Shecaniah’s Encouragement
And as Ezra prayed and as he confessed, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of Israel gathered to him — men and women and children — for the people wept with much weeping.
And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God, and have settled foreign wives from the peoples of the land — yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this.
And now, let us cut a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and those born of them, by the counsel of the Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the instruction.
Rise up, for the matter is on you, and we are with you. Take strength, and act.”
Then Ezra rose up, and made the officers of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear to do according to this word; and they swore.
The People’s Confession of Sin
And Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and he went there — he ate no bread and drank no water, for he was mourning over the broken faith of the exile.
And they passed a voice through Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile, to gather at Jerusalem;
and whoever did not come within three days, by the counsel of the officers and the elders, all his goods would be devoted to destruction, and he himself separated from the assembly of the exile.
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within the three days — it was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the square of the house of God, trembling because of the matter, and because of the rains.
And Ezra the priest rose up and said to them: “You have broken faith, and have settled foreign wives, to add to the guilt of Israel.
And now, give thanks to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign wives.”
And all the assembly answered and said with a great voice: “So — according to your word it is on us to do.
But the people are many, and it is the season of rains, and there is no strength to stand outside; and the work is not for one day or for two, for we have multiplied our transgression in this matter.
Let our officers, please, stand for all the assembly; and let everyone in our cities who has settled foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city and its judges, until the burning of the anger of our God is turned back from us — as far as this matter goes.”
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood against this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
And the sons of the exile did so. And Ezra the priest — with men, heads of the fathers’ houses, for their fathers’ house, all of them by name — separated themselves; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to seek into the matter.
And they finished with everyone — the men who had settled foreign wives — by the first day of the first month.
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
And there were found among the sons of the priests some who had settled foreign wives: of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers — Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
And they gave their hand to put away their wives; and, being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.
And of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
And of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
And of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
And of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah — that is, Kelita — Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
And of the singers: Eliashib. And of the gatekeepers: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
And of Israel — of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
And of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.
And of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
And of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
And of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshiah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.
Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu,
Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai,
and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.
Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, and Joel, Benaiah.
All these had taken foreign wives; and there were among them wives who had set sons.