People Who Went with Ezra

Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households and the genealogical enrollment of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of King Artaxerxes: of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, (A)Hattush; of the sons of Shecaniah who was of the sons of (B)Parosh, Zechariah, and with him 150 males who were in the genealogical list; of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah and two hundred males with him; of the sons of [a]Zattu, Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel and three hundred males with him; and of the sons of (C)Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan and fifty males with him; and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and seventy males with him; and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael and eighty males with him; of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel and 218 males with him; 10 and of the sons of [b]Bani, Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah and 160 males with him; 11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai and twenty-eight males with him; 12 and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan and 110 males with him; 13 and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names: Eliphelet, [c]Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and sixty males with them; 14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and [d]Zabbud, and seventy males with [e]them.

Ezra Sends for Levites

15 Now I assembled them at (D)the river that runs to Ahava, where we camped for three days; and when I paid close attention to the people and the priests, I (E)did not find any Levites there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, [f]leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, teachers. 17 And I sent them to Iddo the [g]leading man at the place called Casiphia; and I [h]told them what to say to [i]Iddo and his brothers, (F)the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that is, to bring ministers to us for the house of our God. 18 (G)And as the good hand of our God was upon us, they brought us a (H)man of insight from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah and [j]Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 and 220 of (I)the temple servants, whom David and the officials had provided for the service of the Levites, all of them designated by name.

Protection of God Invoked

21 Then I proclaimed (J)a fast there at (K)the river of Ahava, to (L)humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a [k]safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to [l]protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “(M)The hand of our God is [m]favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but (N)His power and His anger are against all those who (O)abandon Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He [n](P)listened to our pleading.

24 Then I selected twelve of the leading priests: (Q)Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; 25 and I (R)weighed out to them (S)the silver, the gold, and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king, (T)his counselors, his officials, and all Israel who were present there had contributed. 26 (U)So I weighed into their hands [o]650 talents of silver, and silver utensils worth [p]a hundred talents, and a hundred gold talents, 27 and twenty gold bowls worth a thousand [q]darics, and two utensils of fine shiny bronze, precious as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “(V)You are holy to the Lord, and the (W)utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a [r]voluntary offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them (X)until you weigh them before the leading priests, the Levites, and the leaders of the fathers’ households of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites (Y)accepted the weight of silver and gold and the utensils, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

31 Then we journeyed from (Z)the river Ahava on (AA)the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and (AB)the hand of our God was upon us, and He rescued us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the road. 32 (AC)So we came to Jerusalem and remained there for three days.

Treasure Placed in the Temple

33 And on the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the utensils (AD)were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of (AE)Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. 34 A notation was made for everything by number and weight, and all the weight was recorded at that time.

35 (AF)The exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: (AG)twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve male goats for a sin offering, all as a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 Then (AH)they delivered the king’s edicts to (AI)the king’s satraps and the governors in the provinces beyond the Euphrates River, and they supported the people and the house of God.

Mixed Marriages

Now when these things had been completed, the officials approached me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not (AJ)separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, (AK)as to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For (AL)they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that (AM)the holy [s]race has (AN)intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the officials and the leaders have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness.” When I heard about this matter, I (AO)tore my garment and my robe, and pulled out some of the hair from my head and my beard, and (AP)sat down [t]appalled. Then (AQ)everyone who was frightened by the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat [u]appalled until (AR)the evening offering.

Prayer of Confession

But at the evening offering I stood up from my [v]humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I bowed down on my knees and (AS)spread out my [w]hands to the Lord my God; and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongful deeds have [x]risen above our heads, and our (AT)guilt has grown even to the heavens. (AU)Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and because of our wrongful deeds we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to [y](AV)open shame, as it is this day. But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, (AW)to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a [z](AX)peg in His holy place, so that our God may (AY)enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. (AZ)For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not abandoned us, but (BA)has extended favor to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to erect the house of our God, to restore its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 “And now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have abandoned Your commandments, 11 which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end, and (BB)with their impurity. 12 So now do not (BC)give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons, and (BD)never seek their peace or their prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, and (BE)leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’ 13 And after everything that has come upon us for our evil deeds and (BF)our great guilt, since You our God have spared us by inflicting less than our wrongdoing deserves, and have given us such (BG)an escaped remnant as this, 14 (BH)shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples [aa]who commit these abominations? (BI)Would You not be angry with us [ab]to the point of destruction, until there would be no remnant nor any who would escape? 15 Lord God of Israel, (BJ)You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in (BK)our guilt, for (BL)no one can stand before You because of this.”

