Ezra 10
Foreign Wives and
Children Put Away |
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.
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2 |
And Shechani'ah the son of Jehi'el, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have
trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the
people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this
thing.
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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.
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4 |
Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of
good courage, and do it.
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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.
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6 |
Then Ezra rose up from before the house
of God, and went into the chamber of Jo'hanan the son of Eli'ashib:
and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink
water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had
been carried away.
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7 |
And they made proclamation throughout
Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that
they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
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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.
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9 |
Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin
gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the
month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God,
trembling because of this matter, and for the great
rain.
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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.
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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.
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12 |
Then all the congregation answered and
said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
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13 |
But the people are many, and it
is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without,
neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many
that have transgressed in this thing.
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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.
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15 |
Only Jonathan the son of As'ahel and
Jahazi'ah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshul'lam and Shab'bethai the Levite helped them.
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16 |
And the children of the captivity did
so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers,
after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth
month to examine the matter.
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17 |
And they made an end with all the men
that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first
month.
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18 |
And among the sons of the priests there
were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons
of Jesh'u-a the son of Joz'adak, and his brethren; Ma-asei'ah, and
Eli-e'zer, and Jarib, and Gedali'ah.
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19 |
And they gave their hands that they would
put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a
ram of the flock for their trespass.
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20 |
And of the sons of Immer; Hana'ni, and
Zebadi'ah.
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21 |
And of the sons of Harim; Ma-asei'ah, and
Eli'jah, and Shemai'ah, and Jehi'el, and Uzzi'ah.
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22 |
And of the sons of Pashur; Eli-oe'nai,
Ma-asei'ah, Ish'ma-el, Nethan'e-el, Joz'abad, and Ela'sah.
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23 |
Also of the Levites; Joz'abad, and
Shim'e-i, and Kelai'ah, (the same is Keli'ta,) Pethahi'ah,
Judah, and Eli-e'zer.
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24 |
Of the singers also; Eli'ashib: and of
the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
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25 |
Moreover of Israel: of the sons of
Parosh; Rami'ah, and Jezi'ah, and Malchi'ah, and Mi'amin, and
Ele-a'zar, and Malchi'jah, and Benai'ah.
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26 |
And of the sons of Elam; Mattani'ah,
Zechari'ah, and Jehi'el, and Abdi, and Jer'emoth, and
Eli'ah.
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27 |
And of the sons of Zattu; Eli-oe'nai,
Eli'ashib, Mattani'ah, and Jer'emoth, and Zabad, and
Azi'za.
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28 |
Of the sons also of Be'bai; Jeho'hanan,
Hanani'ah, Zab'bai, and Ath'lai.
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29 |
And of the sons of Bani; Meshul'lam,
Malluch, and Adai'ah, Jashub, and She'al, and Ramoth.
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30 |
And of the sons of Pahath-mo'ab; Adna,
and Chelal, Benai'ah, Ma-asei'ah, Mattani'ah, Bez'aleel, and
Bin'nu-i, and Manas'seh.
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31 |
And of the sons of Harim;
Eli-e'zer, Ishi'jah, Malchi'ah, Shemai'ah, Shim'e-on,
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32 |
Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemari'ah.
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33 |
Of the sons of Hashum; Mat'tenai,
Mat'ta-thah, Zabad, Eliph'elet, Jer'emai, Manas'seh, and Shim'e-i.
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34 |
Of the sons of Bani; Ma'adai, Amram, and
U'el,
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35 |
Benai'ah, Bedei'ah, Chelluh,
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36 |
Vani'ah, Mer'emoth, Eli'ashib,
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37 |
Mattani'ah, Mat'tenai, and
Ja'asau,
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38 |
and Bani, and Bin'nu-i,
Shim'e-i,
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39 |
and Shelemi'ah, and Nathan, and
Adai'ah,
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40 |
Mach-nad'ebai, Sha'shai,
Sha'rai,
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41 |
Az'areel, and Shelemi'ah,
Shemari'ah,
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42 |
Shallum, Amari'ah, and Joseph.
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43 |
Of the sons of Nebo; Je-i'el,
Mattithi'ah, Zabad, Ze-bi'na, Ja'dau, and Joel, Benai'ah.
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44 |
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had
children.
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