Study Desk

And while Ezra was praying and making his confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great congregation of men and women and children gathered to him out of Israel. For the people wept with a greatweeping.

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have sinned against our God, and have dwelt with foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

And now let us cut a covenant with our God to cause to go out all the women, and those born of them, according to the counsel of the Lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. And let it be done according to the Law.

Rise up, for the matter is on you. We also will be with you. Be strong and act.

Then Ezra rose up and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel to swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore.

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he did not eat food, nor did he drink, for he mourned for the perfidy of the exiles.

And they passed a call throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile, to assemble at Jerusalem;

and that whoever would not come within three days according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he would be excluded from the congregation of the exiles.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered to Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month. And all the people sat in the plaza of the house of God, trembling because of the matter, and because of theheavy rain.

And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have trespassed and have dwelt with foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel.

And now make confession to Jehovah God of your fathers and do His will. And separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.

Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, Right! According to your word it is on us to do.

But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain. And we are not able to stand outside. And the work is not of one or two days. For we have greatly sinned in this thing.

Please let our rulers for all the congregation stand, and let all those who have dwelt with foreign women in our cities come at a set time, and with them the elders of every city, and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for thismatter has turned from us.

Only Jonathan the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah made a stand against this. And Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

And the sons of the exile did so. And Ezra the priest with men, heads of the fathers, according to the house of their fathers, and all of them by names, were separated. And they sat down inthe first day of the tenth month to examinethe matter.

And they finished with all the men who had dwelt with foreign women by the first day of the first month.