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Now when
Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed,
weeping and casting himself down before the house
of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a
very great congregation of men and women and
children: for the people wept very sore.
02 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the
sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We
have trespassed against our God, and have taken
strange wives of the people of the land: yet now
there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
03 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our
God to put away all the wives, and such as are
born of them, according to the counsel of my
lord, and of those that tremble at the
commandment of our God; and let it be done
according to the law.
04 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we
also will be with thee: be of good courage, and
do it.
05 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests,
the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they
should do according to this word. And they sware.
06 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of
God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son
of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat
no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because
of the transgression of them that had been
carried away.
07 And they made proclamation throughout Judah
and Jerusalem unto all the children of the
captivity, that they should gather themselves
together unto Jerusalem;
08 And that whosoever would not come within three
days, according to the counsel of the princes and
the elders, all his substance should be
forfeited, and himself separated from the
congregation of those that had been carried away.
09 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin
gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem
within three days. It was the ninth month, on the
twentieth day of the month; and all the people
sat in the street of the house of God, trembling
because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto
them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken
strange wives, to increase the trespass of
Israel.
11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord
God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and
separate yourselves from the people of the land,
and from the strange wives.
12 Then all the congregation answered and said
with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we
do.
13 But the people are many, and it is a time of
much rain, and we are not able to stand without,
neither is this a work of one day or two: for we
are many that have transgressed in this thing.
14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation
stand, and let all them which have taken strange
wives in our cities come at appointed times, and
with them the elders of every city, and the
judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God
for this matter be turned from us.
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah
the son of Tikvah were employed about this
matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite
helped them.
16 And the children of the captivity did so. And
Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the
fathers, after the house of their fathers, and
all of them by their names, were separated, and
sat down in the first day of the tenth month to
examine the matter.
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17 And they made an end with all the men that had
taken strange wives by the first day of the first
month.
18 And among the sons of the priests there were
found that had taken strange wives: namely, of
the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his
brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and
Gedaliah.
19 And they gave their hands that they would put
away their wives; and being guilty, they offered
a ram of the flock for their trespass.
20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and
Zebadiah.
21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and
Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah,
Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and
Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah,
and Eliezer.
24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the
porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh;
Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and
Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah,
and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib,
Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan,
Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch,
and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and
Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel,
and Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah,
Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah,
Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad,
Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of
them had wives by whom they had children.
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