Ezr 10 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now while Ezra was praying and making confession , weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God , a very large assembly , men , women , and children , gathered to him from Israel ; for the people wept greatly .

‏ Ezra 10

Reconciliation with God

1 Now ^awhile Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself ^bbefore the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept greatly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “ ^cWe have been unfaithful to our God and have ^{▼▼Lit given dwelling to}married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So now ^elet’s make a covenant with our God to send away all the wives and ^{▼▼Lit that which is born of them} ^gtheir children, following the counsel of ^{▼▼Or the Lord}my lord and of ⁱthose who fear the commandment of our God; and let it be done ^jaccording to the Law. 4 Arise! For this matter is ^{▼▼Lit upon you}your responsibility, but we will be with you; ^lbe courageous and act.”

5 Then Ezra stood and ^mmade the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath that they would do according to this ^{▼▼Lit word; or thing}proposal; so they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra ^orose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, ^phe did not eat bread nor drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 So they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they were to assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever did not come within three days, in accordance with the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he himself would be 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 public square before the house of God, ^qtrembling 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, ^rmake confession to the Lord God of your fathers and ^sdo His will; and ^tseparate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “It is ^{▼▼Lit upon us}our duty to do exactly as you have said! 13 However, 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, because we have done a great wrong in this matter. 14 Please let our leaders ^{▼▼Lit stand for}represent all the assembly and have 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 ^wfierce 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 ^{▼▼Lit stood against}opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

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

List of Offenders

18 Now among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of ^aaJeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They ^{▼▼Lit gave their hand}pledged to send away their wives, and being guilty, ^acthey offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. 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 the 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 ^adParosh 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 ^aeZattu: 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 and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, ^afMalchijah, 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 ^agNebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All of these men had married ^ahforeign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.