When Ezra prayed, pleaded guilty, wept, and fell down in front of the temple, boys and girls from Israel gathered together with Ezra and became a great assembly, and all the people wept bitterly.

Shecani, the son of Jehiel, a descendant of Elam, said to Ezra, ‘We have taken a foreign woman as our wife in this land, and have offended our God. However, there is still hope for the Israelites.’.

Now make a covenant with our God, and put an end to all these wives, and separate them from their offspring, according to the law that my Lord and those who tremble at God’s command have agreed upon.

Get up, this is what you need to do. We will help you, and you should work hard.

Then Ezra stood up and made the chief priests, Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do according to these words. They swore an oath.

Ezra rose up from the front of the temple and entered the house of Johanan son of Eliashib. When he arrived there, he did not eat or drink water. Because of the sins committed by those who have been abducted and returned, their hearts are sad.

They notified the people of Judah and Jerusalem who had returned from captivity to gather in Jerusalem.

Anyone who does not follow the agreement of the leaders and elders and does not come within three days will have their house raided, causing them to leave the assembly of those who have returned from captivity.

So all Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem within three days. That day was the 20th of the ninth month, and everyone was sitting in the spacious area in front of the temple. Because of this, and because of the heavy rain, everyone trembled.

Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have sinned. Because you have taken foreign women as wives, adding to the sins of the Israelites..

Now confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will, cutting off the people of these nations and the daughters of foreign nations.

The congregation answered with a loud voice, saying, We will do according to your words,

But with a large number of people and heavy rain, we cannot stand outside. This is not something that can be completed in a day or two, because we have committed a great crime in this matter.

It’s better to handle it for the leaders of the entire assembly. Whoever marries a foreign woman in our city, let them come with the elders and judges of their own city at the appointed time, until this is done, and the wrath of God will turn away from us.

Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Teva obstructed this matter, and Mishullam and Shabethai the Levite helped them.

The people who were abducted and returned did so. On the first day of the tenth month, Ezra the priest and some tribal leaders appointed by their families to investigate this matter together,

It was not until the first day of the first lunar month that the number of people who married foreign women was determined.

Among the priests, it was found that those who married foreign women were the son of Jozadak, a son of Jeshua, and his brothers Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

They promised to divorce their wives. They offered a ram from the flock to make atonement for their sins.

Among the descendants of Immai were Hanani and Zebadiah.

Among the descendants of Harim were Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

Among the descendants of Bashhur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Eleazar.

Among the Levites, there were Jozabad, Shimei, and Kiraiah, which is Kiriath. And there were Pitahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

Among the singers was Eliashib. Among the gatekeepers, there are Salon, Tilian, and Uri.

Among the descendants of Baruch, the Israelites were Rami, Jeseiah, Machiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Machiah, and Benaiah.

Among the descendants of Elam were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

Among the descendants of Satur, there were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Sabad, and Azizah.

Among the descendants of Bibai, there were Jehohanan, Hannaniah, Sabai, and Al.

Among the descendants of Bani, there were Meshullam, Malug, Adaiah, Jashu, Shiab, and Jerimoth.

Among the descendants of Baha’moab, there were Athanah, Kirah, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnai, and Manasseh.

Among the descendants of Harim, Eliezer, Ishiah, Machiah, Shemaiah, and Simeon,

Benjamin, Malug, and Shemariah.

Among the descendants of Hashun, there were Matenai, Madathar, Sabad, Eliphelet, Jeremiah, Manasseh, and Shimei.

Among the descendants of Bani, Madai, Amram, and Uyi,

Benaiah, Bediah, and Kiro,

Vaniah, Milimoth, Eliashib,

Mattani, Mattenai, Jasau,

Bani, Bini, Shimei,

Shelemiah, Nathan, and Adaiah,

Manadebai, Shasai, Shalai,

Asal, Shelemiah, and Shemariah,

Salon, Amalia, Joseph.

Among the descendants of Nebo, there were Jeri, Mattathiah, Sabah, Zebinah, Jadai, Joel, and Benaiah.

These people all married foreign women, and some of them had children.