Old/New Testament
9 1 Ezra complaineth on the people that had turned themselves from God, and married with the Gentiles. 5 He prayeth unto God.
1 When as these things were done, the rulers came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the Priests, and the Levites are not [a]separated from the people of the lands (as touching their abominations) to wit, of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken their daughters to themselves, and to their sons, and they have mixed the holy seed with the people of the lands, and the hand of the [b]Princes and rulers have been chief in this trespass.
3 But when I heard this saying, I rent my clothes and my garment, and plucked off the hair of mine head, and of my beard, and sat down [c]astonied.
4 And there assembled unto me all that feared the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of them of the captivity. And I sat down astonied until the (A)evening sacrifice.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from mine heaviness, and when I had rent my clothes and my garment, I fell upon my knees, and spread out mine hands unto the Lord my God,
6 And said, O my God, I am confounded and ashamed to lift up mine eyes unto thee my God: for our iniquities are increased over [d]our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the [e]heaven.
7 From the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day, and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our Priests been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, unto the sword, into captivity, into a spoil, and into confusion of face, as appeareth this day.
8 And now for a little space grace hath been showed from the Lord our God, in causing a remnant to escape, and in giving us a [f]nail in his holy place, that our God may light our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our servitude.
9 For though we were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath inclined mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us life, and to erect the house of our God, and to redress the desolate places thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 And now, our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the Prophets, saying, (B)The land whereunto ye go to possess it, is an unclean land, because of the filthiness of the people of the lands, which by their abominations, and by their uncleanness have filled it from corner to corner.
12 Now therefore shall ye not give your daughters unto their sons, neither shall ye take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their (C)peace nor wealth forever, that ye may be strong and eat the goodness of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your sons forever.
13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespasses, (seeing that thou our God hast stayed us from being beneath [g]for our iniquities, and hast given us such deliverance.)
14 Should we return to break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of such abominations? wouldest not thou be angry toward us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor any escaping?
15 O Lord God of Israel, thou art just, for we have been [h]reserved to escape, as appeareth this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespass: therefore we cannot stand before thee because of it.
10 1 The people repent and turn, and put away their strange wives.
1 While Ezra prayed thus, and [i]confessed himself weeping, and falling down before the house of God, there assembled unto him of Israel a very great Congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept with a great lamentation.
2 Then Shechaniah the son of Jehiel one of the sons of Elam answered, and said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land, yet now there is [j]hope in Israel concerning this.
3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God, to put away [k]all the wives (and such as are born of them) according to the counsel of the Lord, and of those that fear the commandments of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.
4 Arise: for the matter [l]belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of comfort and do it.
5 ¶ Then arose Ezra, and caused the chief Priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they sware.
6 And Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: he went even thither, but he did eat neither bread nor drunk water: for he mourned, because of the transgression of them of the captivity.
7 And they caused a proclamation to go throughout Judah and Jerusalem, unto [m]all them of the captivity, that they should assemble themselves unto Jerusalem.
8 And whosoever would not come within three days according to the counsel of the Princes and Elders, all his substance should be [n]forfeit, and he should be separate from the Congregation of them of the captivity.
9 ¶ Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled themselves unto Jerusalem within three days, which was the twentieth day of the [o]ninth month, and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling for this matter, and for the [p]rain.
10 And Ezra the Priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to [q]increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now therefore [r]give praise unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his will, and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
12 And all the Congregation answered, and said with a loud voice, So will we do according to thy words unto us.
13 But the people are many, and it is a rainy weather, and we are not able to stand without, neither is it the work of one day or two: for we are many that have offended in this thing.
14 Let our rulers stand therefore [s]before all the Congregation, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities, come at the time appointed, and with [them] the Elders of every city and the judges thereof, till the fierce wrath of our God for this matter turn away from us.
15 Then were appointed Jonathan the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah over this matter, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levites helped them.
16 And they of the captivity did so, and [t]departed, even Ezra the Priest, and the men that were chief fathers to the family of their fathers by name, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
17 And until the first day of the first month they were finishing the business with all the men that had taken strange wives.
18 And of the sons of the Priests there were men found, that had taken strange wives, to wit, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and of his brethren, Maaseiah, Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 And they gave [u]their hands, that they would put away their wives, and they that had trespassed gave a ram for their trespass.
20 And of the sons of Immer, Honani, 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, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 And of the Levites, Jozabad and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (which is Kelita) Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 And of the singers, Eliashib. And of the porters, Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
25 And of [v]Israel: of the sons of Parosh, Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Mijamin, 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 Jerimoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
28 And of the sons of Bebai, Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
29 And of the sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.
30 And of the sons of [w]Pahath-Moab, 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, Shamariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
35 Banaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai,
38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadai, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives: and among them were women that had [x]children.
The Acts of the Holy Apostles, Written by Luke the Evangelist
1 1 Luke tieth this history to his Gospel. 9 Christ being taken into heaven. 10 The Apostles, 11 being warned by the Angels, 12 to return, 14 and give themselves to prayer. 15 By Peter’s motion, 18 into Judas the traitor’s place. 26 Matthias is chosen.
1 I have made the [a]former treatise, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to [b]do and teach,
2 Until the day that he was taken up, after that he through the holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the Apostles, whom he had chosen:
3 [c]To whom also he presented himself alive after that he had suffered, by many [d]infallible tokens, being seen of them by the space of forty days, and speaking of those things which appertained to the kingdom of God.
4 (A)And when he had [e]gathered them together, he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, (B)which said he, ye have heard of me.
5 (C)For John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized [f]with the holy Ghost within these few days.
6 [g]When they therefore were come together they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time [h]restore the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times, or the [i]seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 (D)But ye shall receive power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 (E)[j]And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up: for a cloud took him up out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel.
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This Jesus which is taken up [k]from you into heaven, shall so come, as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12 ¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount that is called the mount of Olives, which is near to Jerusalem, being from it a Sabbath [l]day’s journey.
13 [m]And when they were [n]come in, they went up into an upper chamber, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zealot, and Judas James’s brother.
14 These all [o]continued with [p]one accord in [q]prayer and supplication with the [r]women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his [s]brethren.
15 [t]And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said (now the number of [u]names that were in one place were about an hundred and twenty.)
16 [v]Ye men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, Which the (F)holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before of Judas, which was (G)guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained fellowship in this ministration.
18 He therefore hath [w]purchased a field with the reward of iniquity: and when (H)he had [x]thrown down himself headlong, he brast asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it is known unto all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, insomuch, that that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, (I)Let his habitation be void, and let no man dwell therein: (J)also, Let another take his [y]charge.
21 [z]Wherefore of these men which have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus was [aa]conversant among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John unto the day that he was taken up [ab]from us, must one of them be made a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 [ac]And they [ad]presented two, Joseph called Barsabas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, saying, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take the [ae]room of this ministration and Apostleship, from which Judas hath [af]gone astray, to go to his own place.
26 Then they gave forth their lots: and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was by a common consent counted with the eleven Apostles.
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