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The
People’s Confession of Sin
10:1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had
confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house
of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great
congregation of men and women and children: for the people
wept very sore.
10:2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of
Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed
against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people
of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this
thing.
10:3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to
put away all the wives, and such as are born of them,
according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that
tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done
according to the law.
10:4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also
will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the
Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do
according to this word. And they sware.
10:6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and
went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and
when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water:
for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had
been carried away.
10:7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and
Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they
should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
10:8 And that whosoever would not come within three days,
according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all
his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated
from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered
themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was
the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all
the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling
because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye
have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase
the trespass of Israel.
10:11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of
your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves
from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
10:12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a
loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
10:13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much
rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this
a work of one day or two: for we are many that have
transgressed in this thing.
10:14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and
let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities
come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every
city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our
God for this matter be turned from us.
10:15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son
of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and
Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
10:16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra
the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the
house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were
separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month
to examine the matter.
10:17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken
strange wives by the first day of the first month.
Those Guilty of
Intermarriage
10:18 And among the sons of the priests there were
found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of
Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and
Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
10:19 And they gave their hands that they would put away
their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the
flock for their trespass.
10:20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
10:21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and
Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
10:22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah,
Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
10:23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah,
(the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
10:24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters;
Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
10:25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah,
and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and
Malchijah, and Benaiah.
10:26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and
Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
10:27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib,
Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
10:28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah,
Zabbai, and Athlai.
10:29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and
Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
10:30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal,
Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and
Manasseh.
10:31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah,
Shemaiah, Shimeon,
10:32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
10:33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad,
Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
10:34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
10:35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
10:36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
10:37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
10:38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
10:39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
10:40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
10:41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
10:42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
10:43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina,
Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
10:44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them
had wives by whom they had children. |
Cults 
Why Did God Permit Sin?
