(KJV) Ezra 101

<< Ezra 9 Nehemiah 1 >>

⥃Shecaniah’s Encouragement

[1] Now when Ezra2 had prayed, and when he had3 confessed, weeping4 and casting himself down before the house5 of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great6 congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore7. [2] And Shechaniah8 the son of Jehiel, [one] of the sons of Elam9, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed10 against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope11 in Israel concerning this thing. [3] 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 counsel14 of my lord, and of those that15 tremble at the commandment16 of our God; and let it17 be done according to the law. [4] Arise18; for [this] matter19 [belongeth] unto thee: we also [will20 be] with thee: be of good21 courage, and do [it]. [5] Then arose22 Ezra, and made23 the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.

⥃The People’s Confession of Sin

[6] Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber24 of Johanan25 the son of Eliashib: and [when] he came thither, he did eat26 no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned27 because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. [7] And they made28 proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; [8] And that whosoever29 would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited30, and himself separated31 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 month32, on the twentieth [day] of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling33 because of [this] matter, and for the great rain34. [10] And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken35 strange wives, to increase36 the trespass of Israel. [11] Now therefore make confession37 unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his38 pleasure: and separate39 yourselves from the people of the land, and from the40 strange wives. [12] Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said41, so must we do42. [13] But the people43 [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 thing44. [14] Let now our rulers45 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 fierce46 wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us47.

[15] Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed48 about this [matter]: and Meshullam49 and Shabbethai50 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 matter51. [17] And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day52 of the first month.53

⥃Those Guilty of Intermarriage

[18] [¶]And among the sons54 of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: [namely], of the sons of Jeshua55 the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah56, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. [19] And they gave their hands57 that they would put away their wives; and [being] guilty, [they offered] a ram58 of the flock for their trespass. [20] And of the sons of Immer59; Hanani, and Zebadiah. [21] And of the sons of Harim60; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. [22] And of the sons of Pashur61; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah. [23] Also of the Levites; Jozabad62, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same [is] Kelita63,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. [24] Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri. [25] Moreover of Israel64: of the sons of Parosh65; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah. [26] And of the sons of Elam66; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel67, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. [27] And of the sons of Zattu68; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza. [28] Of the sons also of Bebai69; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, [and] Athlai. [29] And of the sons of Bani70; Meshullam, Malluch71, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. [30] And of the sons of Pahath–moab72; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. [31] And [of] the sons of Harim73; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah74, Shemaiah, Shimeon, [32] Benjamin, Malluch, [and] Shemariah. [33] Of the sons of Hashum75; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, [and] Shimei. [34] Of the sons of Bani76; 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] Machnadebai77, Shashai, Sharai, [41] Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, [42] Shallum, Amariah, [and] Joseph. [43] Of the sons of Nebo78; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah. [44] All these had taken strange wives79: and [some] of them80 had wives by whom they had children.

<< Ezra 9 Nehemiah 1 >>

  1. Ezra 10:1, Ezra encouraged to reform the strange marriages; Ezra 10:6, Ezra assembles the people; Ezra 10:9, The people repent, and promise amendment; Ezra 10:15, The care to perform it; Ezra 10:18, The names of them which had married strange wives. ↩

  2. Dan 9:3-4, Dan 9:20; Acts 10:30 ↩

  3. Lev 26:40-41; Ps 32:5; Hos 14:2; 1John 1:8-10 ↩

  4. Ps 119:136; Jer 9:1, Jer 13:17; Zech 12:10; Luke 19:41; Rom 9:2 ↩

  5. 1Kgs 8:30, 1Kgs 9:3; 2Chr 20:9 ↩

  6. Deut 31:12; 2Chr 20:13; Neh 10:28; Joel 2:16-18; Acts 21:5 ↩

  7. Heb. a great weeping, Judg 2:4-5; Neh 8:9 ↩

  8. Ezra 10:26; Neh 3:29 ↩

  9. Ezra 2:7, Ezra 2:31; Neh 7:12, Neh 7:34 ↩

  10. Shechaniah here speaks in the name of the people, not acknowledging himself culpable; for he is not in the following list., Compare, Jas 2:9; Exod 34:12; Neh 13:27 ↩

