Ezra 10

1 Now when 'Ezra prayed, and when he made his confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered themselves unto him out of Israel a very large assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept exceedingly much.

While I was kneeling down in front of the temple and praying and crying, I was confessing [the sins that the Israeli people had committed]. Many people, men and women and children, gathered around me and also cried very much.

2 Thereupon commenced Shechanyah the son of Jechiel, of the sons of 'Elam, and said unto 'Ezra, we have indeed trespassed against our God, and have brought home strange wives of the nations of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

Then Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel from the clan of Elam, said this to me: “We have disobeyed God. [Some of] us have married women who are not Israelis. But we can still confidently expect [Yahweh to be merciful to] us Israeli people.

3 And now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the direction of the Lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God: and let it be done according to the law.

We will do what you, and the others who have an awesome respect for what our God has commanded, tell us to do. We will do what God told us in his laws. We will make an agreement with our God, saying that we will divorce our wives who are not Israelis, and we will send them away with their children.

4 Arise; for this matter is obligatory upon thee; and we will be with thee: be strong, and do it.

(It is your responsibility to/Because you are our leader, you must) [tell us what to do]. So get up, and be courageous, and do [what is necessary]. We will (support you/tell people to do what you say).”

5 Then arose 'Ezra, and caused the princes of the priests, the Levites, and of all Israel, to swear to do according to this word. And they swore.

So I stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests, the [other] descendants of Levi, and all [the other] Israeli people solemnly declare that they would do what Shecaniah said that they should do. So they all solemnly promised to do that.

6 Then arose 'Ezra from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jochanan the son of Elyashib; and he went thither without having eaten bread, or having drunk water; for he was mourning because of the trespass of the exiles.

Then I went away from the front of the temple and went to the room where Jehohanan lived. I stayed there that night, but I did not eat or drink anything. I was still sad because some of the Israelis who had returned [from Babylonia] had not faithfully obeyed [God’s laws].

7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the exile, to gather themselves together at Jerusalem;

Then we sent a message to all [the people in] Jerusalem and [in other towns in] Judah, saying that all those who had returned [from Babylonia] should come to Jerusalem immediately.

8 And that whosoever should not come within three days, according to the resolve of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be devoted, and himself separated from the congregation of the exiles.

We said that if any of them did not arrive within three days, the leaders of the people would order that all the property of those people would be taken from them, and that they would no longer be considered to belong to the Israeli people; [they would be considered to be foreigners].

9 Then were all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together unto Jerusalem within three days: it was in the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the open place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and by reason of the showers of rain.

So within three days, on December 19, all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. They were there, sitting in the courtyard in front of the temple. They were trembling because it was raining hard and because they were worried [that they would be punished for what they had done].

10 And 'Ezra the priest rose up, and said unto them, Ye have acted unfaithfully, and have brought home strange wives, to increase yet more the guiltiness of Israel.

Then I stood up and said to them, “[Some of] you men have committed a very bad sin. You have married women who are not Israelis. By doing that, you have made us Israeli people more guilty [than we were before].

11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord the God of your fathers, and do his will; and separate yourselves from the nations of the earth, and from the strange wives.

So now you must confess to Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors [worshiped/belonged to], the sin which you have committed, and you must do what he wants. Separate yourselves from the people of other nations and from the women from those nations whom you have married.”

12 Then answered all the assembly and said with a loud voice, So be it: according to thy word it is our duty to do.

The whole group answered, shouting loudly, “Yes, what you have said is right! We will do what you have said.”

13 But the people are many, and it is the rainy season, and we have not the strength to remain in the street, nor is this a work for one day or for two days; for we are many that have transgressed in this matter.

But then [one of] them said, “But we are a very large group, and it is raining hard. Also, there are many of us who have committed this bad sin. This is something that we cannot (take care of/handle) in one or two days, and we cannot stand here in this rain.

14 Let however our princes stand forward for all the congregation, and let all those in our cities who have brought home strange wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each and every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned away from us for this whole matter.

So allow our leaders to decide for all of us what we should do. Tell everyone who has married a woman who is not Israeli to come at a time that you decide. They should come with the elders and judges from each city. If we do that, our God will stop being angry with us [because of what we have done].”

