Shecaniah Encourages Reform
1 Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of the Lord, there was gathered together to him out of Israel, a very great assembly of men, women and children, for the people wept very bitterly.
2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, answered Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and those who are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for the matter belongs to you, and we are with you. Be courageous and do it.”
5 Then Ezra arose and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do according to this word, and they swore an oath.
The People’s Confession of Sin
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of the Lord and went into the room of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. When he came there, he ate no bread, nor drank water, for he mourned because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should gather together to Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever did not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions would be forfeited, and he would be separated from the assembly of the exiles.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together to Jerusalem within the three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month, and all the people sat in the wide place in front of the house of the Lord, trembling because of this matter and because of the great rain.
10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have trespassed and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore confess to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do as he desires and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.”
12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “We must do as you have said concerning us. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside. This is not a work for one or two days, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Now let our leaders be appointed for all the assembly, and let all those who are in our cities who have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned from us, until this matter is resolved.”
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
16 The exiles did accordingly. Ezra the priest set apart by name, men who were the leaders of their family units, and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 They dealt with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
18 Among the descendants of the priests, who had married foreign women were found these descendants of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers,
Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They gave their hand in commitment that they would send their wives away, and being guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt.
20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
25 Of Israel: Of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
28 Of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
29 Of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.
30 Of the sons of Pahathmoab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu, 38 and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, 39 and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these men had taken foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.