Ezra 10 — Read & Listen Online | Father's Heart Bible™

Hope Remains for the Father's People

Chapter 10.

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of our Father, a very large assembly of Israel gathered to him — men, women, and children — and the people wept bitterly. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have broken faith with our Father and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. So now let us make a covenant with our Father to send away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our Father; and let it be done according to the Law. Get up, for this matter rests on you, and we are with you. Be strong and act."

Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do as had been said. So they swore the oath.

Then Ezra withdrew from the front of the house of our Father and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night without eating or drinking anything, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. Then they sent a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles to assemble at Jerusalem. Anyone who did not come within three days, by the order of the officials and the elders, would have all his property forfeited, and he himself would be barred from the assembly of the exiles.

So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the open square before the house of our Father, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rains.

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have broken faith and married foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now then, make confession to our Father, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women."

Then the whole assembly answered with a loud voice, "Yes! We must do as you have said. But the people are many, and it is the season of heavy rains, so we are not able to stand outside. And this is not the work of a day or two, for we have sinned greatly in this matter. Let our officials represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our cities who has married a foreign woman come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the burning anger of our Father over this matter is turned away from us."

Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

So the returned exiles did this. Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of their fathers' houses, each designated by name, according to their fathers' houses. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the matter, and by the first day of the first month they had finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Who Had Broken Faith

Among the sons of the priests these were found to have married foreign women: of the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers — Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

They pledged to send away their wives, and offered a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.

Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

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

Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh — Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.

Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

Of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

Of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.

Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu. Of the sons of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

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

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

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