Ezra 10

1 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.

Whiles Ezra prayed thus, and confessed himselfe weeping, and falling downe before the house of God, there assembled vnto him of Israel a very great Congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept with a great lamentation.

2 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.

Then Shechaniah the sonne of Iehiel one of the sonnes of Elam answered, and sayd to Ezra, We haue trespassed against our God, and haue taken strange wiues of the people of the land, yet nowe there is hope in Israel concerning this.

3 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.

Now therfore let vs make a couenant with our God, to put away all the wiues (and such as are borne of them) according to the counsell of the Lord, and of those that feare the commandements of our God, and let it be done according to the Lawe.

4 (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).”

Arise: for the matter belogeth vnto thee: we also wil be with thee: be of comfort and do it.

5 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.

Then arose Ezra, and caused the chiefe Priestes, the Leuites, and all Israel, to sweare that they would doe according to this worde. So they sware.

6 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].

And Ezra rose vp from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Iohanan the sonne of Eliashib: he went euen thither, but he did eate neither bread, nor drunke water: for he mourned, because of the transgression of them of the captiuitie.

7 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.

And they caused a proclamation to goe throughout Iudah and Ierusalem, vnto all them of the captiuitie, that they should assemble themselues vnto Ierusalem.

8 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].

And whosoeuer woulde not come within three dayes according to the counsel of the Princes and Elders, all his substance should be forfait, and he should be separate from the Congregation of them of the captiuitie.

9 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].

Then all the men of Iudah and Beniamin assembled theselues vnto Ierusalem within three dayes, which was the twentieth day of the ninth moneth, and all the people sate in the streete of the house of God, trembling for this matter, and for the raine.

10 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].

And Ezra the Priest stoode vp, and said vnto them, Ye haue transgressed, and haue taken strange wiues, to increase the trespasse of Israel.

11 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.”

Now therefore giue praise vnto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his will, and separate your selues from the people of the land, and from the strange wiues.

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

And all the Congregation answered, and sayd with a loude voyce, So will we do according to thy wordes vnto vs.

13 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.

But the people are many, and it is a raynie weather, and we are not able to stande without, neither is it the worke of one day or two: for we are many that haue offended in this thing.

14 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].”

Let our rulers stand therefore before all the Congregation, and let all them which haue taken strange wiues in our cities, come at the time appoynted, and with them the Elders of euery citie and the Iudges thereof, til the fierce wrath of our God for this matter turne away from vs.

15 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.

Then were appoynted Ionathan the sonne of Asah-el, and Iahaziah the sonne of Tikuah ouer this matter, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Leuites helped them.

16 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.

And they of the captiuitie did so, and departed, euen Ezra the Priest, and the men that were chiefe fathers to the familie of their fathers by name, and sate downe in the first day of the tenth moneth to examine the matter.

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

And vntill the first day of the first moneth they were finishing the businesse with al the men that had taken strange wiues.

18 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.

And of the sonnes of the Priests there were men founde, that had taken strange wiues, to wit, of the sonnes of Ieshua, the sonne of Iozadak, and of his brethren, Maaseiah, Aeliezer, and Iarib and Gedaliah.

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

And they gaue their hads, that they would put away their wiues, and they that had trespassed, gaue a ramme for their trespasse.

20 From the clan of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah.

And of the sonnes of Immer, Honani, and Zebadiah.

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

And of the sonnes of Harim, Maaseiah, and Eliiah, and Shemaiah, and Iehiel, and Vzziah.

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

And of ye sonnes of Pashur, Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Iozabad, and Elasah.

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

And of the Leuites, Iozabad and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (which is Kelitah) Pethahiah, Iudah and Eliezer.

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

And of the singers, Eliashib. And of the porters, Shallum, and Telem, and Vri.

25 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.

And of Israel: of the sonnes of Parosh, Ramiah, and Iesiah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchiiah, and Benaiah.

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

And of the sonnes of Elam, Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Iehiel, and Abdi, and Ieremoth, and Eliah.

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

And of the sonnes of Zattu, Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Ierimoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

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

And of the sonnes of Bebai, Iehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.

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

And of the sonnes of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Iashub, and Sheal, Ieramoth.

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

And of the sonnes of Pahath Moab, Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

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

And of the sonnes of Harim, Eliezer, Ishiiah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

Beniamin, Malluch, Shamariah.

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

Of the sonnes of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Ieremai, Manasseh, Shimei.

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

Of the sonnes of Bani, Maadai, Amram, and Vel,

35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,

Banaiah, Bediah, Chelluh,

36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Iaasau,

38 From the clan of Binnui there were Shimei,

And Banni, and Bennui, Shimei,

39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,

40 Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

Shallum, Amariah, Ioseph.

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

Of the sonnes of Nebo, Ieiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iadau, and Ioel, Benaiah.

44 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.

All these had taken strange wiues: and among them were women that had children.