The Daily Audio Bible
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The People’s Response
10 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel; for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecani′ah the son of Jehi′el, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.
Foreign Wives and Their Children Rejected
6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God, and went to the chamber of Jeho-ha′nan the son of Eli′ashib, where he spent the night,[a] neither eating bread nor drinking water; for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 7 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that if any one did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have trespassed and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11 Now then make confession to the Lord the God of your fathers, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a work for one day or for two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly; let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, till the fierce wrath of our God over this matter be averted from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of As′ahel and Jahzei′ah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshul′lam and Shab′bethai the Levite supported them.
16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men,[b] heads of fathers’ houses, according to their fathers’ houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.
18 Of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women were found Ma-asei′ah, Elie′zer, Jarib, and Gedali′ah, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jo′zadak and his brethren. 19 They pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20 Of the sons of Immer: Hana′ni and Zebadi′ah. 21 Of the sons of Harim: Ma-asei′ah, Eli′jah, Shemai′ah, Jehi′el, and Uzzi′ah. 22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Eli-o-e′nai, Ma-asei′ah, Ish′mael, Nethan′el, Jo′zabad, and Ela′sah.
23 Of the Levites: Jo′zabad, Shim′e-i, Kelai′ah (that is, Keli′ta), Petha-hi′ah, Judah, and Elie′zer. 24 Of the singers: Eli′ashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Rami′ah, Izzi′ah, Malchi′jah, Mi′jamin, Elea′zar, Hashabi′ah,[c] and Benai′ah. 26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattani′ah, Zechari′ah, Jehi′el, Abdi, Jer′emoth, and Eli′jah. 27 Of the sons of Zattu: Eli-o-e′nai, Eli′ashib, Mattani′ah, Jer′emoth, Zabad, and Azi′za. 28 Of the sons of Be′bai were Jeho-ha′nan, Hanani′ah, Zab′bai, and Ath′lai. 29 Of the sons of Bani were Meshul′lam, Malluch, Adai′ah, Jashub, She′al, and Jer′emoth. 30 Of the sons of Pa′hath-mo′ab: Adna, Chelal, Benai′ah, Ma-asei′ah, Mattani′ah, Bez′alel, Bin′nui, and Manas′seh. 31 Of the sons of Harim: Elie′zer, Isshi′jah, Malchi′jah, Shemai′ah, Shim′e-on, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemari′ah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum: Matte′nai, Mat′tattah, Zabad, Eliph′elet, Jer′emai, Manas′seh, and Shi′me-i. 34 Of the sons of Bani: Ma-ada′i, Amram, Uel, 35 Benai′ah, Bedei′ah, Chel′uhi, 36 Vani′ah, Mer′emoth, Eli′ashib, 37 Mattani′ah, Matte′nai, Ja′asu. 38 Of the sons of Bin′nui:[d] Shi′me-i, 39 Shelemi′ah, Nathan, Adai′ah, 40 Machnad′ebai, Shashai, Sha′rai, 41 Az′arel, Shelemi′ah, Shemari′ah, 42 Shallum, Amari′ah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo: Je-i′el, Mattithi′ah, Zabad, Zebi′na, Jaddai, Jo′el, and Benai′ah. 44 All these had married foreign women, and they put them away with their children.[e]
Lawsuits among Believers
6 When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous[a] instead of the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life! 4 If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?
7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren.
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral,[b] nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[c][d] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Glorify God in Body and Spirit
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,”[e] but I will not be enslaved by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality,[f] but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two shall become one.”[g] 17 But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Shun immorality.[h] Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye is wasted from grief,
my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,[a]
and my bones waste away.
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror[b] to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 Yea, I hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in thee, O Lord,
I say, “Thou art my God.”
15 My times are in thy hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors!
16 Let thy face shine on thy servant;
save me in thy steadfast love!
17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on thee;
let the wicked be put to shame,
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be dumb,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.