Ezra 10

The people confess their sin and obey Ezra

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very great congregation out of Israel, of men and women and children, gathered around him, for the people wept bitterly.

10:1 Ezra felt deeply the sin of the people and the danger that could come to them because of it. And he wanted them to understand the seriousness of the situation.⚜

2 And 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 foreign wives of the people of the land. Yet now, in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.

10:2 Ezra waited for repentance to have its work in the people’s hearts and for them to say what was in their minds. He knew that nothing of spiritual value could be done unless the people were with him.⚜

3 Now, therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and those who have been born to them, according to the counsel of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise! For this matter is your responsibility. We also will be with you. Be courageous, and do it”.

5 Then Ezra got up, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And when he went there, he neither ate food nor drank water, for he was grieving because of the transgression of the exiles.

7 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, in accordance with the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he would be separated from the congregation of the exiles.

10:7-8 Because of the influence of Ezra’s teaching, example, and prayers, the leaders of the Jews acted as they should have to put away that evil from the people. Ezra’s method accomplished more than a show of authority on his part would have done.⚜

9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month, and all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and because of a heavy rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed, and have taken foreign wives, increasing the trespass of Israel. 11 Now, therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do what pleases him, and separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the foreign wives”.

10:10-11 Ezra came to the point immediately. Compare Isa 58:1. Such teachers and preachers are needed in every generation.⚜

12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, “We must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand outside. And this is not the work of a day or two, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. 14 Let now our rulers, of the whole congregation, stand, and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter is turned away from us”.

10:12-14 When leaders take an open stand against evil the results are often good.⚜

15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

16 And the exiles did as agreed. And Ezra the priest, with some heads of the fathers’ households, for each of their fathers’ households, and all of them by their names, were separated and sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they finished dealing with all the men who had taken foreign wives by the first day of the first month.

The guilty ones

18 And among the sons of the priests there were found those who had married foreign wives; namely, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadab and his brothers Maaseiah, and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah.

19 And they gave their hands in pledge that they would put away their wives, and since they were guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their trespass.

20 And of the sons of Immer, Hanani 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, Nethaneel, Jozabad and Elasah; 23 also of the Levites: Jozabad and Shimei and Kelaiah (he is the same as Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer;

24 Of the singers also: Eliashib. And of the gatekeepers: Shallum and Telem and Uri.

25 And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh, Ramiah and Jeziah and Malchiah and Miamin 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 Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza; 28 of the sons also of Bebai, Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub and Sheal and Ramoth; 30 and of the sons of 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 and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram and Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasau, 38 and Bani and Binnui, Shimei, 39 and Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azareel and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph; 43 of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau and Joel, Benaiah.

44 All of these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.