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 wept very sore. [ The began to join in, to recognize their sin and weep for their repentance as well. ]

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 [ Those who are outside of the faith. They could join the covenant and all is well, but those who refuse to are still outside of the covenant and are considered strange. ] wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. [ As they begin to see the error in their ways they begin to develop hope. In verse 1 they are weeping with soreness now they are beginning to be filled with hope. Their hope has arisen from their Godly sorrow. ]

3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, [ This is going to complicate things here. Their sin was marring outside of the covenant. So what do we do now? What do we do with the children who and how do we take care of them? how and what do we do with our wives that we married outside of the covenant? These are not easy problems to solve. Their solution here is divorce. They are dead serious in their efforts to repent. ] 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. [ We are going to put aside that which we have been doing wrong and start over. ]

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. [ Ezra continues to morn, this time fasting as a sign to plead for the transgression of the people. Remember he has already pulled out the hair of his beard and his head, and rent his clothing and mantle. ]

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, 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 taken strange [ Those who are outside of the covenant. ] wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

11 Now therefore make confession [ God has told them what they have done wrong, so will you now admit it and own up to it? So confession is an admission that you did break the rules, and that the rules are good and you honor them as being good. The opposite is that you feel that it is the rules that are outdated and they need to change, which is a sense of rebellion. ] unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: [ Make the required changes in your lives. ] and separate yourselves from the people of the land, [ Or set yourselves apart from the rest of the people, be different, be that peculiar people that I want. ] 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. [ A sign of true repentance, we recognize that you are correct and we need to change and we will do so. All affirmations of the positive. ]

13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, [ Look outside it is raining season right now. If we do this all right now we will be sending our previous wives and children out into the cold, is that what we should do? With no shelter or protection. This is not procrastination but the expression of the reality of the situtation. This one is going to take time and we need it to be done right. We need more than one day. ] neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. [ In other words: this is going to be difficult it putting things right and it is going to take some time. Remember we are talking about families here. There is a lot to consider, the children and their support; the wives and their support. Yes it is going to take some time and effort. Those who will join in the covenant will make things easier as nothing else will need to be doen; however those who will not join in the covenant will need to be administered to in another manner. ]

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, [ So what follows is the list of all of those who have married outside of the covenant and are ending those marriages. ] 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 Pahath-moab; 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, 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: [ The list of those who have married outside of the covenant is quite long here. ] and some of them had wives by whom they had children.