Ezra 10:1-44
1 Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wepta very sore.
2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3 Now 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 tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited,b and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have takenc strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are manyd that have transgressed in this thing.
14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.
20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.
21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.
25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.
26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.
27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.
28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,
39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai,e Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
Ezra 10:6. When he came. It should read, till he came thither, as appears from chap. Ezra 9:4, and at a late hour after the evening devotion.
Ezra 10:9. It was the ninth month, the depth of winter. The offenders sat in the streets, trembling because of sin, and shivering because of the rain. Learn then, ye magistrates, to suppress vice in time, and let not the force of wicked practices become too strong for reformation.
Ezra 10:15. Were employed about this matter. Dr. Lightfoot reads, “opposed the matter.” This reading quite relieves the text, for surely, not four, but forty or more were employed in this great work. These two refractory men stood up against Ezra, and were supported by the two levites. Times are awful indeed when the ministers of religion are the advocates of sin.
REFLECTIONS.
To purge and guard the purity of the church, is the most laudable work of pastors and elders. No man in the house of God, be his rank and fortune what they may, must set himself up above the laws of God. The venerable Ezra was greatly afflicted to find his country deeply immersed in the very crimes which had so often been the source of Israel's ruin; and a considerable list of the principal persons in the nation were the chief offenders. But his tears were not shed in vain; his prayers were heard in heaven, and grace was given to soften and affect their hearts. Some of the offenders willingly came forward to comply with the law, not only to put away their wives, but so far as to alienate the issue of those impure marriages, that the children should not inherit the family lot.
Shechaniah, pure in his morals and noble in his zeal, came forward to support the pious governor in the work. This conduct appears to the more advantage when it is considered, that both his father and his son had offended: Ezra 10:18; Ezra 10:26. When acting for God we must not be biassed by interest, nor be afraid of man, nor relaxed by the obligations of affinity. When the severer discipline of the church is exercised with wisdom and purity, the wicked will be constrained to revere it as the agency of heaven.
The offenders, not willing to reform, were compelled to do it under the penalty of excommunication, and the loss of their estates. This measure, considering the nature of the Hebrew theocracy, was perfectly right. The whole land was the gift of God to Abraham and his seed; and the spurious children of women descended from the seven nations, had no right to enjoy it; nor could they retain in church fellowship the men who had openly trampled on the divine law. Deuteronomy 7:3. This was purging the church and nation from being partakers of other men's sin. Every obstinate man must in that case bear his own iniquity; and the nation would still retain the favour of God.
The measure was not only begun by fasting and prayer, and firmly resolved in counsel, but officers were appointed, who in conjunction with the elders of every city were to carry it into immediate effect. Here we have to regret, that christian nations are now far below the morals of the Jews. How many daring and wicked men does our nation afford, who despise marriage, and yet retain the privilege of the christian name. How many characters of this kind, insult both decency and law; and neither magistrate nor minister makes them ashamed.
We regret, at the close of this chapter, to find among the offenders the sons of Jeshua, the late highpriest, and four of his kindred. This is awful in the extreme. When ministers of religion are captivated by lawless passions, their finest discourses are to the people but as a putrid carcase. They infect the whole circle of society, and involve their superiors in guilt for the neglect of proper discipline. Let us ever pray that the church and nation may be adorned with men of Ezra's piety and zeal. Under their administration of justice and discipline, the sources of morality are purified, religion prospers, and the smiles of heaven crown the age with every blessing.