Chapter
10
Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting herself down before the house of God, there was gathered together to her out of Israel a very great assembly of women and men and children; for the people wept very sore.
Shecaniah the daughter of Jehiel, one of the daughters of Elam, answered Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign men of the peoples of the land: yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the husbands, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my domina, and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
Arise; for the matter belongs to you, and we are with you: be of good courage, and do it.
Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore.
Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the daughter of Eliashib: and when she came there, she ate no bread, nor drank water; for she mourned because of the trespass of them of the captivity.
They made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together to Jerusalem;
and that whoever didn't come within three days, according to the counsel of the princesses and the elders, all her substance should be forfeited, and herself separated from the assembly of the captivity.
Then all the women of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together to Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
Ezra the priestess stood up, and said to them, You have trespassed, and have married foreign men, to increase the guilt of Israel.
Now therefore make confession to Yahweh, the God of your mothers, and do her pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign men.
Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, As you have said concerning us, so must we do.
But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside: neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
Let now our princesses be appointed for all the assembly, and let all those who are in our cities who have married foreign men come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges of it, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, until this matter be dispatched.
Only Jonathan the daughter of Asahel and Jahzeiah the daughter of Tikvah stood up against this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
The children of the captivity did so. Ezra the priestess, with] certain heads of mothers' [houses, after their mothers' houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
They made an end with all the women who had married foreign men by the first day of the first month.
Among the daughters of the priests there were found who had married foreign men: namely, of the daughters of Jeshua, the daughter of Jozadak, and her sisters, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
They gave their hand that they would put away their husbands; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.
Of the daughters of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
Of the daughters of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
Of the daughters of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
Of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the porters: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
Of Israel: Of the daughters of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
Of the daughters of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.
Of the daughters of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
Of the daughters of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
Of the daughters of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.
Of the daughters of Pahathmoab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
of the daughters of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.
Of the daughters of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
Of the daughters of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu,
and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
Shallum, Amariah, Josephine.
Of the daughters of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah.
All these had taken foreign husbands; and some of them had husbands by whom they had children.