiah, (which is Kelita)
Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 And of the singers, Eliashib. And of
the porters, Shallum, and Telem, and
Uri.
25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh,
Ramiah, and Jesiah, and Malchiah, and
Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchiah,
and Benaiah.
26 And of the sons of Elam, Mattaniah,
Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and
Jeremoth, and Eliah.
27 And of the sons of Zattu, Elioenai,
Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and
Zabad, and Aziza.
28 And of the sons of Bebai, Jehohanan,
Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai. 29 And of the
sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch, and
Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.
30 And of the sons of Pahath-Moab,
Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah,
Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and
Manasseh.
31 And of the sons of Harim, Eliezer,
Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, Shamariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai,
Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai,
Manasseh, Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram,
and Uel,
35 Banaiah, Bedaiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu,
38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and
Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel,
Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and
Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives:
and among them were women that had
children.