Ezra 10
1 Mgbe Ezra na-ekpe ekpere, na-ekwupụta mmehie ndị a, na-akwa akwa, na-atụ onwe ya nʼala nʼihu ụlọ Chineke, igwe ndị Izrel dị ukwuu, bụ ndị nwoke, na nwanyị, na ụmụntakịrị gbara ya gburugburu soro ya na-akwa akwa dị ilu.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Shekanaya nwa Jehiel, onye agbụrụ Elam, sịrị Ezra, “Anyị emehiela megide Chineke anyị, nʼihi nʼịlụ ndị inyom mba ọzọ ndị gbara anyị gburugburu. Ma otu ọ dị, olileanya ka dịrị ndị Izrel.
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 Ugbu a ka anyị gbaa ndụ nʼihu Chineke anyị, izilaga ndị inyom ndị mba ọzọ ndị a na ụmụ ha dịka ndụmọdụ onyenwe m Ezra, na ndị na-atụ egwu iwu Chineke anyị si dị. Ka e mee ihe ndị a dịka iwu si dị.
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 Biko, bilie gwa anyị ụzọ anyị ga-esi dozie ihe niile mebiri emebi. Anyị ga-eme ihe i kwuru.”
(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 Mgbe ahụ, Ezra biliri jụọ ndịisi ndị nchụaja na ndị Livayị, na Izrel niile, ma ha ga-eme ihe Shekanaya kwuru. Ha niile ṅụrụ iyi kwenye na ha ga-eme ya.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Ezra si nʼihu ụlọ Chineke pụọ banye nʼime ọnụụlọ Jehohanan, nwa Eliashib. Mgbe ọ nọ nʼebe ahụ, o righị nri ọbụla, ọ ṅụghị mmiri ọbụla, nʼihi na ọ nọgidere na-eru ụjụ nʼihi ekwesighị ntụkwasị obi nke ndị si nʼebe a dọtara ha nʼagha lọta.
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 E zisara ozi na Juda na Jerusalem niile na a chọrọ ịhụ ndị niile si esi lọta na 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 Ndịisi na ndị okenye kpebiri na onye ọbụla nke na-abịaghị nʼụbọchị atọ, dịka atụmatụ ha si dị, na a ga-anara onye ahụ akụ niile o nwere, kewapụkwa onye ahụ site na mkpọkọta ndị Izrel e mere ka ha gaa biri nʼala ọzọ.
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 Mgbe ụbọchị atọ ahụ zuru, ndị ikom Juda na Benjamin niile zukọrọ na Jerusalem. Nʼụbọchị nke iri abụọ nke ọnwa itoolu, mmadụ niile zukọrọ nọdụ nʼama dị nʼihu ụlọnsọ Chineke. Mmiri dị ukwuu zoro nʼụbọchị ahụ. Ụjọ tụkwara ndị ahụ niile zukọrọ nʼihi oke mmiri ozuzo ahụ na nʼihi okwu ahụ.
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 Mgbe ahụ Ezra onye nchụaja, biliri ọtọ, sị ha, “Unu emehiela, nʼihi na unu lụrụ ndị inyom mba ọzọ, si otu a tụkwasị ihe nʼikpe ọmụma dịrị Izrel.
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 Ugbu a, sọpụrụnụ Onyenwe anyị, bụ Chineke nna nna unu ha, meekwanụ ihe bụ nzube ya. Kewapụnụ onwe unu site nʼebe ndị mba ọzọ nọ, nakwa ebe nwunye ndị unu si mba ọzọ lụta.”
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 Nzukọ niile ahụ zara nʼotu olu sị. “Okwu gị ziri ezi, Anyị aghaghị ime dịka i kwuru.”
The whole group answered, shouting loudly, “Yes, what you have said is right! We will do what you have said.”
13 Ma ha zakwara sị, “Nke a abụghị ihe anyị ga-eme nʼotu ụbọchị maọbụ nʼụbọchị abụọ, nʼihi na aka ọtụtụ mmadụ nʼime anyị dị na mmehie ahụ. Mmiri na-ezosikwa ike, anyị enwekwaghị ike ịnọgide ruo oge dị anya.
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 Ka ndịisi anyị guzobe mkpọkọta niile. Ka ndị niile nọ nʼobodo anyị ndị lụrụ nwanyị site na mba ọzọ bịa nʼoge a kara aka, ha na ndị okenye na ndị ikpe nke obodo ọbụla, ruo mgbe oke iwe Chineke banyere okwu a sitere nʼebe anyị nọ pụọ.”
