Ezra 10:1–8

Sending Away Foreign Wives

10While Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown ^zbefore the house of God, an extremely large assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him. The people also wept bitterly. ^a2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, ^ban Elamite, responded to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the surrounding peoples, ^cbut there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. ³Let us therefore make a covenant before our God ^dto send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. ^eLet it be done according to the law. ⁴Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, ^fand we support you. Be strong and take action!” ^g

⁵Then Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said; so they took the oath. ^h6Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. ⁱHe did not eat food or drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. ^j

⁷They circulated a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem. ⁸Whoever did not come within three days would forfeit all his possessions, ^kaccording to the decision of the leaders and elders, and would be excluded ^lfrom the assembly of the exiles.