Reconciliation with God

10 Now (BM)while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself (BN)before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept greatly. Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “(BO)We have been unfaithful to our God and have [ac]married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. So now (BP)let’s make a covenant with our God to send away all the wives and [ad](BQ)their children, following the counsel of [ae]my lord and of (BR)those who fear the commandment of our God; and let it be done (BS)according to the Law. Arise! For this matter is [af]your responsibility, but we will be with you; (BT)be courageous and act.”

Then Ezra stood and (BU)made the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath that they would do according to this [ag]proposal; so they took the oath. Then Ezra (BV)rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, (BW)he did not eat bread nor drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. So they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they were to assemble at Jerusalem, and that whoever did not come within three days, in accordance with the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the public square before the house of God, (BX)trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, (BY)make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and (BZ)do His will; and (CA)separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “It is [ah]our duty to do exactly as you have said! 13 However, there are many people, it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, because we have done a great wrong in this matter. 14 Please let our leaders [ai]represent all the assembly and have 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 (CB)fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah [aj]opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

16 But the exiles did so. And [ak]Ezra the priest selected men who were the heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they [al]convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 And they finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

List of Offenders

18 Now among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of (CC)Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They [am]pledged to send away their wives, and being guilty, (CD)they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20 Of the sons of Immer, there were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

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

24 Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 Of Israel, of the sons of (CE)Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah; 27 and of the sons of (CF)Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, (CG)Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of (CH)Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All of these men had married (CI)foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:5 As in LXX; MT omits Zattu
  2. Ezra 8:10 As in LXX; MT omits Bani
  3. Ezra 8:13 Or Jeuel
  4. Ezra 8:14 Or Zakkur
  5. Ezra 8:14 Or him
  6. Ezra 8:16 Lit heads
  7. Ezra 8:17 Lit head
  8. Ezra 8:17 Lit put words in their mouth to say
  9. Ezra 8:17 As in LXX; MT Iddo his brother
  10. Ezra 8:19 As in LXX; MT with him Jeshaiah
  11. Ezra 8:21 Lit smooth way
  12. Ezra 8:22 Lit help
  13. Ezra 8:22 Lit upon all...for good
  14. Ezra 8:23 Lit was entreated by us
  15. Ezra 8:26 About 24 tons or 22 metric tons
  16. Ezra 8:26 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  17. Ezra 8:27 A coin weighing about 0.25 oz. or 7 gm
  18. Ezra 8:28 Or freewill offering
  19. Ezra 9:2 Lit seed
  20. Ezra 9:3 Or shattered
  21. Ezra 9:4 Or shattered
  22. Ezra 9:5 Or penitence
  23. Ezra 9:5 Lit palms
  24. Ezra 9:6 Lit increased over the head
  25. Ezra 9:7 Lit shame of faces
  26. Ezra 9:8 I.e., a foothold
  27. Ezra 9:14 Lit of these abominations
  28. Ezra 9:14 Lit to destroy
  29. Ezra 10:2 Lit given dwelling to
  30. Ezra 10:3 Lit that which is born of them
  31. Ezra 10:3 Or the Lord
  32. Ezra 10:4 Lit upon you
  33. Ezra 10:5 Lit word; or thing
  34. Ezra 10:12 Lit upon us
  35. Ezra 10:14 Lit stand for
  36. Ezra 10:15 Lit stood against
  37. Ezra 10:16 Heb there were set apart Ezra the priest, men...
  38. Ezra 10:16 Lit sat
  39. Ezra 10:19 Lit gave their hand

List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra

These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:(A)

of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;

of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;

of the descendants of David, Hattush of the descendants of Shekaniah;(B)

of the descendants of Parosh,(C) Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

of the descendants of Pahath-Moab,(D) Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

of the descendants of Zattu,[a] Shekaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

of the descendants of Adin,(E) Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

10 of the descendants of Bani,[b] Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

11 of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

12 of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

13 of the descendants of Adonikam,(F) the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

14 of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with them 70 men.

