Old/New Testament
Ezra’s Reaction to Foreign Marriages(A)
9 After these things occurred, certain[a] officials approached me and said “The people of Israel, the priests, and the descendants of Levi have not separated themselves from the people of the lands or from the detestable behavior of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites, 2 because they and their sons have married foreign women.[b] As a result, the holy people[c] have mingled themselves among the people who live in these lands. As a matter of fact, the senior officials and the rulers have been foremost in this sin.”
3 When I heard this, I tore both my garment and robe, plucked hair from both my head and my beard, and collapsed in shock! 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered together as a group because of the sin committed by those who had been led astray. As for me, I remained seated, in shock, until the evening sacrifice.
Ezra’s Prayer of Repentance
5 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I arose from my discouragement. Still in my torn garment and robe, I fell to my knees with my hands outstretched to the Lord my God, 6 and said,
“My God, I am too ashamed and hurt to turn to you, because we’re in our iniquities over our heads. Furthermore, my God, our sins have grown as high as the heavens. 7 We have lived in great sin from the days of our ancestors even until today, and because of those iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered over to foreign kings, for execution, for captivity, for plunder, and for humiliation, as is the case[d] today. 8 Though now, for a moment, grace has been shown[e] from the Lord our God, leaving a few survivors to escape, and providing us a secure hold in his Holy Place, so that our God might enlighten us and give us relief from our servitude. 9 Even though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he has extended gracious love to us in the presence of the kings of Persia, to grant us revival, to set up the Temple of our God, to repair its damage, and to give us a protective wall for Judah and Jerusalem.
10 Now, our God, what can we say besides this? Because we have abandoned your commandments 11 that you gave in the writings[f] of your servants, the prophets:
‘The land you are entering to possess is a morally unclean land due to the moral uncleanness of the people who live in there—along with their abominations—that has filled it from one end to the other with their impurities. 12 So, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor marry their daughters to your sons, and under no circumstances are you to seek their well-being or their wealth, so that you may remain strong, enjoying the best things the land has to give, and so that you may establish an inheritance for your children forever.’[g]
13 “After all that has happened to us because of our evil behavior, and because of our great sin—considering that you our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve[h] and have given us this deliverance— 14 should we violate your commandments by intermarrying with the nations[i] who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you had consumed us, with not even a remnant surviving[j] to escape?
15 Lord God of Israel, you are just: As a result, we remain here today delivered. Look at us! Because of our sin, we cannot stand in your presence as a result of everything that has happened.”
The People Gather with Ezra
10 Now while Ezra was praying and confessing in tears, having prostrated himself to the ground before the Temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelis—men, women, and children—gathered around him. Indeed, the people were crying bitterly.
2 Jehiel’s son Shecaniah, one of Elam’s descendants, responded to Ezra: “We have sinned against our God by marrying foreign wives from the people of the land, but even now there is hope in Israel, despite this. 3 So let’s make a promise to our God by which we divorce[k] all of these foreign[l] wives—as well as those born to them—in accordance with the counsel of our Lord and of those who tremble at our God’s command. Furthermore, let it be done according to the Law. 4 So get up—it’s your responsibility! We’re with you. Be strong, and get to work.”[m]
The People Agree to Dissolve Their Marriages
5 So Ezra got up and made the chief priests, the descendants of Levi, and all of Israel vow to carry out everything they promised. And so they agreed.[n] 6 Ezra arose in front of the Temple of God to visit the apartment of Eliashib’s son Jehohanan. While there, he neither ate nor drank because he was in mourning over the sins of those who had returned from exile. 7 Then they sent word throughout Judah and Jerusalem to everyone who had returned from the exile, to gather together in Jerusalem. 8 Whoever would not come within three days would forfeit his assets and be separated from the community of the returning exiles, just as the high officials and elders had advised.
