¶ Now when Ezra¹ had prayed, and when he had² confessed, weeping³ and casting himself down before the house⁴ of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great⁵ congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore⁶.

And Shechaniah⁷ the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam⁸, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed⁹ against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope¹¹ in Israel concerning this thing.

Now therefore let us make¹² a covenant with our God to put away¹³ all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that¹⁴ tremble at the commandment¹⁵ of our God; and let it¹⁶ be done according to the law.

Arise¹⁷; for this matter¹⁸ belongeth unto thee: we also will¹⁹ be with thee: be of good²⁰ courage, and do it.

Then arose²¹ Ezra, and made²² the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.

¶ Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber²³ of Johanan²⁴ the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat²⁵ no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned²⁶ because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.

And they made²⁷ proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;

And that whosoever²⁸ would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited²⁹, and himself separated³⁰ from the congregation of those that had been carried away.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month³¹, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling³² because of this matter, and for the great rain³³.

¶ And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken³⁴ strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

Now therefore make confession³⁵ unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his³⁶ pleasure: and separate³⁷ yourselves from the people of the land, and from the³⁸ strange wives.

Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said³⁹, so must we do⁴⁰.

But the people⁴¹ 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 thing⁴².

Let now our rulers⁴³ 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 fierce⁴⁴ wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us⁴⁵.

¶ Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed⁴⁶ about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai⁴⁷ the Levite helped them.

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 matter⁴⁸.

And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day⁴⁹ of the first month.

And among the sons⁵⁰ of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua⁵¹ the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.

And they gave their hands⁵³ that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram⁵⁴ of the flock for their trespass.

¶ And of the sons of Immer⁵⁵; Hanani, and Zebadiah.

And of the sons of Harim⁵⁶; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.

And of the sons of Pashur⁵⁷; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

Also of the Levites; Jozabad⁵⁸, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita⁵⁹,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

Of the singers⁶⁰ also; Eliashib: and of the porters⁶²; Shallum⁶³, and Telem⁶⁴, and Uri.

Moreover of Israel⁶⁵: of the sons of Parosh⁶⁶; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.

And of the sons of Elam⁶⁷; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel⁶⁸, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.

And of the sons of Zattu⁶⁹; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.

Of the sons also of Bebai⁷⁰; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

And of the sons of Bani⁷¹; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.

¶ And of the sons of Pahathmoab⁷³; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.

And of the sons of Harim⁷⁴; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah⁷⁵, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.

Of the sons of Hashum⁷⁷; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

Of the sons of Bani⁷⁸; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,

Benaiah⁷⁹, Bedeiah⁸⁰, Chelluh⁸¹,

Vaniah⁸², Meremoth⁸³, Eliashib⁸⁴,

Mattaniah⁸⁵, Mattenai⁸⁶, and Jaasau⁸⁷,

And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,

And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,

¶ Machnadebai⁸⁸, Shashai⁸⁹, Sharai⁹⁰,

Azareel⁹¹, and Shelemiah⁹², Shemariah⁹³,

Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

Of the sons of Nebo⁹⁴; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.

All these had taken strange wives⁹⁵: and some of them⁹⁶ had wives by whom they had children.