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Text -- Ezra 10:1-20 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
The People Confess Their Sins
10:1 While Ezra was praying and confessing , weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God , a very large crowd of Israelites – men , women , and children alike– gathered around him. The people wept loudly .
10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel , from the descendants of Elam , addressed Ezra : “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the local peoples . Nonetheless , there is still hope for Israel in this regard.
10:3 Therefore let us enact a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring , in keeping with your counsel , my lord , and that of those who respect the commandments of our God . And let it be done according to the law .
10:4 Get up , for this matter concerns you. We are with you, so be strong and act decisively!”
10:5 So Ezra got up and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath to carry out this plan . And they all took a solemn oath .
10:6 Then Ezra got up from in front of the temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib . While he stayed there , he did not eat food or drink water , for he was in mourning over the infidelity of the exiles .
10:7 A proclamation was circulated throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles were to be assembled in Jerusalem .
10:8 Everyone who did not come within three days would thereby forfeit all his property , in keeping with the counsel of the officials and the elders . Furthermore, he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles .
10:9 All the men of Judah and Benjamin were gathered in Jerusalem within the three days . (It was in the ninth month , on the twentieth day of that month .) All the people sat in the square at the temple of God , trembling because of this matter and because of the rains .
10:10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives ! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel .
10:11 Now give praise to the Lord God of your fathers , and do his will . Separate yourselves from the local residents and from these foreign wives .”
10:12 All the assembly replied in a loud voice : “We will do just as you have said !
10:13 However , the people are numerous and it is the rainy season . We are unable to stand here outside . Furthermore, this business cannot be resolved in a day or two , for we have sinned greatly in this matter .
10:14 Let our leaders take steps on behalf of all the assembly . Let all those in our towns who have married foreign women come at an appointed time , and with them the elders of each town and its judges , until the hot anger of our God is turned away from us in this matter .”
10:15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah were against this , assisted by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite .
10:16 So the exiles proceeded accordingly . Ezra the priest separated out by name men who were leaders in their family groups . They sat down to consider this matter on the first day of the tenth month ,
10:17 and on the first day of the first month they finished considering all the men who had married foreign wives .
Those Who Had Taken Foreign Wives
10:18 It was determined that from the descendants of the priests , the following had taken foreign wives : from the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak , and his brothers : Maaseiah , Eliezer , Jarib , and Gedaliah .
10:19 (They gave their word to send away their wives ; their guilt offering was a ram from the flock for their guilt .)
10:20 From the descendants of Immer : Hanani and Zebadiah .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Divorce |
Ezra |
Covenant |
Backsliders |
Church |
Israel |
AZAELUS |
BACCHURUS |
Repentance |
Zeal |
Shallum |
STRANGER AND SOJOURNER (IN THE OLD TESTAMENT) |
GENEALOGY, 1-7 |
ESDRAS, THE FIRST BOOK OF |
Decision |
Ammonites |
Government |
Jarib |
Priest |
Asahel |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
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NET Notes: Ezr 10:6 The translation reads וַיָּלֶן (vayyalen, “and he stayed”) rather than the reading ו...
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NET Notes: Ezr 10:7 For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
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NET Notes: Ezr 10:16 Heb “the heads of the fathers, to the house of their fathers, and all of them by name.”
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