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Reconciliation with God
10 Now (A)while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself (B)before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “(C)We have been unfaithful to our God and have [a]married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So now (D)let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and [b](E)their children, according to the counsel of [c]my lord and of (F)those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done (G)according to the law. 4 Arise! For this matter is [d]your responsibility, but we will be with you; (H)be courageous and act.”
5 Then Ezra rose and (I)made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this [e]proposal; so they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra (J)rose from before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, (K)he did not eat bread nor drink water, for he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. 7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the exiles, that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, (L)trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, (M)make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and (N)do His will; and (O)separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, “That’s right! As you have said, so it is [f]our duty to do. 13 But there are many people; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 Let our leaders [g]represent the whole assembly and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each city, until the (P)fierce anger of our God on account of this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah [h]opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
16 But the exiles did so. And [i]Ezra the priest selected men who were heads of fathers’ households for each of their father’s households, all of them by name. So they [j]convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 They finished investigating all the men who had married foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
List of Offenders
18 Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of (Q)Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 They [k]pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, (R)they offered a ram of the flock for their offense. 20 Of the sons of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.
23 Of Levites there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 Of the singers there was Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.
25 Of Israel, of the sons of (S)Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah; 27 and of the sons of (T)Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza; 28 and of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, (U)Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of (V)Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah. 44 All these had married (W)foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Lawsuits Discouraged
6 Does any one of you, when he has a [a]case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and (A)not before the [b]saints? 2 Or (B)do you not know that (C)the [c]saints will judge (D)the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to [d]constitute the smallest law courts? 3 (E)Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, [e]do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 (F)I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his (G)brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before (H)unbelievers?
7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. (I)Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your (J)brethren.
9 Or (K)do you not know that the unrighteous will not (L)inherit the kingdom of God? (M)Do not be deceived; (N)neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [f]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will (O)inherit the kingdom of God. 11 (P)Such were some of you; but you were (Q)washed, but you were (R)sanctified, but you were (S)justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
The Body Is the Lord’s
12 (T)All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 (U)Food is for the [g]stomach and the [h]stomach is for food, but God will (V)do away with both [i]of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but (W)for the Lord, and (X)the Lord is for the body. 14 Now God has not only (Y)raised the Lord, but (Z)will also raise us up through His power. 15 (AA)Do you not know that (AB)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? (AC)May it never be! 16 Or (AD)do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “(AE)The two shall become one flesh.” 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is (AF)one spirit with Him. 18 (AG)Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the [j]immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or (AH)do you not know that (AI)your body is a [k]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from [l]God, and that (AJ)you are not your own? 20 For (AK)you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in (AL)your body.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for (A)I am in distress;
My (B)eye is wasted away from grief, (C)my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with (D)sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My (E)strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And (F)my [a]body has wasted away.
11 Because of all my adversaries, I have become a (G)reproach,
Especially to my (H)neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I am (I)forgotten as a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the [b](J)slander of many,
(K)Terror is on every side;
While they (L)took counsel together against me,
They (M)schemed to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, “(N)You are my God.”
15 My (O)times are in Your hand;
(P)Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your (Q)face to shine upon Your servant;
(R)Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be (S)put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon You;
Let the (T)wicked be put to shame, let them (U)be silent in [c]Sheol.
18 Let the (V)lying lips be mute,
Which (W)speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.
3 To do (A)righteousness and justice
Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.