Old/New Testament
9 When these things were done, the rulers came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites are not separated from the people of the lands (as touching their abominations) —the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 “For they have taken their daughters to themselves, and to their sons. And they have mixed the holy seed with the people of the lands. And the hand of the princes and rulers have been chief in this trespass.”
3 But when I heard this saying, I tore my clothes and my garment, and plucked off the hair of my head, and of my beard, and sat down astonished.
4 And all who feared the Words of the God of Israel assembled to me there, because of the transgression of those of the captivity. And I sat down astonished until the evening Sacrifice.
5 And at the evening Sacrifice, I rose up from my heaviness. And when I had torn my clothes and my garment, I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
6 and said, “O my God! I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my eyes to You, my God! For our iniquities have increased over our head! And our trespass has grown up to the heaven!
7 “From the days of our fathers we have been in a great trespass until this day. And we, our kings and our priests have, for our iniquities, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, into captivity, into a spoil, and into confusion of face, as it is this day!
8 “And now for a short time, grace has been shown from the LORD our God, in allowing a remnant to escape, and in giving us a nail in His Holy Place, so that our God may light our eyes and give us a little reviving in our servitude.
9 “For we were slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has inclined mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us life, and to erect the House of our God, and to redress its desolate places, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 “And now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your Commandments
11 “which You have Commanded by your servants the Prophets, saying, ‘The land to which you go to possess is an unclean land, because of the filthiness of the people of the lands, which by their abominations and by their uncleanness have filled it from corner to corner.
12 ‘Now, therefore, you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons, nor seek their peace nor wealth forever, so that you may be strong and eat the goodness of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your sons forever.’
13 “And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespasses, (seeing that You, our God, have stayed your Hand for our iniquities, and have given us such deliverance),
14 “should we return to break Your Commandments and join in marriage with the people of such abominations? Would You not be angry toward us until You had consumed us, so that there would be neither remnant nor any escaping?
15 “O LORD God of Israel! You are just! For we have been reserved to escape, as it is this day. Behold, we are before You in our trespass. Though we cannot stand before You because of it.”
10 While Ezra prayed thus and confessed, himself weeping and falling down before the House of God, there assembled to him a very great Congregation of men and women and children of Israel. For the people wept with a great lamentation.
2 Then Shechaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this.
3 “Now, therefore, let us make a Covenant with our God, to put away all the wives (and such as are born of them) according to the counsel of the LORD, and of those who fear the Commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the Law.
4 “Arise! For the matter belongs to you. We will be with you also. Be of comfort and do it!”
5 Then Ezra arose and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this Word. So, they swore.
6 And Ezra rose up from before the House of God and went into the chamber of Johanan, the son of Eliashib. He went there, but he neither ate bread nor drank water. For he mourned because of the transgression of those of the captivity.
7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem, to all those of the captivity, so that they would assemble themselves at Jerusalem.
8 And whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and elders, all his possessions would be forfeited, and he would be separated from the Congregation of those of the captivity.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled themselves at Jerusalem within three days, which was the twentieth day of the ninth month. And all the people sat in the street of the House of God, trembling because of this matter, and because of the rain.
10 And Ezra the Priest stood up, and said to them, “You have transgressed, and have taken strange wives to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 “Now, therefore, give praise to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will, and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives!”
12 And all the Congregation answered, and said with a loud voice, “So will we do according to your Words to us!
13 “But the people are many, and it is rainy weather, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is it the work of one day or two. For there are many of us who have offended in this thing.
14 “Therefore, let our rulers stand before all the Congregation. And let all those who have taken strange wives in our cities come at the time appointed, and the elders of every city with them, and their judges, till the fierce wrath of our God for this matter turns away from us.”
15 Then Jonathan, the son of Asahel, and Jahaziah, the son of Tikvah, were appointed over this matter. And Meshullam and Shabbethai (the Levites) helped them.
16 And those of the captivity did so and departed—Ezra the Priest and the men who were chief fathers to the family of their fathers by name—and sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
17 And until the first day of the first month, they were finishing the business with all the men who had taken strange wives.
18 And men were found of the sons of the priests who had taken strange wives. Of the sons of Jeshua was the son of Jozadak. And of his brethren were Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 And they pledged that they would put away their wives. And those who had trespassed gave a ram for their trespass.
20 And of the sons of Immer were Honani and Zebadiah.
21 And of the sons of Harim were Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah.
22 And of the sons of Pashur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 And of the Levites were Jozabad and Shimei and Kelaiah (who is Kelita) Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 And of the singers was Eliashib. And of the gatekeepers were Shallum and Telem and Uri.
25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh were Ramiah and Jeziah and Malchiah and Mijamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah.
26 And of the sons of Elam were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Eliah.
27 And of the sons of Zattu were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jerimoth, Zabad and Aziza.
28 And of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.
29 And of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth.
30 And of the sons of Pahath-Moab were Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, Binnui and Manasseh.
31 And of the sons of Harim were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shamariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani were Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Banaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai,
38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei,
39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadai, Joel and Benaiah.
44 All these had taken strange wives. And among them were women who had children.
1 I have made the first account, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach
2 until the day He was taken up (after He, through the Holy Ghost, had given Commandments to the Apostles whom He had chosen -
3 and to whom He presented Himself alive by many sure signs after He had suffered - being seen by them over forty days and speaking of those things concerning the Kingdom of God).
4 And when He had gathered them together, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “You have heard from Me.
5 “For John indeed baptized with water. But you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost within a few days.”
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked of Him, saying, “Lord, will You restore the Kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in place by His own authority.
8 “But you shall receive power from the Holy Ghost when He shall come upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the outermost part of the Earth.”
9 And when He had spoken these things, while they looked on, He was taken up. For a cloud took Him up out of their sight.
10 And as He went, while they were looking toward Heaven, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11 who also said, “You men of Galilee! Why do you stand, gazing into Heaven? This Jesus Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall also come as you have seen Him go into Heaven.”
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount that is called ‘Olivet’, which is near Jerusalem, being from it a Sabbath’s journey.
13 And when they had come in, they went up into an upper room, where Peter and James were, and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zealot, and Judas (James’ brother).
14 These all continued, with one mind, in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
15 And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said (now the number of names that were in one place were about a hundred and twenty).
16 “You men and brothers, this Scripture, which the Holy Ghost, through David, spoke of Judas (guide to those who took Jesus), must have been fulfilled.
17 “For he was numbered with us and had obtained fellowship in this ministry.
18 “Therefore, he has purchased a field with the reward of iniquity. And when he had thrown himself down headlong, he burst asunder in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 “And it is known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, insomuch that that field is called, in their own language, ‘Akel Dama’, which means, ‘Field of Blood’.
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘Let his house be empty, and let no one dwell therein.’ Also, ‘Let another take his position.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have been with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 “beginning from the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us, one of them must be made a fellow witness of His resurrection.”
23 And they presented two: Joseph, called Barsabas (whose surname was Justus) and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, saying, “You Lord, Who knows the hearts of all, show us which of these two You have chosen,
25 “so that he may take the part of this ministry and Apostleship from which Judas has gone astray to go to his own place.”
26 Then they cast their lots. And the lot fell on Matthias. And he was counted with the eleven Apostles.
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