1 Enquanto Esdras, prostrado diante da casa de Deus, fazia chorando esta prece e esta confissão, foi-se reunindo em torno dele uma multidão numerosa de israelitas, homens, mulheres e crianças; e o povo também derramava abundantes lágrimas.
2 Então Sequenias, filho de Jeiel, dos filhos de Elão, tomou a palavra e disse a Esdras: Nós pecamos contra o nosso Deus, tomando por mulheres as estrangeiras pertencentes ao povo desta terra. Entretanto, resta ainda uma esperança para Israel.
3 Façamos, agora, uma aliança com nosso Deus: proponhamo-nos a mandar de volta todas essas mulheres e seus filhos, de conformidade com o teu conselho e o daqueles que têm respeito pelos mandamentos de nosso Deus. E que seja feito segundo manda a lei.
4 Levanta-te, pois, para regulamentar este trabalho. Estaremos contigo. Coragem, e mãos à obra!
5 Então Esdras levantou-se; fez com que os chefes dos sacerdotes, dos levitas, e de todo o Israel jurassem que agiriam como acabava de ser dito; e eles juraram.
6 Depois, deixando a casa de Deus, foi ao quarto de Joanã, filho de Eliasib. Tendo entrado ali, permaneceu sem comer nem beber, porque chorava o pecado dos filhos do cativeiro.
7 Publicou-se então em Judá e Jerusalém que todos os filhos do cativeiro viessem reunir-se em Jerusalém.
8 Quem não comparecesse dentro de três dias, conforme as ordens dos anciãos e dos chefes, veria confiscados os seus bens, e seria excluído da assembléia dos filhos do cativeiro.
9 Todos os homens de Judá e de Benjamim reuniram-se em Jerusalém nos três dias; era o vigésimo dia do nono mês. Todo o povo que se encontrava na praça do templo de Deus tremia, não só {pela gravidade} da circunstância, mas também porque estava chovendo.
10 Esdras, o sacerdote, levantou-se e disse-lhes: Vós pecastes tomando mulheres estrangeiras, agravando assim a falta de Israel.
11 Agora, compenetrai-vos de vossa falta diante do Senhor, o Deus de nossos pais, e fazei a sua vontade; separai-vos dos povos desta terra e das mulheres estrangeiras.
12 Toda a assembléia respondeu em alta voz: Sim, devemos proceder como disseste.
13 Mas o povo é numeroso, e é a estação das chuvas; não é, pois, possível ficar-se fora; ademais, isso não é trabalho de um ou dois dias, porque cometemos uma grande transgressão nesse assunto.
14 Que nossos chefes fiquem aqui para representar a assembléia inteira; e todos aqueles que, em nossas cidades, receberam em suas casas uma ou mais mulheres estrangeiras, se apresentem nas datas fixadas, com os anciãos de cada cidade e os seus juízes, até que consigamos apartar de nós o fogo da cólera de nosso Deus por causa dessa questão.
15 Só Jonatã, filho de Azael, e Jaasiaz, filho de Técua, se apresentaram para contradizer essa ordem, apoiados por Mosolão e Sebetai, o levita.
16 Os filhos do cativeiro, porém, conformaram-se. Esdras, o sacerdote, e alguns homens, chefes de família segundo suas casas, todos designados por seus nomes, puseram-se de parte e, sentando-se, começaram a examinar a questão no primeiro dia do décimo mês.
17 No primeiro dia do primeiro mês resolveram a questão dos homens que tinham desposado mulheres estrangeiras.
18 Entre os filhos dos sacerdotes, encontravam-se alguns que haviam desposado mulheres estrangeiras, a saber: filhos de Josué, filhos de Josedec, e de seus irmãos entre os quais Maasias, Eliezer, Jarib e Godolias.
