Ezra:10

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* While Ezra was saying his prayer and his confession of wrongdoing he wept and fell down before the house of God . A very great number of men and women and children out of Israel came together around him , for the people were weeping bitterly . * Shecaniah , the son of Jehiel , one of the sons of Elam , answering , said to Ezra , We have done evil against our God , and have taken as our wives strange women of the peoples of the land . But still there is hope for Israel in this question . * »Let us make an agreement with our God to put away all the wives and all their children , if it seems right to my lord and to those who go in fear of the words of our God . Let it be done in keeping with the law . * »Up , now ! For this is your business , and we are with you . Take heart and do it .« * Then Ezra got up , and made the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do this . So they took an oath . * Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the room of Jehohanan , the son of Eliashib . When he arrived there , he took no food or drink , for he was sorrowing for the sin of those who had come back . * They made a public statement to all Judah and Jerusalem , to all those who came back , that they were to come together to Jerusalem . * And that if anyone did not come before three days were past , as ordered by the rulers and the responsible men , all his goods would be put under the curse . He himself would be cut off from the meeting of the people who had come back . * Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin came together to Jerusalem before three days were past . It was the ninth month , on the twentieth day of the month ; and all the people were seated in the wide square in front of the house of God . They shook with fear because of this business of this business and because of the great rain . * Ezra the priest got to his feet and said to them : »You have done wrong and taken strange women for your wives , thus increasing the sin of Israel . * « Give praise to Jehovah , the God of your fathers , and do his will . Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the strange women .« * Then all the people , answered with a loud voice : As you have said , so it is right for us to do . * »The number of people is great , and it is a time of much rain ; it is not possible for us to go on waiting outside . This is not a thing that may be done in one day or even two : for our sin in this business is great . * »So now let our rulers be representatives for all the people . Let all those in our towns who are married to strange women come at fixed times , and with them the responsible men and the judges of every town , till the burning wrath of our God is turned away from us , and this has been done .« * Only Jonathan , the son of Asahel , and Jahzeiah , the son of Tikvah , were against this , Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them . * So those who had come back did so . Ezra the priest , with certain heads of families , by their fathers ' families , all of them by their names , were marked out . On the first day of the tenth month they took their places to go into the question with care . * they reached the end of all the men who were married to strange women by the first day of the first month . * Among the sons of the priests who were married to strange women were these : of the sons of Jeshua , the son of Jozadak and his brothers , Maaseiah and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah . * They gave their word that they would put away their wives ; and for their sin , they gave an offering of a male sheep of the flock . * Of the sons of Immer , Hanani and Zebadiah . * Of the sons of Harim , Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah . * Of the sons of Pashhur , Elioenai , Maaseiah , Ishmael , Nethanel , Jozabad , and Elasah . * And of the Levites , Jozabad , and Shimei , and Kelaiah that is Kelita , Pethahiah , Judah , and Eliezer . * Of the music-makers , Eliashib ; and of the doorkeepers , Shallum and Telem and Uri . * Of Israel , the sons of Parosh , Ramiah and Izziah and Malchijah and Mijamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah . * Of the sons of Elam , Mattaniah , Zechariah , and Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Elijah . * And of the sons of Zattu , Elioenai , Eliashib , Mattaniah , and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza . * Of the sons of Bebai , Jehohanan , Hananiah , Zabbai , Athlai . * Of the sons of Bani , Meshullam , Malluch , and Adaiah , Jashub and Sheal , Jeremoth . * And of the sons of Pahath-moab , Adna and Chelal , Benaiah , Maaseiah , Mattaniah , Bezalel and Binnui and Manasseh . * And of the sons of Harim , Eliezer , Isshijah , Malchijah , Shemaiah , Shimeon , * Benjamin , Malluch , Shemariah . * Of the sons of Hashum , Mattenai , Mattattah , Zabad , Eliphelet , Jeremai , Manasseh , Shimei . * Of the sons 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 , Joseph . * Of the sons of Nebo , Jeiel , Mattithiah , Zabad , Zebina , Iddo , and Joel , Benaiah . * All these had taken strange wives ; and some of them had wives by whom they had offspring .

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