Ezra 10:1–8

Now ^awhen Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and ^bcasting himself down ^cbefore 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. ²And Shechaniah the son of ^dJehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have ^etrespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. ³Now 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 ^ftremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done ^gaccording to the law. ⁴Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: ^hbe of good courage, and do it. ⁵Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, ⁱto swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. ⁶Then Ezra rose up ^kfrom before the house of God, and went into the ^lchamber of ^mJohanan the son of ^mEliashib: and when he came thither, he did ⁿeat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away. ⁷And ⁿⁿthey made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; ⁸and 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.