The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
1 While Ezra was down on his knees in front of God's temple, praying with tears in his eyes and confessing the sins of the people of Israel, a large number of men, women, and children gathered around him and cried bitterly.
2 Shecaniah son of Jehiel from the family of Elam said:
Ezra, we have disobeyed God by marrying these foreign women. But there is still hope for the people of Israel, 3 if we follow your advice and the advice of others who truly respect the laws of God. We must promise God that we will divorce our foreign wives and send them away, together with their children.
4 Ezra, it's up to you to do something! We will support whatever you do. So be brave!
5 Ezra stood up and made the chief priests, the Levites, and everyone else in Israel swear that they would follow the advice of Shecaniah. 6 Then Ezra left God's temple and went to spend the night in the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He felt sorry because of what the people had done, and he did not eat or drink a thing.
7-8 The officials and leaders sent a message to all who had returned from Babylonia and were now living in Jerusalem and Judah. This message told them to meet in Jerusalem within three days, or else they would lose everything they owned and would no longer be considered part of the people that had returned from Babylonia.
9 Three days later, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, everyone from Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and sat in the temple courtyard. It was a serious meeting, and they sat there, trembling in the rain.
10 Ezra the priest stood up and said:
You have broken God's Law by marrying foreign women, and you have made the whole nation guilty! 11 Now you must confess your sins to the Lord God of your ancestors and obey him. Divorce your foreign wives and don't have anything to do with the rest of the foreigners who live around here.
12 Everyone in the crowd shouted:
You're right! We will do what you say. 13 But there are so many of us, and we can't just stay out here in this downpour. A lot of us have sinned by marrying foreign women, and the matter can't be settled in only a day or two.
14 Why can't our officials stay on in Jerusalem and take care of this for us? Let everyone who has sinned in this way meet here at a certain time with leaders and judges from their own towns. If we take care of this problem, God will surely stop being so terribly angry with us.
15 Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah were the only ones who objected, except for the two Levites, Meshullam and Shabbethai.
16 Everyone else who had returned from exile agreed with the plan. So Ezra the priest chose men who were heads of the families, and he listed their names. They started looking into the matter on the first day of the tenth month, 17 and they did not finish until the first day of the first month of the next year.
The Men Who Had Foreign Wives
18-19 Here is a list of the priests who had agreed to divorce their foreign wives and to sacrifice a ram as a sin offering:
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah from the family of Joshua son of Jozadak and his brothers; 20 Hanani and Zebadiah from the family of Immer; 21 Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah from the family of Harim; 22 Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah from the family of Pashhur.
23 Those Levites who had foreign wives were: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also known as Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Eliashib, the musician, had a foreign wife.
These temple guards had foreign wives:
Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Here is a list of the others from Israel who had foreign wives:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah from the family of Parosh;
26 Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah from the family of Elam;
27 Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza from the family of Zattu;
28 Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai from the family of Bebai;
29 Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth from the family of Bani;
30 Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh from the family of Pahath Moab;
31-32 Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah from the family of Harim;
33 Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei from the family of Hashum;
34-37 Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu from the family of Bani;
38-42 Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph from the family of Binnui;
43 Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah from the family of Nebo.
44 These men divorced their foreign wives, then sent them and their children away.
Tautas atbilde
1 Kamēr Ezra tā lūdza un sūdzēja grēkus, raudādams nometies zemē Dieva nama priekšā, no Israēla sapulces pie viņa sapulcējās milzum daudz vīru, sievu un bērnu, jo tauta raudāja lielu raudāšanu.
2 Tad Šehanja, Jehiēla dēls, no Ēlāma dēliem, sacīja Ezram: “Mēs bijām neuzticīgi savam Dievam un dzīvojām ar svešām sievām no tās zemes tautām, bet pat tagad Israēlam ir cerība! 3 Tādēļ slēgsim derību ar mūsu Dievu un liksim sievām un tiem, kas no tām dzimuši, iet projām – kā pamācījis mūsu kungs un tie, kas bijā mūsu Dieva baušļus. Darīsim pēc bauslības! 4 Celies, šī ir tava lieta, mēs esam ar tevi – esi stiprs un rīkojies!”
5 Tad Ezra cēlās un lika zvērēt augstmaņiem, priesteriem, levītiem un visam Israēlam, ka tie tā darīs. Un viņi zvērēja.
Laulības ar sveštautietēm tiek šķirtas
6 Tad Ezra piecēlās un no Dieva nama priekšas iegāja Jehohānāna, Eljāšība dēla, istabā, iegāja tur – maizi neēda un ūdeni nedzēra, jo sēroja par izvesto ļaužu neuzticību. 7 Tad tie lika izziņot visā Jūdā un Jeruzālemē, lai visi no gūsta pārnākušie sapulcējas Jeruzālemē. 8 Ikvienam, kas pēc augstmaņu un vecajo lēmuma triju dienu laikā neatnāks, tiks atņemta visa manta un to izslēgs no gūstekņu sapulces. 9 Tad visi Jūdas un Benjāmina vīri pēc trim dienām sapulcējās Jeruzālemē, tā bija devītā mēneša divdesmitā diena, un visa tauta sēdēja laukumā pie Dieva nama, šīs lietas un stiprā lietus dēļ drebēdami.