15 Only Jonathan the son of 'Assahel and Jachzeyah the son of Thikvah withstood this [proposal]: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite assisted them.

Jonathan the son of Asahel, Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah, Meshullam, and Shabbethai, a descendant of Levi, were the only ones who objected to this.

16 And the children of the exile did so. And then were set apart 'Ezra the priest, [and] certain chiefs of the divisions, for their family divisions, and all of them [designated] by their names; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.

All the others who had returned from Babylonia said that they would do it. So I chose leaders of each of the clans, and I wrote down their names. On December 29, these men came and sat down to investigate the matter.

17 And they made an end with all, with the men that had brought home strange wives, not before the first day of the first month.

By March 27 of the next year they finished determining which men had married women who were not Israelis.

18 And there were found among the sons of the priests that had brought home strange wives, namely, of the sons of Jeshua' the son of Jozadak, and his brethren: Ma'asseyah, and Eli'ezer, and Jarib, and Gedalyah.

This is a list of the names of the priests who had married non-Israeli women, and the clans to which they belonged. From the clan of Jeshua and his brothers, who were sons of Jehozadak, there were Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

19 And they gave their hand to put away their wives, and being guilty, [they offered] a ram of the flock for their trespass.

They solemnly promised to divorce their wives, and they each sacrificed a ram to be an offering [to atone] for their sins.

20 And of the sons of Immer: Chanani, and Zebadyah.

From the clan of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah.

21 And of the sons of Charim: Ma'asseyah, and Elijah, and Shema'yah, and Jechiel, and 'Uzziyah.

From the clan of Harim there were Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

22 And of the sons of Pashchur: Elyo'enai, Ma'asseyah. Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and El'assah.

From the clan of Pashhur there were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Also of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shim'i, and Kelayan, the same is Kelita, Pethachyah, Judah, and Eli'ezer.

The [other] descendants of Levi [who had married non-Israeli women] were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (whose other name was Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24 And of the singers, Elyashib; and of the gate-keepers, Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.

There was Eliashib the musician. From the temple guards there were Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 And of Israel: Of the sons of Par'osh, Ramyah, and Yizziyah, and Malkiyah, and Miyamin, and El'azar, and Malkiyah, and Benayah.

This is a list of the names of the other Israelis who had married foreign wives: From the clan of Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah.

26 And of the sons of 'Elam; Matthanyah, Zecharyah, and Jechiel, and 'Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliyah.

From the clan of Elam there were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

27 And of the sons of Zatthu: Elyo'enai, Elyashib, Matthanyah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and 'Aziza.

From the clan of Zattu there were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

28 And of the sons of Bebai: Jehochanan, Chananyah, Zabbai, and 'Athlai.

From the clan of Bebai there were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

29 And of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and 'Adayah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.

From the clan of Bani there were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.

30 And of the sons of Pachath-moab: 'Adna, and Kelal, Benayah, Ma'asseyah, Matthanyah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Menasseh.

From the clan of Pahath-Moab there were Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

31 And of the sons of Charim: Eli'ezer, Yishiyah, Malkiyah, Shema'yah, Shim'on,

From the clan of Harim there were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemaryah.

Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

33 Of the sons of Chashum: Matthenai, Matthathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Menasseh, and Shim'i.

From the clan of Hashum there were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

34 Of the sons of Bani: Ma'adai, 'Amram, and Uel,

From the clan of Bigvai there were Maadai, Amram, Uel,

35 Benayah, Bedeyah, Keluhu,

Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,

36 Vanyah, Meremoth, Elyashib,

Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37 Matthanyah, Matthenai, and Ja'assai,

Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

38 And Bani, and Binnui, and Shim'i,

From the clan of Binnui there were Shimei,

39 And Shelemyah, and Nathan, and 'Adayah,

Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

40 Machnadbai, Shashai, Sharai,

Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41 'Asar'el, and Shelemyahu, Shemaryah,

Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42 Shallum, Amaryah, and Joseph.

Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

43 Of the sons of Nebo: Je'iel, Matthithyah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, and Joel, Benayah.

From the clan of Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

44 All these had taken strange wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Each of those men had married a woman who was not an Israeli. [But immediately] they divorced those women and sent them and their children away.