Ezra 10

The people tell God that they are sorry

1A big crowd of Israelite men, women and children came round Ezra. He was praying and crying. And he was saying ‘Sorry’ to God. He threw himself down in front of the house of God. And the people were crying very much. 2Then Shecaniah spoke to him. He was Jehiel’s son, a descendant of Elam. Shecaniah said, ‘We have not been faithful to our God. We have married foreign women from the countries round us. But we want to make things right with God. 3We will make a promise to him. We will send away these women and their children. This is what you, Ezra, are telling us to do. And the people who want to obey God’s law want it, too. We must obey the law. 4Get up! Now you must help us to do what is right. We will help you, so you must not be afraid.’

5So Ezra got up. He caused the leaders of the priests, Levites and all Israel to promise to do as they had said. And they made their strong promise to God. 6And Ezra went from the front of God’s house to Jehohanan’s room. Jehohanan was Eliashib’s son. Ezra was still very sad because the people had not been faithful to the LORD. So he did not eat any food while he was there. And he did not drink any water while he was there.

7They wrote a message and they sent it to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem. It said that they must all come to Jerusalem. 8If they did not arrive in 3 days, they would lose everything. The leaders and officers had decided to say this. And they would push out anyone who did not obey the message. They would send them out of Israel.

9All the men from Judah and Benjamin reached Jerusalem in 3 days. All the people sat in front of God’s house on the 20th day of the 9th month. They were very sad because they had made God angry. And the rain was bad. 10Then Ezra the priest stood up. He said, ‘You have not been faithful to your God. You have married foreign wives. You have done this and so many other sins. 11Now you must tell the LORD that you are sorry. He is the God of your fathers and grandfathers. You must do the things that he wants. You must make yourselves separate from the people who live in the countries round you. You must make yourselves separate from your foreign wives.’

12All the people spoke with a loud voice. ‘You are right’, they said. ‘We must do as you say. 13But we are many people and we cannot stand in the rain. And we shall need more than two days to do this thing. Many of us have sinned like that. 14Our officers should do this for us. In every town they must make a special time for men to visit the leaders and the judges. Then everyone who has a foreign wife can go to them. God was very angry, but then he will not be angry any longer.’ 15Only 4 men did not agree with this. They were Jonathan, Asahel’s son, Jahzeiah, Tikvah’s son, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite.

16So the Jews from Babylon did as the people had said. Ezra the priest chose family leaders for each big family. He wrote down their names. They sat down to decide which men had to send away their wives. They started on the first day of the 10th month. 17And they finished on the first day of the first month.

A list of the men with foreign wives

18They found that these people had married foreign women:

From the descendants of the priests,

Jeshua, Jozadak’s son and his brothers:

Maaseiah,

Eliezer,

Jarib,

Gedaliah.

19(They all promised to send away their wives. Each of them gave a male sheep as a sacrifice for their sin.)

20The descendants of Immer:

Hanani,

Zebadiah.

21The descendants of Harim:

Maaseiah,

Elijah,

Shemaiah,

Jehiel,

Uzziah.

22The descendants of Pashhur:

Elioenai,

Maaseiah,

Ishmael,

Nethanel,

Jozabad,

Elasah.

23The descendants of the Levites:

Jozabad,

Shimei,

Kelaiah (that is Kelita),

Pethahiah,

Judah,

Eliezer.

24From the singers, Eliashib.

From the men who kept the gate, Shallum, Telem and Uri.

25And among the other Israelites,

the descendants of Parosh:

Ramiah,

Izziah,

Malchijah,

Mijamin,

Eleazar,

Malkijah,

Benaiah.

26The descendants of Elam:

Mattaniah,

Zechariah,

Jehiel,

Abdi,

Jeremoth,

Elijah.

27The descendants of Zattu:

Elioenai,

Eliashib,

Mattaniah,

Jeremoth,

Zabad,

Aziza.

28The descendants of Bebai:

Jehohanan,

Hananiah,

Zabbai,

Athlai.

29The descendants of Bani:

Meshullam,

Malluch,

Adaiah,

Jashub,

Sheal,

Jeremoth.

30The descendants of Pahath-Moab:

Adna,

Chelal,

Benaiah,

Maaseiah,

Mattaniah,

Bezalel,

Binnui,

Manasseh.

31The descendants of Harim:

Eliezer,

Ishijah,

Malkijah,

Shemaiah,

Shimeon,

32Benjamin,

Malluch,

Shemariah.

33The descendants of Hashum:

Mattenai,

Mattattah,

Zabad,

Eliphelet,

Jeremai,

Manasseh,

Shimei.

34The descendants of Bani:

Maadai,

Amram,

Uel,

35Benaiah,

Bedeiah,

Keluhi,

36Vaniah,

Meremoth,

Eliashib,

37Mattaniah,

Mattenai,

Jaasu,

38Bani,

Binnui,

Shimei,

39Shelemiah,

Nathan,

Adaiah,

40Macnadebai,

Shashai,

Sharai,

41Azarel,

Shelemiah,

Shemariah,

42Shallum,

Amariah,

Joseph.

43The descendants of Nebo:

Jeiel,

Mattithiah,

Zabad,

Zebina,

Jaddai,

Joel,

Benaiah.

44All these men had married foreign women, and some had children by these wives.