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Now when Azra had prayed, and when he had confessed,
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weeping and casting himself down before the house of
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God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great
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congregation of men and women and children: for the
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people wept very sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel,
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one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Azra,
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We have trespassed against our God, and have taken
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strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is
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hope in Israel concerning this thing.
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Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to
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put away all the wives, and such as are born of them,
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according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that
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tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be
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done according to the law. Arise; for this matter
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belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be
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of good courage, and do it.
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Then arose Azra, and made the chief priests, the
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Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do
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according to this word. And they sware. Then Azra
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rose up from before the house of God, and went into
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the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and
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when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink
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water: for he mourned because of the transgression
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of them that had been carried away.
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And they made proclamation throughout Judah and
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|
Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that
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they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
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|
And that whosoever would not come within three days,
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according to the counsel of the princes and the elders,
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|
all his substance should be forfeited, and himself
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|
separated from the congregation of those that had been
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carried away.
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Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered
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themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days.
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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.
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|
|
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And Azra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye
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|
have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to
|
|
increase the trespass of Israel. 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.
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|
|
|
Then all the congregation answered and said with a
|
|
loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. 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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
And the children of the captivity did so. And Azra 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.
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|
|
|
And they made an end with all the men that had taken
|
|
strange wives by the first day of the first month. And
|
|
among the sons of the priests there were found that
|
|
had taken strange wives, namely:
|
|
|
- The sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and his
|
|
brethren, Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
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|
- And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah,
|
|
and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah,
|
|
Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
|
|
|
- Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and
|
|
Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah,
|
|
and Eliezer.
|
|
|
- Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters;
|
|
Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
|
|
|
|
Moreover, of Israel:
|
|
|
- Of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and
|
|
Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and
|
|
Malchijah, and Benaiah.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah,
|
|
and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib,
|
|
Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
|
|
|
- Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah,
|
|
Zabbai, and Athlai.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch,
|
|
and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and
|
|
Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah,
|
|
Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
|
|
|
- And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah,
|
|
Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin,
|
|
Malluch, and Shemariah.
|
|
|
- Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah,
|
|
Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and
|
|
Shimei.
|
|
|
- Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
|
|
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, Vaniah, Meremoth,
|
|
Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasau, Bani,
|
|
Binnui, Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
|
|
Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azareel
|
|
Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah,
|
|
and Joseph.
|
|
|
- Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad,
|
|
Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
|
|
|
|
All these had taken strange wives: and some of them
|
|
had wives by whom they had children.
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