Ezra 10
Shecaniah’s Encouragement
1While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.
1And at the praying of Ezra, and at his making confession, weeping and bowing down before the face of the house of God, there gathered to him from Israel a very large assembly of men and women and children, for the people wept very bitterly.
2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
2And Shechaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have caused foreign wives to dwell from the peoples of the land. Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this.
3So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
3And now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the women and those born to them, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. And according to the law let it be done.
5So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.
5And Ezra arose, and he made swear an oath the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, that they would do this according to the word. And they swore an oath.
The People’s Confession of Sin
6Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayeda there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
6And Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and he went into the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And in his going there, he ate no bread, and he drank no water, for he mourned on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
8Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
8and all who would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated and he would be separated from the assembly of the exiles.
9So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God, trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain.
9And all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and because of the rains.
11Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”
11And now, make confession to YHWH, God of your fathers, and do His will, and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.”
13But there are many people here, and it is the rainy season. We are not able to stay out in the open. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.
13But the people are many, and it is the time of rains, and we have no strength to stand outside, and the work is not of one day or two, for we have multiplied to transgress in this matter.
14Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”
14Please let the leaders of all the assembly stand, and all who are in our cities, who have settled foreign wives, and come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each of their cities, until the turning back of the fury of the wrath of our God from us even in this matter.”
16So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, each of them identified by name, to represent their families. On the first day of the tenth month they launched the investigation,
16And the sons of the exile did so, and Ezra the priest, and men, the heads of the fathers, for the house of their fathers, were set apart, each of them by name, and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
18Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women were found these descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadaka and his brothers:
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
18And they were found among the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives: Of the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.