Ezra 10

Call to Gather and Act Ezra 10:5–9

⁵Verse 5. Then Ezra arose, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore. ⁶Verse 6. Then Ezra rose up from before God’s house, and went into the room of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. When he came there, he ate no bread, nor drank water; for he mourned because of their trespass of the captivity. ⁷Verse 7. They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together to Jerusalem; ⁸Verse 8. and that whoever didn’t come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited, and himself separated from the assembly of the captivity.

⁹Verse 9. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together to Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the wide place in front of God’s house, trembling because of this matter, and because of the great rain.

Ezra's Charge to the People Ezra 10:10–14

¹⁰Verse 10. Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have trespassed, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. ¹¹Verse 11. Now therefore make confession to Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.” ¹²Verse 12. Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “As you have said concerning us, so must we do. ¹³Verse 13. But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside. This is not a work of one day or two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.

¹⁴Verse 14. Now let our princes be appointed for all the assembly, and let all those who are in our cities who have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned from us, until this matter is resolved.”

Opposition and Resolution Ezra 10:15–17

¹⁵Verse 15. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this; and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. ¹⁶Verse 16. The children of the captivity did so. Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers’ households, after their fathers’ houses, and all of them by their names, were set apart; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. ¹⁷Verse 17. They finished with all the men who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.

List of Offenders and Actions Ezra 10:18–44

¹⁸Verse 18. Among the sons of the priests there were found who had married foreign women: of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his brothers, Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. ¹⁹Verse 19. They gave their hand that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. ²⁰Verse 20. Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. ²¹Verse 21. Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. ²²Verse 22. Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. ²³Verse 23. Of the Levites: Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

²⁴Verse 24. Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. ²⁵Verse 25. Of Israel: Of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, and Izziah, and Malchijah, and Mijamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. ²⁶Verse 26. Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Elijah. ²⁷Verse 27. Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. ²⁸Verse 28. Of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai. ²⁹Verse 29. Of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, Jeremoth.

³⁰Verse 30. Of the sons of Pahathmoab: Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. ³¹Verse 31. Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, ³²Verse 32. Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. ³³Verse 33. Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei. ³⁴Verse 34. Of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, and Uel, ³⁵Verse 35. Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,

³⁶Verse 36. Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, ³⁷Verse 37. Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu, ³⁸Verse 38. and Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, ³⁹Verse 39. and Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah, ⁴⁰Verse 40. Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, ⁴¹Verse 41. Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,

⁴²Verse 42. Shallum, Amariah, Joseph. ⁴³Verse 43. Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah. ⁴⁴Verse 44. All these had taken foreign wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had children.