1 Now ADan 9:4, 20while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself B2 Chr 20:9before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “AEzra 9:2; Neh 13:27We have been unfaithful to our God and have 1Lit given dwelling tomarried foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3  “So now A2 Chr 34:31let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and 1Lit that which is born of themBEzra 10:44their children, according to the counsel of 2Or the Lordmy lord and of CEzra 9:4those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done DDeut 7:2, 3according to the law. 4  “Arise! For this matter is 1Lit upon youyour responsibility, but we will be with you; A1 Chr 28:10be courageous and act.”

5 Then Ezra rose and ANeh 5:12; 13:25made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this 1Lit word, thingproposal; so they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra AEzra 10:1rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, BDeut 9:18he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, A1 Sam 12:18; Ezra 9:4; 10:3trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. 11  “Now therefore, ALev 26:40; Prov 28:13make confession to the Loʀᴅ God of your fathers and BRom 12:2do His will; and CEzra 10:3separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “That’s right! As you have said, so it is 1Lit upon usour duty to do. 13  “But there are many people; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14  “Let our leaders 1Lit stand forrepresent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the A2 Kin 23:26; 2 Chr 28:11-13; 29:10; 30:8fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah 1Lit stood againstopposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

16 But the exiles did so. And 1Heb reads there were set apart Ezra the priest, men...Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they 2Lit satconvened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

18 Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of AEzra 5:2; Hag 1:1, 12; 2:4; Zech 3:1; 6:11Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 They 1Lit gave their handpledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, ALev 5:15; 6:6they offered a ram of the flock for their offense. 20 Of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

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

24 Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.

25 Of Israel, of the sons of AEzra 2:3; 8:3; Neh 7:8Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah; 27 and of the sons of AEzra 2:8; Neh 7:13Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza; 28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, ANeh 3:11Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of ANum 32:38; Ezra 2:29Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah. 44 All these had married A1 Kin 11:1-3; Ezra 10:3foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.