Ezra 10

The People Admit They Have Sinned

¹Ezra was praying and admitting to God that his people had sinned. He was weeping and throwing himself down in front of the house of God. Then a large crowd of Israelites gathered around him. Men, women and children were there. They too wept bitterly.

²Shekaniah spoke to Ezra. Shekaniah was the son of Jehiel. He belonged to the family line of Elam. Shekaniah said, “We haven’t been faithful to our God. We’ve married women from the nations around us. In spite of that, there is still hope for Israel.

³So let’s make a covenant in front of our God. Let’s promise to send away all these women and their children. That’s what you have advised us to do. Those who respect our God’s commands have given us the same advice. We want to do what the Law says.

⁴Get up, Ezra. This matter is in your hands. Do what you need to. We will be behind you all the way. Be brave and do it.”

⁵So Ezra got up. He made the leading priests and Levites and all the Israelites make a promise. He made them promise they would do what Shekaniah had suggested. And they made that promise.

⁶Then Ezra left the house of God. He went to Jehohanan’s room. Jehohanan was the son of Eliashib. While Ezra was there, he didn’t eat any food. He didn’t drink any water. That’s because he was filled with sadness. He mourned because the people weren’t faithful to the Lord ’s commands. Those people were the ones who had returned from the land of Babylon.

⁷Then an announcement was sent all through Judah and Jerusalem. All the people who had returned were told to gather together in Jerusalem.

⁸They were supposed to come there before three days had passed. If they didn’t, they would lose all their property. They would also be removed from the community of those who had returned. That’s what the officials and elders had decided.

⁹Before the three days were over, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered together in Jerusalem. It was the 20th day of the ninth month. They were sitting in the open area in front of the house of God. They were very upset by what they knew would happen. And they were upset because it was raining.

¹⁰Then Ezra the priest stood up. He said, “You haven’t been faithful to the Lord . You have married women from other lands. So you have added to Israel’s guilt.

¹¹Now honor the Lord , the God of your people. Then do what he wants you to do. Separate yourselves from the nations around you. Send away your wives from other lands.”

¹²The whole community answered with a loud voice. They said, “You are right! We must do as you say.

¹³But there are a lot of people here. And it’s the rainy season. So we can’t stand outside. Besides, this matter can’t be taken care of in just a day or two. That’s because we have sinned terribly by what we’ve done.

¹⁴Our officials can act for the whole community. Have everyone in our towns who has married a woman from another land come at a certain time. Tell them to come together with the elders and judges of each town. Then our God will no longer be angry with us concerning this whole matter.”

¹⁵Only a few men opposed that. They included Jonathan and Jahzeiah. Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite joined them. Jonathan was the son of Asahel. Jahzeiah was the son of Tikvah.

¹⁶So those who had returned did what had been suggested. Ezra the priest chose some family leaders. There was one from each family group. All of them were chosen by name. They sat down to check out each case. They started on the first day of the tenth month.

¹⁷By the first day of the first month they were finished. They had handled all the cases of the men who had married women from other lands.

A List of Those Who Had Married Women From Other Lands

Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah

²⁰Hanani and Zebadiah

²¹Maaseiah and Elijah

²²Elioenai, Maaseiah and Ishmael

There were Jozabad, Shimei and Kelaiah. There were also Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer. Kelaiah’s other name was Kelita.

²⁴Eliashib

Shallum, Telem and Uri

Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah and Mijamin

²⁶Mattaniah, Zechariah and Jehiel

²⁷Elioenai, Eliashib and Mattaniah

²⁸Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai

²⁹Meshullam, Malluk and Adaiah

³⁰Adna, Kelal, Benaiah and Maaseiah

³¹Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah and Shimeon

³³Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad and Eliphelet

³⁴Maadai, Amram and Uel

³⁸Shimei

⁴³Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad and Zebina