²³ In those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴ Half their children were speaking the language of Ashdod or some other place, and they couldn’t speak the language of Judah. ²⁵ I ·argued with [reprimanded; confronted] those people, put curses on them, ·hit [beat] some of them, and pulled out their hair. I ·forced them to make a promise [made them vow/swear/take an oath] to God, saying, “Do not ·let your daughters marry the sons of foreigners [give your daughters to their sons], and do not take ·the daughters of foreigners as wives [their daughters] for your sons or yourselves. ²⁶ ·Foreign women [^LWas it not things like this that…?] made King Solomon of Israel sin. There was never a king like him in any of the nations. God loved Solomon and made him king over all Israel, but foreign ·women [wives] made even him sin [1 Kin. 11:1–13]. ²⁷ And now ·you are not obedient when [^Lmust we hear how…?] you do this evil thing. You are unfaithful to our God when you ·marry [^Lgive a dwelling to] foreign ·wives [women].”

²⁸ Joiada was the son of Eliashib the high priest. One of Joiada’s sons married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, so I ·sent [drove; banished] him away from ·me [my sight].

²⁹ Remember them, my God, because they ·made the priesthood unclean [defiled the priesthood] and the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] of the priests and Levites.