10 Priesteris Ezra piecēlās un sacīja: “Jūs esat neuzticīgi un dzīvojat ar svešām sievām, tā vairodami Israēla vainu, 11 un tagad izsūdziet grēkus Kungam, jūsu tēvu Dievam, dariet pēc viņa prāta un nošķirieties no šīs zemes tautām un svešajām sievām!” 12 Un visa sapulce atbildēja skaļā balsī: “Jā, mēs darīsim, kā tu saki! 13 Bet ļaužu ir daudz un laiks ir lietains, nevaram taču stāvēt ārā. Šis nav vienas vai divu dienu darbs, jo mūsu noziegumu ir daudz! 14 Lai mūsu augstmaņi aizstāj visu sapulci un pēc tam noteiktā laikā nāk visi, kas mūsu pilsētās dzīvo ar svešām sievām, un kopā ar tiem katras pilsētas vecajie un tiesneši – līdz no mums novērsīsies Dieva dusmu degsme par šo lietu!” 15 Vienīgi Jonatāns, Asā-Ēla dēls, un Jahazja, Tikvas dēls, nostājās pret to, un viņus atbalstīja levīti Mešullāms un Šabtajs. 16 Bet pārējie no gūsta pārnākušie darīja tā – izvēlēja priesteri Ezru un vīrus no tēvu galvenajiem, katru no sava tēva nama, pēc vārda. Viņi sāka izmeklēt šo lietu desmitā mēneša pirmajā dienā. 17 Lietu par visiem vīriem, kas dzīvoja ar svešām sievām, pabeidza līdz pirmā mēneša pirmajai dienai.
18 Atklāja, ka no priesteru dēliem ar svešām sievām dzīvo: no Jozuas, Jehocādāka dēliem un brāļiem – Maasēja, Elīezers, Jārībs un Gedaljāhu. 19 Tie deva savu roku, ka liks sievām aiziet, un, vainīgi būdami, deva par savu vainu aunu. 20 No Immēra dēliem – Hānānī un Zebadja. 21 No Hārima dēliem – Maasēja, Elija, Šemaja, Jehiēls un Uzija. 22 No Pašhūra dēliem – Eljoēnajs, Maasēja, Ismaēls, Netanēls, Jehozābāds un Elāsa. 23 No levītiem – Jehozābāds, Šimī, Kēlāja, tas ir Kelīta, Petahja, Jūda un Elīezers. 24 No dziedātājiem – Eljāšībs, no vārtu sargiem – Šallūms, Telema un Ūrī. 25 No Israēla: no Paroša dēliem – Ramja, Jizija, Malkija, Mijāmīns, Elāzārs, Malkija un Benājāhu. 26 No Ēlāma dēliem – Matanja, Zeharja, Jehiēls, Abdī, Jeremots un Elija. 27 No Zatū dēliem – Eljoēnajs, Eljāšībs, Matanja, Jeremots, Zābāds un Azīza. 28 No Bēbaja dēliem – Jehohānāns, Hananja, Zabajs un Atlajs. 29 No Bānī dēliem – Mešullāms, Mallūhs, Adāja, Jāšūbs, Šeāls un Jeremots. 30 No Pahat-Moāba dēliem – Adna, Kelāls, Benājāhu, Maasēja, Matanja, Becalēls, Binnūjs un Manase. 31 No Hārima dēliem – Elīezers, Jišija, Malkija, Šemaja, Šimons, 32 Benjāmins, Mallūhs, Šemarja. 33 No Hāšuma dēliem – Matnajs, Matata, Zābāds, Elīfelets, Jerēmajs, Manase un Šimī. 34 No Bānī dēliem – Maadajs, Amrāms, Ūēls, 35 Benājāhu, Bēdja, Kelūhu, 36 Vanja, Merēmots, Eljāšībs, 37 Matanja, Matnajs, Jaasajs, 38 Bānī, Binnūjs, Šimī, 39 Šelemja, Nātāns, Adāja, 40 Mahnadbajs, Šēšajs, Šārajs, 41 Azarēls, Šelemjāhu, Šemarja, 42 Šallūms, Amarja un Jāzeps. 43 No Nebo dēliem – Jeiēls, Matitja, Zābāds, Zebīna, Jido, Joēls un Benājāhu.
44 Šie visi bija ņēmuši svešas sievas, bet aizsūtīja tās projām kopā ar viņu bērniem.
