Daily Meditation
4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto
thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and
do it.
Today’s ReadingEzra
Chapter 10
Now when Ezra had
prayed, and when he had confessed. . .
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. 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. 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. 4 Arise;
for this matter belongeth unto thee: we
also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. 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.
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. 7 And they made proclamation
throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that
they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; 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.
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 And
Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have
taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. 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. 12 Then all the congregation
answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. 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. 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.
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. 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. 17 And
they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day
of the first month.
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. 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. 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, (the same is Kelita,)
Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers
also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. 25 Moreover
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
these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by
whom they had children.
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