9 Less than three days later, all of the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together on the twentieth day[o] of the ninth month. Everyone sat in the plaza of the Temple of God, trembling because of everything that was happening, and also because it was raining heavily. 10 Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them, “You have sinned by marrying foreign wives, thereby increasing the transgressions of Israel. 11 Now confess this to the Lord God of your ancestors, and separate yourselves from the people who live in the land and from foreign wives.”
12 At this, the entire community responded with a loud cry, “We will do just as you’ve spoken! 13 However, many people are involved, and it’s raining heavily. Furthermore, this is not just a matter of a day or two of work, because many of us have sinned in this. 14 So let’s have our officials remain on behalf of the whole community. Then all who have married foreign wives are to come appear at specific times before[p] the elders and judges of each city until the fierce anger of our God has been turned away from us in this matter.”
15 Only Asahel’s son Jonathan and Tikvah’s son Jahzeiah opposed this, and they were supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the descendant of Levi.
The People Carry Out Their Promise
16 So those who had returned from exile did this. Ezra the priest and leaders of certain ancestral groups listed by name devoted themselves to examine the situation on the first day of the tenth month. 17 By the first day of the first month they concluded their investigation of all of the men who had married foreign wives.
Those who Married Foreign Women
18 Here is a list of priestly descendants who were found to have married foreign women. From Jeshua’s descendants:[q] Jozadak’s son and his brothers Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 Pleading guilty, they promised to divorce their wives. Then they offered a ram from their flocks for their offense.
20 From Immer’s descendants: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 From Harim’s descendants: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 From Pashhur’s descendants: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 From the descendants of Levi: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 From the Israelis: Parosh’s descendants: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah. 26 From Elam’s descendants: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 From Zattu’s descendants: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 From Bebai’s descendants: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 From Bani’s descendants: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 From Pahath-moab’s descendants: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 From Harim’s descendants: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From Hashum’s descendants: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 From Bani’s descendants: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Matanza, Maternai, Jas, 38 Bani, Binai, Shihezi, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 From Nebo’s descendants: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All of these had married foreign wives, and some of them had children by them.
Introduction
1 In my first book, Theophilus, I wrote about everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, 2 up to the day when he was taken up to heaven[a] after giving orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he had shown himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during a period of 40 days and telling them about the kingdom of God.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
4 While he was meeting with them, he ordered them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem. Instead, wait for what the Father has promised, about which you heard me speak, 5 because John baptized with[b] water, but you will be baptized with[c] the Holy Spirit a few days from now.”
6 Now those who had gathered together began to ask Jesus,[d] “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He answered them, “It isn’t for you to know what times or periods the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you’ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus Goes Up to Heaven
9 After saying this, Jesus[e] was taken up while those who had gathered together[f] were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, two men in white robes stood right beside them. 11 They asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go up into heaven.”
A New Apostle Takes the Place of Judas
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives,[g] which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.[h] 13 When they came into the city, these men[i] went to the upstairs room where they had been staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son[j] of James. 14 With one mind, all of them kept devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women (including Mary the mother of Jesus) and his brothers.
15 At that time,[k] Peter got up among the brothers (there were about 120 people present) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the voice of David about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus, 17 because he was one of our number and was appointed[l] to share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man bought a field with the money he got for his crime. Falling on his face, he burst open in the middle, and all his intestines gushed out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that this field is called in their language Hakeldama, that is, “The Field of Blood”.) 20 “For in the Book of Psalms it is written, ‘Let his estate be desolate, and let no one live on it,’[m] and, ‘Let someone else take over his office,’[n] 21 who was one of the men associated with us all the time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, 22 beginning when he was baptized by John until the day he was taken up from us. Therefore, someone like this[o] must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men—Joseph called Barsabbas, who also was called Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the hearts of all people. Show us which one of these two men you have chosen 25 to serve in this office of apostle,[p] from which Judas left to go to his own place.”
26 So they drew lots for them, and when the lot fell on Matthias, he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.
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