10:1  Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly.

10:2  Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have proved unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now we have hope for Israel in spite of this.

10:3  "So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let us do it according to the law.

10:4  "Arise! For this matter has become your responsibility, but we will remain with you; have courage and act."

10:5  Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.

10:6  Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib Although he went there, he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he mourned over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

10:7  They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem,

10:8  and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions he should forfeit and he himself will find himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

10:9  So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It had become the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.

10:10  Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have behaved unfaithfully and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel.

10:11  "Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."

10:12  Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, "That we acknowledge as correct! As you have said, so it becomes our duty to do.

10:13  "But there live many people; it has become the rainy season and we cannot stand in the open. Nor can we complete the task in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

10:14  "Let our leaders represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the fierce anger of our God on account of this matter has turned away from us."

10:15  Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

10:16  But the exiles did so. And Ezra the priest selected men who headed households for each of their father's households, all of them by name. So they convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.

10:17  They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

10:18  Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives consisted of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.

10:19  They pledged to put away their wives, and having admitted guilt, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense.

10:20  Of the sons of Immer we acknowledged Hanani and Zebadiah;

10:21  and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah;

10:22  and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

10:23  Of Levites we acknowledged Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (namely, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.

10:24  Of the singers we acknowledged Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.

10:25  Of Israel, of the sons of Parosh we acknowledged Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah;

10:26  and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah;

10:27  and of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza;

10:28  and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai;

10:29  and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth;

10:30  and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh;

10:31  and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

10:32  Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah;

10:33  of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei;

10:34  of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

10:35  Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

10:36  Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

10:37  Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,

10:38  Bani, Binnui, Shimei,

10:39  Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,

10:40  Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

10:41  Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,

10:42  Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.

10:43  Of the sons of Nebo we acknowledged Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.

10:44  All these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.