Shecaniah’s Encouragement

1And as Ezra prayed, and as he confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there were gathered to him from Israel a very great convocation of men and women and children: for the people wept a great weeping. 2And Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the sons of Elam, will answer and say to Ezra, We transgressed against our God, and we were dwelling with strange wives from the people of the land: and now there is hope to Israel concerning this. 3And now we will cut out a covenant to our God to bring forth all the wives, and those being born of them upon the counsel of my lord, and of those trembling at the command of our God; and according to the law it shall be done. 4Arise; for to thee the word, and we with thee: be strong and do.

5And Ezra will rise and cause the chiefs to swear, the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to do according to this word. And they will swear.

The People’s Confession of Sin

6And Ezra will rise up from before the house of God, and will go the chamber of Johanan son of Eliashib: and he will go there, he ate not bread and drank not water: for he was mourning for the transgression of the exiles. 7And they caused a voice to pass through Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile to gather, together at Jerusalem; 8And every one who shall not come in three days according to the counsel of the chiefs and the old men, all his substance shall be devoted, and he shall be separated from the convocation of the exile.

9And all the men of Judah and Benjamin will gather together at Jerusalem in three days. It was the ninth month, in the twentieth in the month, and all the people will sit in the broad place of the house of God, trembling for the word, and from the heavy showers. 10And Ezra the priest will rise up and say to them, Ye transgressed, and ye will dwell with strange wives to add upon the guilt of Israel. 11And now ye shall give praise to Jehovah the God of your fathers, and do acceptance: and separate from the people of the land and from the strange wives. 12And all the convocation will answer and say, with a great voice, So to do according to thy words to us. 13But the people many, and a time of heavy showers, and no power to stand without, and the work not for one day, and not for two: for we many transgressing in this word. 14And our chiefs to all the convocation shall stand now, and all who in our cities dwelt with strange wives, shall come at the appointed times, and with them the old men of city and city, and its judges, until the turning back the burning of the anger of our God from us even for this word. 15But Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahaziah, son of Tikvah, stood upon this: and Meshullam and Sabbethai the Levite helped them.

16And thus the sons of the exile will do. And they will be separated, Ezra the priest, men, heads of the fathers, for the house of their fathers, and all of them by names, and they will it down in one day to the tenth month to seek out the word. 17And they will finish with all the men dwelling with strange wives, even to one day to the first month.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

18And there will be found from the sons of the priest who dwelt with strange wives: from the sons of Joshua son of Josedek and his brethren: Maaseiah and Eleazar, and Jarib and Gedaliah. 19And they will give their hand to bring forth their wives; and being guilty, a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20And from the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21And from the sons of Harim: Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22And from the sons of Pashur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nathaniel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23And from the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (this is Kelita) Pethahiah, Judah and Eleazar.

24And from those singing: Eliashib: and from the gates: Shallum and Telem and Uri.

25And from Israel: from the sons of Parosh: Ramiah and Jeziah, and Malchiah and Miamin and Eleazar and Malchiah and Benaiah. 26And from the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. 27And from the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, and Zabad and Aziza. 28And from the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai. 29And from the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. 30And from the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. 31And the sons of Harim: Eleazar, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. 33From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphalet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram and Uel, 35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, 38And Bani, and Binnui, and Shimei, 39And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah, 40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43From the sons of Nebo: Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah. 44All these took strange wives: and there is from them wives, and sons will be produced.