  11. Exod 34:6-7; Isa 55:6-7; Jer 3:12-13; 1John 1:7-9 ↩

  12. Nichrath berith, "let us cut a covenant:" Deut 29:12; Josh 9:6; 2Kgs 11:17; 2Chr 29:10, 2Chr 34:31-32; Neh 9:38; Neh 10:29-39 ↩

  13. Heb. bring forth ↩

  14. 2Chr 30:12 ↩

  15. Ezra 9:4; 2Chr 34:21, 2Chr 34:27; Ps 119:59, Ps 119:120; Isa 66:2; Ezek 9:4 ↩

  16. Deut 7:2-3; Josh 23:12-13 ↩

  17. Neh 8:14, Neh 13:1-3; Isa 8:20; Shechaniah's counsel, which he was then so clear in, will not hold now. Such marriages, it is certain, are contrary to the will of God, and ought not to be made; but they are not null. Our rule under the gospel is Quod fieri non debuit, factum valet, "That which ought not to have been done must, when done, abide." See note on 1Cor 7:12-13 ↩

  18. Josh 7:10-26; 1Chr 22:16, 1Chr 22:19; Eccl 9:10 ↩

  19. By the decree of Artaxerxes, Ezra was authorised to do every thing that the law of God required. Ezra 7:23-28; Mark 13:34 ↩

  20. Josh 1:16-18; 1Chr 28:10, 1Chr 28:21 ↩

  21. Isa 35:3-4; Heb 10:24, Heb 12:12-13 ↩

  22. Prov 1:5, Prov 9:9, Prov 15:23, Prov 25:11-12, Prov 27:9 ↩

  23. Ezra 10:3; Neh 5:12, Neh 10:29, Neh 13:25; Matt 26:63 ↩

  24. Neh 13:5 ↩

  25. Neh 3:1, Neh 3:20, Neh 12:10, Neh 12:22, Neh 13:28 ↩

  26. Deut 9:18; Job 23:12; John 4:31-34 ↩

  27. Ezra 9:4; Isa 22:12; Dan 9:3 ↩

  28. Ezra 1:1; 2Chr 30:5 ↩

  29. Ezra 7:26; Judg 21:5; 1Sam 11:7 ↩

  30. Heb. devoted, Lev 27:28; Josh 6:19 ↩

  31. Neh 13:3; Matt 18:17; John 9:22, John 9:34, John 16:2; 1Cor 5:13 ↩

  32. That is, some time in December, which is the coldest and most rainy time of the year in Palestine. Dr. Russel, in his account of the weather at Aleppo, which very much resembles that in Judea, says, that the natives reckon the severity of the winter, which they call marbania, to last but forty days, beginning from the 12th of December, and ending the 20th of January, and that this computation comes in fact very near the truth, and that the air during this time is excessively piercing, even to those that are just come from a cold climate. Ezra 7:8-9; Esth 2:16 ↩

  33. 1Sam 12:17-18; Jer 10:10, Jer 10:13 ↩

  34. Heb. shewers ↩

  35. Heb. caused to dwell, or, brought back ↩

  36. Ezra 9:6; Num 32:14; Josh 22:17-18; 2Chr 28:13; Matt 23:32 ↩

  37. Lev 26:40-42; Josh 7:19; Ps 32:5; Prov 28:13; Jer 3:13; 1John 1:7-9 ↩

  38. Isa 1:16-18, Isa 56:4; Rom 12:2; Col 1:10; Heb 13:21 ↩

  39. Ezra 9:1; Neh 13:3; 2Cor 6:17 ↩

  40. Deut 7:3-4; 1Cor 2:12-14 ↩

  41. They all resolved to do what Ezra had commanded; and they did put away their wives, even those by whom they had children (Ezra 10:44), each of whom doubtless received a portion according to the circumstances of her husband, and was not turned away desolate. Humanity must have dictated this, and no law of God is contrary to humanity. ↩

