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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, 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.

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 this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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, 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.

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 being guilty, they offered a 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 is Kelita,) 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, and Athlai.

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 of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

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, and Joseph.

43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.

44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

<html><b>weeping</b> Heb. בּכֶה, like בֶּכִי.</html>

<html><b>and we have taken</b> And we took them in. <b>there is hope</b> There is hope for Israel concerning this, for they can cast out their foreign wives and their offspring and cast out all the children born from these foreign wives.</html>

<html><b>by the counsel of the Lord</b> by the counsel and the will of the Holy One, blessed be He. <b>and those who hasten to [perform] the commandment of our God</b> and the God-fearers, they shall cast them out. <b>and according to the Law it shall be done</b> he who performs this act, who will cast out his gentile wife and children.</html>

<html><b>and we are with you</b> to agree with you.</html>

<html><b>a proclamation</b> Heb. קוֹל, lit. a voice, an announcement.</html>

<html><b>by three days</b> at the end of three days.</html>

<html><b>the ninth month</b> That is the month of Kislev. <b>quaking over the matter</b> They were afraid over the matter. They were afraid of the stumbling block of this transgression. <b>and because of the rains</b> And because of the rains that were falling upon them there, they were shivering and miserable.</html>

<html><b>confess</b> Heb. תּוֹדָה, [which, in this case, means] וִדּוּי, confession.</html>

<html><b>and it is the rainy season</b> for the rains are falling upon us. <b>and the work</b> And this separation from sin cannot be executed so quickly.</html>

<html><b>with the entire congregation</b> Heb. לְכָל הַקָהָל <b>who took in</b> Heb. הַהשִּׁיב equivalent to אֲשֶּׁר הוֹשִּׁיב. <b>until we avert</b> until the burning anger of the Holy One, blessed be He, returns from upon us.</html>

<html><b>stood up against this</b> to argue concerning this matter. <b>supported them</b> strengthened their hands.</html>

<html><b>to investigate</b> Heb. לְדַרְיוֹשּׁ, like לִדְרוֹשּׁ.</html>

<html><b>And they completed everything</b> And they completed the rectification of the matter of the men who had brought in heathen wives, for they cast them out. <b>of the first month</b> until the first day of Nissan.</html>

<html><b>And they advised them</b> Heb. וַיִתְּנוּ יָדָם, lit. and they gave their hand, their advice, like (II Sam. 14:19): “Behold Joab’s advice (יַד יוֹאָב) is with you in all this (sic).” <b>for their guilt</b> This was a temporary ruling.</html>

<html><b>And of the sons of Immer</b> All these are priests until (verse 23): “And of the Levites, etc.”</html>

<html><b>and some of them had wives by whom they had children</b> And some of them had heathen wives by whom they had children. They cast out all of them, both the wives and the children.</html>