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The People Respond
10 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children from Israel gathered to him. And the people wept bitterly. 2 Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We ourselves have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, and even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 So now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all of these women and their offspring, according to the advice of my lord and those who tremble at the commandment of our God. Let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for it is your task and we are with you. Be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra stood up and made the chief priests, Levites, and all of Israel swear to do according to what was said. So they swore this oath.
Foreign Wives and Children are Sent Away
6 Ezra rose from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He did not eat food nor drink water because he was mourning over the sin of the exiles. 7 And they sent a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles[a] to assemble in Jerusalem. 8 Anyone who did not come within three days, by decision of the officials and elders, all of his possessions would be devoted to God, and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of exiles.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the public square of the house of God trembling because of this matter and from the rains. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broke faith and married foreign women, increasing the guilt of Israel. 11 Now make a confession to Yahweh the God of your ancestors[b] and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.”
12 Then all the assembly answered with a great voice and said, “It is so. We must do according to your words. 13 But the people are many, and it is the time of rain; we are unable to stand outside. The task is not for one day or two, for we greatly rebelled in this matter. 14 Please let our leaders stand for the whole assembly, and let all that are in our cities who have married foreign women come at set times, and with them the elders of and judges of each city, until the fierce wrath of our God because of this matter is averted from us.” 15 Only Jehonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah stood against this, and the Levites Meshullam and Shabbethai supported them.
16 The returned exiles[c] did so. Ezra the priest selected men, the heads of the families[d] according to the house of their fathers, all of them by name. They sat down to examine the matter on the first day of the tenth month. 17 They finished investigating all the men who married foreign women by the first day of the first month.
18 There was found from the sons of the priests those who had married foreign women, from the sons of Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They pledged themselves[e] to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20 From the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 From the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 From the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Eleasah.
23 From the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 And from Israel, the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah. 26 From the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 From the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 From the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 From the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 From the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 From the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshiah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Simeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All of these had married foreign wives, and some from among the wives bore children.
Lawsuits between Believers
6 Does anyone among you, if he[a] has a matter against someone else, dare to go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if by you the world is judged, are you unworthy of the most insignificant courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels, not to mention ordinary matters? 4 Therefore, if you have courts with regard to ordinary matters, do you seat[b] these despised people in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. So is there not anyone wise among you who will be able to render a decision between his brothers? 6 But brother goes to court with brother, and this before unbelievers! 7 Therefore it is already completely a loss for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you wrong and defraud, and do this to brothers!
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Neither sexually immoral people, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive homosexual partners, nor dominant homosexual partners, 10 nor thieves, nor greedy persons, not drunkards, not abusive persons, not swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And some of you were these things, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus[c] and by the Spirit of our God.
Avoid Sexual Immorality
12 All things are permitted for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be controlled by anything. 13 Food is for the stomach, and the stomach for food, but God will abolish both of them[d]. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Therefore, shall I take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For it says, “The two will become one flesh.”[e] 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a person commits is outside his body, but the one who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God with your body.
9 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh,
because I have distress.
My eye wastes away because of vexation,
along with my soul and my body.[a]
10 For my life is at an end with sorrow,
and my years with sighing.
My strength stumbles because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.
11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a disgrace,
especially to my neighbors,
and a dread to my acquaintances.
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have become forgotten like one dead, out of mind.[b]
I am like a destroyed vessel.
13 For I hear the rumor of many,
“Terror on every side!”
When conspiring together against me,
they have plotted to take my life.
14 But as for me, I trust you, O Yahweh.
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times[c] are in your hand.
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 Shine your face upon your servant.
Save me by your loyal love.
17 O Yahweh, let me not be put to shame, for I call on you.
Let the wicked be put to shame.
Let them go silently[d] to Sheol.
18 Let lying lips be dumb,
that speak against the righteous[e] unrestrained
with arrogance and contempt.
3 Doing righteousness and justice is more acceptable
to Yahweh than sacrifice.
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