Heads of Families Who Returned with Ezra

8 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, aHattush; 3 of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of bParosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males; 4 of the sons of cPahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5 of 1the sons of Shechaniah, Ben-Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6 of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 7 of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; 8 of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty males; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 10 of 2the sons of Shelomith, Ben-Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11 of the sons of dBebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12 of the sons of Azgad, Johanan 3the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13 of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these—Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah—and with them sixty males; 14 also of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and 4Zabbud, and with them seventy males.

Servants for the Temple

15 Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found none of the esons of Levi there. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and fMeshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding. 17 And I gave them a command for Iddo the chief man at the place Casiphia, and 5I told them what they should say 6to Iddo and his brethren the Nethinim at the place Casiphia—that they should bring us servants for the house of our God. 18 Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they gbrought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; 19 and hHashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men; 20 ialso of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim. All of them were designated by name.

Fasting and Prayer for Protection

21 Then I jproclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might khumble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the lright way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For mI was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, n“The hand of our God is upon all those for ogood who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are pagainst all those who qforsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He ranswered our prayer.

Gifts for the Temple

24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them—25 and weighed out to them sthe silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered. 26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are tholy 7to the Lord; the articles are uholy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and vheads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” 30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

The Return to Jerusalem

31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And wthe hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. 32 So we xcame to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were yweighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, zJozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, 34 with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

35 The children of those who had been acarried away captive, who had come from the captivity, boffered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord.

36 And they delivered the king’s corders to the king’s satraps and the governors in the region beyond 8the River. So they gave support to the people and the 9house of God.

Intermarriage with Pagans

9 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not aseparated themselves from the peoples of the lands, bwith respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have ctaken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the dholy seed is emixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this 1trespass.” 3 So when I heard this thing, fI tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down gastonished. 4 Then everyone who htrembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the ievening sacrifice.

5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and jspread out my hands to the Lord my God. 6 And I said: “O my God, I am too kashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for lour iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mgrown up to the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers to this day nwe have been very guilty, and for our iniquities owe, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the psword, to captivity, to plunder, and to qhumiliation, 2as it is this day. 8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may renlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 sFor we were slaves. tYet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but uHe extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us va wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the wuncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. 12 Now therefore, xdo not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and ynever seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and zleave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God ahave punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we bagain break Your commandments, and cjoin in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be dangry with us until You had 3consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O Lord God of Israel, eYou are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. fHere we are before You, gin our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

Confession of Improper Marriages

10 Now awhile Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down bbefore the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very cbitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have dtrespassed 1against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3 Now therefore, let us make ea covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who ftremble at gthe commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the hlaw. 4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. iBe of good courage, and do it.”

5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel jswear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he kate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come