The Daily Audio Bible

Sending Away Foreign Wives

10 While Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown^(A) before the house of God, an extremely large assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him. The people also wept bitterly.^{(B) 2} Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel,^(C) an Elamite, responded to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the surrounding peoples,^(D) but there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. ³ Let us therefore make a covenant before our God^(E) to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God.^(F) Let it be done according to the law. ⁴ Get up, for this matter is your responsibility,^(G) and we support you. Be strong and take action!”^(H)

⁵ Then Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said; so they took the oath.^{(I) 6} Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night.^[a] He did not eat food or drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.^(J)

⁷ They circulated a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem. ⁸ Whoever did not come within three days would forfeit all his possessions,^[b] according to the decision of the leaders and elders, and would be excluded^(K) from the assembly of the exiles.

⁹ So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem within the three days. On the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God,^(L) trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. ¹⁰ Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.^{(M) 11} Therefore, make a confession to Yahweh the God of your fathers and do His will. Separate yourselves from the surrounding peoples and your foreign wives.”

¹² Then all the assembly responded with a loud voice: “Yes, we will do as you say! ¹³ But there are many people, and it is the rainy season. We don’t have the stamina to stay out in the open. This isn’t something that can be done in a day or two, for we have rebelled terribly in this matter. ¹⁴ Let our leaders represent the entire assembly. Then let all those in our towns who have married foreign women come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of each town, in order to avert the fierce anger of our God^(N) concerning^[c] this matter.” ¹⁵ Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, with Meshullam^(O) and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.

¹⁶ The exiles did what had been proposed. Ezra the priest selected men^[d] who were family leaders, all identified by name, to represent^[e] their ancestral houses. They convened on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter, ¹⁷ and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Married to Foreign Wives

¹⁸ The following were found to have married foreign women from the descendants of the priests:

²³ The Levites:^(T)

²⁴ The singers:^(U)

The gatekeepers:^(V)

²⁵ The Israelites:^(W)

⁴⁴ All of these^(AH) had married foreign women, and some of the wives had given birth to children.^(AI)

Lawsuits among Believers

6 If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court^(A) before the unrighteous,^[a] and not before the saints? ² Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? ³ Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? ⁴ So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those^[b] who have no standing^(B) in the church to judge? ⁵ I say this to your shame!^(C) Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?^{(D) 6} Instead, believer^[c] goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers!^(E)

⁷ Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you.^(F) Why not rather put up with injustice?^(G) Why not rather be cheated?^{(H) 8} Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! ⁹ Don’t you know that the unrighteous^(I) will not inherit God’s kingdom?^(J) Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,^(K) adulterers,^(L) or anyone practicing homosexuality,^{[d](M) 10} no thieves,^(N) greedy^(O) people, drunkards, verbally abusive people,^(P) or swindlers^(Q) will inherit God’s kingdom. ¹¹ And some of you used to be like this.^(R) But you were washed, you were sanctified,^(S) you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

¹² “Everything is permissible^(T) for me,”^[e] but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. ¹³ “Food^(U) for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them.^[f] The body is not for sexual immorality^(V) but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.^{(W) 15} Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body?^(X) So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.^{(Y)[g] 17} But anyone joined^(Z) to the Lord is one spirit^(AA) with Him.

¹⁸ Run^(AB) from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.”^[h] On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral^(AC) sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary^(AD) of the Holy Spirit^(AE) who is in you,^(AF) whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought^(AG) at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.^[i]