and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for
a sin offering: all this wasa burnt
offering unto the LORD.
36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors
on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.
1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and
the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing
according to their abominations, evenof the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy
seed have mingled themselves with the people of thoselands: yea, the hand of the princes and
rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my
head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel,
because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the
evening sacrifice.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and
my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our
iniquities are increased over ourhead, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
7 Since the days of our fathers havewe beenin a great trespass unto this day; and for our
iniquities have we, our kings, andour priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the
lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it isthis day.
8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewedfrom the LORD our God, to leave us a
remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and
give us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 For we werebondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended
mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of
our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go
to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their
abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto
your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good
of the land, and leave itfor an inheritance to your children for ever.
13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that
thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this;
14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these
abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there
should beno remnant nor escaping?
15 O LORD God of Israel, thou artrighteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it isthis day: behold,
we arebefore thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
1 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.
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, oneof the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We
there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3 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.
4 Arise; for thismatter belongethunto thee: we also will bewith thee: be of good courage, and
do it.
5 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.
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son
of Eliashib: and whenhe came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned
because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the
captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
8 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.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within
three days. It wasthe ninth month, on the twentieth dayof the month; and all the people sat in
the street of the house of God, trembling because of thismatter, 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 aremany, and it isa time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without,
neither is thisa 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, withcertain chief of the
fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by theirnames, were separated, and
sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
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 beingguilty, they
offereda 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 isKelita,) 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, andAthlai.
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 ofthe sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, andShemariah.
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, andJoseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives: and someof them had wives by whom they had children.
