1 Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping andcastinghimselfdown
before God’s house, there was gathered
together tohimout ofIsrael a very great assembly of men and women and children;
for the people wept very bitterly.

2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the
sons of Elam, answered Ezra, “We have
trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel
concerning this thing.

3 Now therefore let’s make a covenant
with our God to put away all the wives and
those who are born of them, according to
the counsel of my lord and of those who
tremble at the commandment of our God.
Let it be done according to the law.

4 Arise,for the matter belongs to you and
we are with you. Be courageous, and do it.”

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.

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 didn’t eat bread or drink water,
for he mourned because of the trespass of
the exiles.

7 They made a proclamation throughout
Judah and Jerusalem to all the children
of the captivity, that they should gather
themselves together to Jerusalem;

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 he himself separated from the assembly of the captivity.

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.

10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to
them, “Youhave trespassed, andhavemarried foreign women, increasing the guilt of
Israel.

11 Now therefore make confession to
Yahweh, the God of your fathers and do
his pleasure. Separate yourselves from the
peoples of the land and from the foreign
women.”

12 Then all the assembly answered with
a loud voice, “We must do as you have said
concerning us.

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.

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.”

15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and
Jahzeiahthe sonofTikvahstoodupagainst
this; and Meshullam and Shabbethai the
Levite helped them.