19 Estes se comprometeram a repudiar suas mulheres e oferecer um carneiro pela expiação de sua falta.
20 Dos filhos de Emmer: Hanani e Zebedias.
21 Dos filhos de Harim: Maasias, Elias, Semeías, Jeiel e Ozias.
22 Dos filhos de Fasur: Elioenai, Maasias, Ismael, Natanael, Jozabed e Elasa.
23 Entre os levitas: Jozabel, Semei, Celaías, chamado também Celita, Fataias, Judá e Eliezer.
24 Entre os cantores: Eliasib. Entre os porteiros: Selum, Telem e Uri.
25 Entre os israelitas: dos filhos de Faros: Remeías, Jezias, Melquias, Miamim, Eliezer, Melquias e Banaías.
26 Dos filhos de Elão: Matanias, Zacarias, Jeiel, Abdi, Jerimot e Elias.
27 Dos filhos de Zetua: Elioenai, Eliasib, Matanias, Jerimot, Zabad e Aziza.
28 Dos filhos de Bebai: Joanã, Ananias, Zabai, Atalai.
29 Dos filhos de Bani: Mosolão, Meluch, Adaías, Jasub, Saal e Ramot.
30 Dos filhos de Fahat-Moab: Edna, Calal, Banaías, Maasias, Matanias, Beseleel, Benui e Manassés.
31 Dos filhos de Harim: Eliezer, Jesias, Melquias, Semeías,
32 Simeão, Benjamim, Melluc, Samarias.
33 Dos filhos de Hasom: Matanai, Matata, Zabad, Elifelet, Jermai, Manassés, Semei.
34 Dos filhos de Bani: Maadi, Amrão, Uel,
35 Banaías, Badaías, e Queliau,
36 Vanas, Merimut, Eliasib,
37 Matanias, Matanai, Jasi,
38 Bani, Benui, Semei,
39 Salmias, Natã, Adaías, Mecnedebai,
40 Sisai, Sarai, Ezrel, Selemiau,
41 Semerias, Selum, Amarias, José.
42 Dos filhos de Nebo: Jeiel, Matatias, Zabad,
43 Zabina, Jedu, Joel e Banaías.
44 Todos estes homens, que haviam desposado mulheres estrangeiras, despediram-nas com seus filhos.
1 Now while Ezra was making his prayer and his statement of wrongdoing, weeping and falling down before the house of God, a very great number of men and women and children out of Israel came together round him: for the people were weeping bitterly.
2 And Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answering, said to Ezra, We have done evil against our God, and have taken as our wives strange women of the peoples of the land: but still there is hope for Israel in this question.
3 Let us now make an agreement with our God to put away all the wives and all their children, if it seems right to my lord and to those who go in fear of the words of our God; and let it be done in keeping with the law.
4 Up, now! for this is your business, and we are with you; take heart and do it.
5 Then Ezra got up, and made the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do this. So they took an oath.
6 Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the room of Jehohanan, the son of Eliashib; but when he came there, he took no food or drink, for he was sorrowing for the sin of those who had come back.
7 And they made a public statement through all Judah and Jerusalem, to all those who had come back, that they were to come together to Jerusalem;
8 And that if anyone did not come before three days were past, as ordered by the rulers and the responsible men, all his goods would be put under the curse, and he himself would be cut off from the meeting of the people who had come back.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin came together to Jerusalem before three days were past; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people were seated in the wide square in front of the house of God, shaking with fear because of this business and because of the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest got to his feet and said to them, You have done wrong and taken strange women for your wives, so increasing the sin of Israel.
11 So now, give praise to the Lord, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure; and make yourselves separate from the peoples of the land and from the strange women.
12 Then all the people, answering, said with a loud voice, As you have said, so it is right for us to do.
13 But the number of people is great, and it is a time of much rain; it is not possible for us to go on waiting outside, and this is not a thing which may be done in one day or even two: for our sin in this business is great.
14 So now let our rulers be representatives for all the people, and let all those in our towns who are married to strange women come at fixed times, and with them the responsible men and the judges of every town, till the burning wrath of our God is turned away from us, and this has been done.
15 Only Jonathan, the son of Asahel, and Jahzeiah, the son of Tikvah, were against this, Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
16 So those who had come back did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of families, by their fathers' families, all of them by their names, were marked out; and on the first day of the tenth month they took their places to go into the question with care.
17 And they got to the end of all the men who were married to strange women by the first day of the first month.
18 And among the sons of the priests who were married to strange women were these: of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak and his brothers, Maaseiah and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah.
19 And they gave their word that they would put away their wives; and for their sin, they gave an offering of a male sheep of the flock.
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 Pashhur, Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 And of the Levites, Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah (that is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 And of the music-makers, Eliashib; and of the door-keepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri.
25 And of Israel, the sons of Parosh, Ramiah and Izziah and Malchijah and Mijamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah.
26 And of the sons of Elam, Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Elijah.
27 And of the sons of Zattu, Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza.
28 And of the sons of Bebai, Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai.
29 And of the sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub and Sheal, Jeremoth.
30 And of the sons of Pahath-moab, Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel and Binnui and Manasseh.
31 And of the sons of Harim, Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram, and Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu,
38 And Bani and Binnui, Shimei;
39 And Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel and Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had offspring.