The People Confess Their Sin
1
Now a while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down b before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very c bitterly.
2
And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have d trespassed against 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 e a 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 f tremble at g the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the h law.
4
"Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. i Be of good courage, and do it."
5
Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel j swear 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 k ate 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 within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.
9
So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and l all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain.
10
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.
11
"Now therefore, m make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; n separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives."
12
Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, "Yes! As you have said, so we must do.
13
"But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter.
14
"Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, until o the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter."
15
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and p Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.
16
Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain q heads of the fathers' households, were set apart by the fathers' households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
17
By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.
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Cross References
Daniel 9:4
And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments.
Daniel 9:20
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God.
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Cross References
2 Chronicles 20:9
'If disaster comes upon us - sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine - we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.'
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Cross References
Nehemiah 8:1 - 9
Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel.
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Cross References
Ezra 10:10
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them,...
Ezra 10:13
But there are many people; it is the season for...
Ezra 10:14
"Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly...
Ezra 10:17
By the first day of the first month they finish...
Ezra 10:18
And among the sons of the priests who had taken...
Nehemiah 13:23 - 27
In those days I also saw Jews who had married w...
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Cross References
2 Chronicles 34:31
Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
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Cross References
Ezra 9:4
Then everyone who trembled 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 evening sacrifice.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 7:2
And when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
Deuteronomy 7:3
Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 24:1
When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.
Deuteronomy 24:2
When she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife.
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Cross References
1 Chronicles 28:10
"Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it."
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Cross References
Ezra 10:12
Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, "Yes! As you have said, so we must do.
Ezra 10:19
And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.
Nehemiah 5:12
So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say." Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
Nehemiah 13:25
So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 9:18
And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 12:18
So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
Ezra 9:4
Then everyone who trembled 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 evening sacrifice.
Ezra 10:3
Now therefore, let us make a 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 tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
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Cross References
Leviticus 26:40 - 42
But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me.
Joshua 7:19
Now Joshua said to Achan, "My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.
Proverbs 28:13
He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
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Cross References
Ezra 10:3
Now therefore, let us make a 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 tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
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Cross References
2 Kings 23:26
Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.
2 Chronicles 28:11 - 13
"Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you."
2 Chronicles 29:10
Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.
2 Chronicles 30:8
Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.
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Cross References
Ezra 8:16
Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leaders; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding.
Nehemiah 3:4
And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs.
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Cross References
Ezra 4:3
But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.