1Now while Ezra prayed and made confession , weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children ; for the people wept very sore . 2And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel , one of the sons of Elam , answered and said unto 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 . 3Now 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 that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law . 4Arise ; for the matter belongeth unto thee , and we are with thee : be of good courage , and do it .
The Response of the People
5Then arose Ezra , and made the chiefs of the priests , the Levites , and all Israel , to swear that they would do according to this word . So they sware . 6Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God , and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither , he did eat no bread , nor drink water ; for he mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity . 7And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity , that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem ; 8and that whosoever came not 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 .
The Implementation of the Covenant
9Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days ( it was the ninth month , on the twentieth day of the month ); and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter , and for the great rain . 10And Ezra the priest stood up , and said unto them , Ye have trespassed , and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel . 11Now therefore make confession unto Jehovah , the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure ; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women. 12Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice , As thou hast said concerning us , so must we do . 13But the people are many , and it is a time of much rain , and we are not able to stand without : neither is this a work of one day or two ; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter . 14Let now our princes be appointed for all the assembly , and let all them that are in our cities that have married foreign women come at appointed times , and with them the elders of every city , and the judges thereof , until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us , until this matter be despatched.
The List of Offenders
15Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this matter : and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them . 16And the children of the captivity did so . And Ezra the priest , with certain heads of fathers’ houses , 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 . 17And they made an end with all the men that had married foreign women by the first day of the first month . 18And among the sons of the priests there were found that had married foreign women: namely , of the sons of Jeshua , the son of Jozadak , and his brethren, Maaseiah , and Eliezer, and Jarib , and Gedaliah . 19And they gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20And of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah . 21And of the sons of Harim : Maaseiah , and Elijah, and Shemaiah , and Jehiel , and Uzziah . 22And of the sons of Pashhur : Elioenai, Maaseiah , Ishmael , Nethanel , Jozabad , and Elasah. 23And of the Levites : Jozabad , and Shimei , and Kelaiah ( the same is Kelita ), Pethahiah , Judah , and Eliezer. 24And of the singers : Eliashib. And of the porters : Shallum , and Telem , and Uri. 25And of Israel : Of the sons of Parosh : Ramiah , and Izziah , and Malchijah , and Mijamin , and Eleazar, and Malchijah , and Benaiah . 26And of the sons of Elam : Mattaniah , Zechariah , and Jehiel , and Abdi , and Jeremoth , and Elijah. 27And of the sons of Zattu : Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah , and Jeremoth , and Zabad , and Aziza . 28And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan , Hananiah , Zabbai , Athlai . 29And of the sons of Bani : Meshullam , Malluch , and Adaiah , Jashub , and Sheal , Jeremoth . 30And of the sons of Pahath-moab : Adna , and Chelal , Benaiah , Maaseiah , Mattaniah , Bezalel , and Binnui , and Manasseh . 31And of the sons of Harim : Eliezer, Isshijah , Malchijah , Shemaiah , Shimeon , 32Benjamin , Malluch , Shemariah . 33Of the sons of Hashum : Mattenai , Mattattah , Zabad , Eliphelet, Jeremai , Manasseh , Shimei . 34Of the sons of Bani : Maadai , Amram , and Uel, 35Benaiah , Bedeiah, Cheluhi , 36Vaniah , Meremoth , Eliashib, 37Mattaniah , Mattenai , and Jaasu , 38and Bani, and Binnui , Shimei , 39and Shelemiah , and Nathan , and Adaiah , 40Machnadebai , Shashai , Sharai , 41Azarel , and Shelemiah , Shemariah , 42Shallum , Amariah, Joseph . 43Of the sons of Nebo : Jeiel , Mattithiah , Zabad , Zebina , Iddo , and Joel , Benaiah . 44All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children .