  42. Ezra 10:3-4; Neh 13:23; Ps 78:37, Ps 78:57 ↩

  43. Ezra 10:18-44; Matt 7:13-14 ↩

  44. or, we have greatly offended in this thing ↩

  45. Deut 17:9, Deut 17:18-19; 2Chr 19:5-7 ↩

  46. Num 25:4; Deut 13:17; Josh 7:26; 2Chr 29:10, 2Chr 30:8; Ps 78:38; Isa 12:1 ↩

  47. or, be turned from us, till this matter be dispatched. ↩

  48. Heb. stood ↩

  49. Neh 3:6, Neh 10:20, Neh 12:33 ↩

  50. Neh 11:16 ↩

  51. Deut 13:14; Job 29:16; John 7:51 ↩

  52. The cases brought before the council were either so many, or so complicated, that, though they separated themselves from other employments, yet they were three whole months in examining into their affairs, and making the necessary separations required by the law. Ezra 10:17 ↩

  53. am 3548, bc 456 ↩

  54. Ezra 9:1; Lev 21:7, Lev 21:13-15; 1Sam 2:22-24; Neh 13:28; Jer 23:11, Jer 23:14; Ezek 44:22; Mal 2:8-9; 1Tim 3:11 ↩

  55. Ezra 2:2, Ezra 3:2, Ezra 5:2; 1Chr 6:14-15; Neh 12:10; Hag 1:1; Zech 3:1, Joshua ↩

  56. Neh 8:4, Neh 8:7 ↩

  57. They bound themselves in the most solemn manner to do as the rest of the delinquents had done, and make and acknowledgment to God of their iniquity, by offering each a ram for a trespass offering. 2Kgs 10:15; 1Chr 29:24; 2Chr 30:8 *marg. Lam 5:6; Gal 2:9 ↩

  58. Lev 5:15-16, Lev 6:4, Lev 6:6 ↩

  59. Ezra 2:37; 1Chr 24:14; Neh 7:40 ↩

  60. Ezra 2:39; 1Chr 24:8; Neh 7:42 ↩

  61. Ezra 2:38; 1Chr 9:12; Neh 7:41 ↩

  62. Ezra 8:33; Neh 11:16 ↩

  63. Neh 10:10 ↩

  64. That is, as Calmet observes, simple Israelites; thus distinguished from the priests, Levites, and singers, mentioned in Ezra 10:18, Ezra 10:23-24. ↩

  65. Ezra 2:3; Neh 7:8 ↩

  66. Ezra 10:2, Ezra 2:7, Ezra 2:31, Ezra 8:7; Neh 7:12, Neh 7:34 ↩

  67. Ezra 10:2 ↩

  68. Ezra 2:8; Neh 7:13 ↩

  69. Ezra 2:11, Ezra 8:11; Neh 7:16 ↩

  70. Ezra 2:10; Neh 7:15, Binnui ↩

  71. Neh 10:4 ↩

  72. Ezra 2:6, Ezra 8:4; Neh 7:11 ↩

  73. Ezra 2:32; Neh 7:35 ↩

  74. This variation only exists in the translation, the original being uniformly Malchijah, or rather, Malkeeyah. Neh 3:11, Malchijah ↩

  75. Ezra 2:19; Neh 7:22 ↩

  76. Ezra 10:29 ↩

  77. or, Mabnadebai, according to some copies ↩

  78. Ezra 2:29; Neh 7:33 ↩

  79. Prov 2:16, Prov 5:3, Prov 5:20 ↩

  80. This observation was probably intended to shew that only a few of them had children, and also how rigorously the law was put in execution. According to a passage in Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, Ezra offered a paschal lamb on this occasion, and addressed the people thus: "And Ezra said to the people, This pass-over is our Saviour and our Refuge; and if ye will be persuaded of it, and let it enter into your hearts, that we are to humble to Him in a sign, and afterwards shall believe in Him, this place shall not be destroyed forever, saith the Lord of hosts; but, if ye will not believe in Him, nor hearken to his preaching, ye shall be a laughing-stock to the Gentiles." This was probably a marginal note added by some early Christian. ↩