1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very large crowd of Israelites, men, women, and children, gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly.
2 Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have broken faith with our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet even so, there is still hope for Israel.
3 So now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these wives and their children, following the advice of the Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done in keeping with the law.
4 Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we are with you. Be strong and take action."
5 So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath to act on this proposal, and they took the oath.
6 Ezra then left his place 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, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 A proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to gather in Jerusalem.
8 Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, by decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
9 So within the three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people sat in the open square before the house of God, shivering because of the matter and because of the downpour.
10 Ezra the priest stood up and told them, "You have broken faith by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.
11 Now make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives."
12 The whole assembly answered in a loud voice, "Yes! We must do as you say.
13 But there are many people here, and it is the rainy season; we cannot stand out in the open. Besides, this is not a task that can be done in a day or two, for we have sinned greatly in this matter.
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 of each town, until our God's fierce anger over this matter turns away from us."
15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah stood against this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite backing them.
16 So the returned exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest chose men who were heads of fathers' houses, one for each fathers' house, all of them named. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the matter,
17 and by the first day of the first month they had finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.
18 Among the descendants of the priests, these were found to have married foreign women: from the sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers, Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 They gave their hand in pledge to send away their wives, and for their guilt they offered a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
20 Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah.
22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.
23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.
25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh, Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah.
26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah.
27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza.
28 Of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.
29 Of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Ramoth.
30 Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.
31 Of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Simeon,
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, Jaasai,
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 Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.
44 All these had married foreign women, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.