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.

Now, when Ezra had prayed and when he had made confession, weeping and casting himself down, before the house of God, there gathered unto him out of Israel, an exceeding large convocation—men and women and children, for the people wept with a very bitter weeping.

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 responded Shecaniah son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam, and said unto Ezra, We, have been faithful with our God, and have married foreign women from among the peoples of the land, —yet, now, there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.

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, therefore, let us solemnize a covenant unto our God—to put away all the women and such as have been born of them, in the counsel of my lord, and them who tremble at the commandment of our God, —and, according to the law, let it be done.

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, upon thee, resteth the thing, but, we, are with thee, —be strong, and act.

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 made the rulers of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, swear to do according to this word—and 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].

Then arose Ezra from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, —and, when he came thither, bread, did he not eat, and, water, did he not drink, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of them of the Exile.

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.

Then made they a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem, unto all the Sons of the Exile, to gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

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, whosoever should not come within three days, according to the counsel of the rulers and the elders, all his goods should be devoted, —and, himself, be separated from the convocation of them of the Exile.

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 were gathered together all the men of Judah and Benjamin unto Jerusalem, within three days, the same, was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month, —and all the people remained in the broadway of the house of God, trembling concerning the thing, and because of the heavy rains.

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].

Then arose Ezra the priest, and said unto them, Ye, have acted unfaithfully, and have married foreign women, —to add unto the guilt 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, make confession unto Yahweh God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, —and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.

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

Then responded all the convocation and said, with a loud voice, —Thus, according to thy word concerning us, must it be done.

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.

Nevertheless, the people, are many, and, the season, is that of the heavy rains, and we are not able to stand outside, —and, the business, is not one for a single day, nor yet for two, for we have abundantly transgressed, 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, we beseech thee, our rulers take up their station for all the convocation, and, all who, throughout our cities, have married foreign women, let them come in at times appointed, and, with them, the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the glow of the anger of our God be turned from us, concerning this matter.

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.

Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, made a stand against this, —and, Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, 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.

But the Sons of the Exile, did thus, and Ezra the priest separated to himself certain men—ancestral heads by their ancestral houses, and all of them by name, —and they took their seats on the first day of the tenth month to search into the matter;

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

and they made an end with all the men who had married foreign women, —by the first day of the first month.

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.

Now there were found, of the sons of the priests, who had married foreign women, —of the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brethren, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, 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 gave their hand, that they would put away their wives, —and, being guilty, [they offered] a ram of the flock for their guilt.

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

And, of the sons of Immer, Hanani, and Zebadiah.

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

And, of the sons of Harim, Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

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

And, of the sons of Passhur, Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasar.

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 Levites, Jozabad and Shimei, and Kelaiah, the same, is Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, 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 doorkeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri.

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 sons of Parosh, Ramiah and Izziah and Malchijah and Mijamin and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.

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

And, of the sons of Elam, Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.

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

And, of the sons of Zattu, Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

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

And, of the sons of Bebai, Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.

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

And, of the sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.

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

And, of the sons of Pahath-moab, Adna and Chelal, —Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

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

And, [of] the sons of Harim, Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon;

32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.

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

Of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, —Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.

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

Of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram, and Uel;

35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,

Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu;

36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib;

37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

Mettaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu;

38 From the clan of Binnui there were Shimei,

and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei;

39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah;

40 Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai;

41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah;

42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.

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

Of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, —Iddo, and Joel, 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 foreign women, —and had begotten of them children.