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 Ma ndị na-ekweghị ka e mee ya otu a bụ naanị Jonatan nwa Asahel na Jazeia nwa Tikva, na Meshulam na Shabetai onye Livayị.
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 Ya mere, ndị ahụ niile si esi lọta, mere dịka mkpebi ahụ si dị. Ezra họpụtara ụfọdụ ndị ikom, ndị bụ ndịisi ezinaụlọ, e si nʼezinaụlọ ọbụla họpụta otu onye. E dekwara aha ndị niile a họpụtara nʼakwụkwọ. Ya mere, nʼụbọchị mbụ nke ọnwa iri, ndị a malitere inyocha okwu ndị a.
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 Mgbe ọnwa atọ gasịrị, ya bụ, nʼabalị mbụ nke ọnwa mbụ nʼafọ, ha rụchara ọrụ banyere ndị ikom lụrụ ndị inyom mba ọzọ.
By March 27 of the next year they finished determining which men had married women who were not Israelis.
18 A chọpụtara nʼetiti ụmụ ndị nchụaja, na ndị a lụrụ ndị inyom si na mba ọzọ. Ndị si nʼikwu Jeshua nwa Jozadak na ụmụnne ya bụ, Maaseia, Elieza, Jarib na Gedaliya.
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 Ha niile jikọrọ aka kpebiekwa na ha ga-ezila ndị nwunye ha. Onye ọbụla wetara ebule site nʼigwe atụrụ dịka ihe ikpe ọmụma.
They solemnly promised to divorce their wives, and they each sacrificed a ram to be an offering [to atone] for their sins.
20 Ndị si nʼikwu Imea bụ Hanani, na Zebadaya.
From the clan of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 Ikwu Harim: Maaseia, Ịlaịja, Shemaya, Jehiel na Uzaya.
From the clan of Harim there were Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 Ndị si nʼikwu Pashua: Elioenai, Maaseia, Ishmel, Netanel, Jozabad, na Eleasa.
From the clan of Pashhur there were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Nʼime ndị Livayị: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaya (onye a na-akpọkwa Kelita), Petahaya, Juda na Elieza.
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 Nʼime ndị na-abụ abụ, Eliashib. Nʼime ndị nche ọnụ ụzọ: Shalum, Telem, na Uri.
There was Eliashib the musician. From the temple guards there were Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Nʼetiti ndị Izrel ndị ọzọ: Site nʼikwu Parosh: Ramaya, Izaya, Malkija, Mijamin, Elieza, Malkija na Benaya.
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 Site nʼikwu Elam: Matanaya, Zekaraya, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremot na Ịlaịja.
From the clan of Elam there were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 Site nʼikwu Zatu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Matanaya, Jeremot, Zabad na Aziza.
From the clan of Zattu there were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 Site nʼikwu Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananaya, Zabai, na Atlai.
From the clan of Bebai there were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 Site nʼikwu Bani, Meshulam, Maluk, Adaya, Jashub, Sheal na Jeremot.
From the clan of Bani there were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 Site nʼikwu Pahat-Moab, Adna, Kelal, Benaya, Maaseia, Matanaya, Bezalel, Binui, na Manase.
From the clan of Pahath-Moab there were Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 Site nʼikwu Harim: Elieza, Ishija, Malkija, Shemaya, Shimeon,
From the clan of Harim there were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Maluk na Shemaraya.
Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 Site nʼikwu Hashum, Matenai, Matata, Zabad, Elifelet, Jeremai, Manase na Shimei.
From the clan of Hashum there were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 Site nʼikwu Bani, Maadai, Amram, Uel,
From the clan of Bigvai there were Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Benaya, Bedeia, Keluhi
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
36 Venaya, Meremot, Eliashib
Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Matanaya, Matenai na Jaasu.
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
38 Site nʼikwu Bani: Binui na Shimei,
From the clan of Binnui there were Shimei,
39 Shelemaya, Netan, Adaya,
Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
40 Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, Shelemaya, Shemaraya,
Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shalum, Amaraya na Josef.
Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 Site nʼikwu Nebo: Jeiel, Matitaia, Zabad, Zebina, Jadai, Juel na Benaya.
From the clan of Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 Ndị a niile lụrụ ndị inyom site na mba ọzọ. Ha zilagara ha na ụmụ ha.
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.