The Return to Jerusalem

15 I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava,(G) and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites(H) there. 16 So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, 17 and I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants(I) in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. 18 Because the gracious hand of our God was on us,(J) they brought us Sherebiah,(K) a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; 19 and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants(L)—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

21 There, by the Ahava Canal,(M) I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey(N) for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers(O) and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone(P) who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.(Q) 23 So we fasted(R) and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah,(S) Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, 25 and I weighed out(T) to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. 26 I weighed out to them 650 talents[c] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,[d] 100 talents[e] of gold, 27 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,[f] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28 I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord.(U) The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” 30 Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal(V) to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,(W) and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.(X)

33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out(Y) the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth(Z) son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad(AA) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.(AB) 34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls(AC) for all Israel,(AD) ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering,[g] twelve male goats.(AE) All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36 They also delivered the king’s orders(AF) to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,(AG) who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.(AH)

Ezra’s Prayer About Intermarriage

After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate(AI) from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites,(AJ) Ammonites,(AK) Moabites,(AL) Egyptians and Amorites.(AM) They have taken some of their daughters(AN) as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled(AO) the holy race(AP) with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”(AQ)

When I heard this, I tore(AR) my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.(AS) Then everyone who trembled(AT) at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled(AU) until the evening sacrifice.

Then, at the evening sacrifice,(AV) I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands(AW) spread out to the Lord my God and prayed:

“I am too ashamed(AX) and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.(AY) From the days of our ancestors(AZ) until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword(BA) and captivity,(BB) to pillage and humiliation(BC) at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious(BD) in leaving us a remnant(BE) and giving us a firm place[h](BF) in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes(BG) and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves,(BH) our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness(BI) in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,(BJ) and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 “But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands(BK) 11 you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering(BL) to possess is a land polluted(BM) by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices(BN) they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12 Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them(BO) at any time, that you may be strong(BP) and eat the good things(BQ) of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’(BR)

13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil(BS) deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved(BT) and have given us a remnant like this. 14 Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry(BU) with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us,(BV) leaving us no remnant(BW) or survivor? 15 Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous!(BX) We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand(BY) in your presence.(BZ)

The People’s Confession of Sin

10 While Ezra was praying and confessing,(CA) weeping(CB) and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam,(CC) said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful(CD) to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.(CE) Now let us make a covenant(CF) before our God to send away(CG) all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath(CH) to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath. Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water,(CI) because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin(CJ) had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. 10 Then Ezra(CK) the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.(CL) 11 Now honor[i] the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”(CM)

12 The whole assembly responded with a loud voice:(CN) “You are right! We must do as you say. 13 But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing. 14 Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges(CO) of each town, until the fierce anger(CP) of our God in this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai(CQ) the Levite, opposed this.

16 So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases, 17 and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

18 Among the descendants of the priests, the following had married foreign women:(CR)

From the descendants of Joshua(CS) son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 (They all gave their hands(CT) in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.)(CU)

20 From the descendants of Immer:(CV)

Hanani and Zebadiah.

21 From the descendants of Harim:(CW)

Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah.

22 From the descendants of Pashhur:(CX)

Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

23 Among the Levites:(CY)

Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.

24 From the musicians:

Eliashib.(CZ)

From the gatekeepers:

Shallum, Telem and Uri.

25 And among the other Israelites:

From the descendants of Parosh:(DA)

Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah and Benaiah.

26 From the descendants of Elam:(DB)

Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah.

27 From the descendants of Zattu:

Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza.

28 From the descendants of Bebai:

Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.

29 From the descendants of Bani:

Meshullam, Malluk, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth.

30 From the descendants of Pahath-Moab:

Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.

31 From the descendants of Harim:

Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluk and Shemariah.

33 From the descendants of Hashum:

Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.

34 From the descendants of Bani:

Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasu.

38 From the descendants of Binnui:[j]

Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.

43 From the descendants of Nebo:

Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.

44 All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.[k]

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 8:5 Some Septuagint manuscripts (also 1 Esdras 8:32); Hebrew does not have Zattu.
  2. Ezra 8:10 Some Septuagint manuscripts (also 1 Esdras 8:36); Hebrew does not have Bani.
  3. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 24 tons or about 22 metric tons
  4. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  5. Ezra 8:26 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  6. Ezra 8:27 That is, about 19 pounds or about 8.4 kilograms
  7. Ezra 8:35 Or purification offering
  8. Ezra 9:8 Or a foothold
  9. Ezra 10:11 Or Now make confession to
  10. Ezra 10:38 See Septuagint (also 1 Esdras 9:34); Hebrew Jaasu 38 and Bani and Binnui,
  11. Ezra 10:44 Or and they sent them away with their children