June 4th Ezra 8 The people with Ezra
1: These are now
the chief of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that
went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king. 2:
Of the sons of Phinehas; Gershom: of the sons of Ithamar; Daniel: of
the sons of David; Hattush. 3: Of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons
of Pharosh; Zechariah: and with him were reckoned by genealogy of the
males an hundred and fifty. 4: Of the sons of Pahath-moab; Elihoenai
the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males. 5: Of the sons
of Shechaniah; the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males.
6: Of the sons also of Adin; Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him
fifty males. 7: And of the sons of Elam; Jeshaiah the son of
Athaliah, and with him seventy males. 8: And of the sons of
Shephatiah; Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore
males. 9: Of the sons of Joab; Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with
him two hundred and eighteen males. 10: And of the sons of Shelomith;
the son of Josiphiah, and with him an hundred and threescore males.
11: And of the sons of Bebai; Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with
him twenty and eight males. 12: And of the sons of Azgad; Johanan the
son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred and ten males. 13: And of
the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel,
and Shemaiah, and with them threescore males. 14: Of the sons also of
Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males. 15: And I
gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there
abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the
priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. 16: Then sent I
for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for
Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for
Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of
understanding. 17: And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the
chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say
unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia,
that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
18: And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of
understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of
Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen; 19:
And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his
brethren and their sons, twenty; 20: Also of the Nethinims, whom
David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites,
two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.
Ezra
leads the people
21: Then I
proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict
ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for
our little ones, and for all our substance. 22: For I was ashamed to
require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us
against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king,
saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him;
but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23:
So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of
us. 24: Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests,
Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, 25: And
weighed unto them the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, even the
offering of the house of our God, which the king, and his
counsellers, and his lords, and all Israel there present, had
offered: 26: I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty
talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold
an hundred talents; 27: Also twenty basons of gold, of a thousand
drams; and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. 28: And I
said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also;
and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God
of your fathers. 29: Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them
before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the
fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the
LORD. 30: So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the
silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem
unto the house of our God. 31: Then we departed from the river of
Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem:
and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the
hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. 32: And we
came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. 33: Now on the fourth
day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house
of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and
with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad
the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; 34: By
number and by weight of every one: and all the weight was written at
that time. 35: Also the children of those that had been carried away,
which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto
the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six
rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering:
all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. 36: And they delivered
the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the
governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and
the house of God.
Ezra 9 Mixed marriages
1: Now when these
things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of
Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated
themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their
abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites,
the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the
Amorites. 2: For they have taken of their daughters for themselves,
and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves
with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and
rulers hath been chief in this trespass. 3: And when I heard this
thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of
my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. 4: Then were
assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of
Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried
away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. 5: And at the
evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my
garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands
unto the LORD my God. 6: And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush
to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased
over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 7:
Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto
this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests,
been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword,
to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this
day. 8: And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the
LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail
in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a
little reviving in our bondage. 9: For we were bondmen; yet our God
hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us
in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up
the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to
give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. 10: And now, O our God,
what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
11: Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying,
The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the
filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which
have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12:
Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take
their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth
for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and
leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. 13: And after
all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great
trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our
iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; 14:
Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the
people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till
thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor
escaping? 15: O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain
yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our
trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
Ezra 10 Putting away foreign wives
1: Now when Ezra
had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself
down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel
a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the
people wept very sore. 2: And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of
the sons of Elam, answered and said unto 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 thing. 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 my
lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and
let it be done according to the law. 4: Arise; for this matter
belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage,
and do it. 5: Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the
Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to
this word. And they sware. 6: Then Ezra rose up from before the house
of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and
when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he
mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried
away. 7: And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem
unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather
themselves together unto Jerusalem; 8: And that whosoever would not
come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and
the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself
separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.
9: Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves
together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on
the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street
of the house of God, rembling because of this matter, and for the
great rain. 10: And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye
have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the
trespass of Israel. 11: Now therefore make confession unto the LORD
God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves
from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. 12: Then all
the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast
said, so must we do. 13: But the people are many, and it is a time of
much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a
work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in
this thing. 14: Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and
let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at
appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the
judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be
turned from us. 15: Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the
son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and
Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16: And the children of the
captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the
fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their
names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth
month to examine the matter. 17: And they made an end with all the
men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
The
list of men
18: And among the
sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives:
namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren;
Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19: And they gave
their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty,
they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass. 20: And of the
sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah. 21: And of the sons of Harim;
Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22: And
of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel,
Jozabad, and Elasah. 23: Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei,
and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24:
Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and
Telem, and Uri. 25: Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh;
Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and
Malchijah, and Benaiah. 26: And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah,
Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah. 27: And of
the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and
Zabad, and Aziza. 28: Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah,
Zabbai, and Athlai. 29: And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch,
and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth. 30: And of the sons of
Pahath-moab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah,
Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh. 31: And of the sons of Harim;
Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32: Benjamin, Malluch,
and Shemariah. 33: Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad,
Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34: Of the sons of Bani;
Maadai, Amram, and Uel, 35: Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36: Vaniah,
Meremoth, Eliashib, 37: Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, 38: And
Bani, and Binnui, Shimei, 39: And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,
40: Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41: Azareel, and Shelemiah,
Shemariah, 42: Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43: Of the sons of Nebo;
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah. 44: All
these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom
they had children.
Ezra is leading the
people back home but then he discovers a major problem, they have
taken heathen wives in Babylon. Some may say what is wrong with that?
Look at Solomon he had hundreds of foreign wives. Yes, but see where
it led Solomon – His life degenerated into ungodliness. So at the
command of the Lord the men who came back from Babylon, divorced all
their wives all on the same day. There are people who say that
divorce is an impossibility, yet the scriptures are very clear
divorce was not only allowed under the Mosaic Law but in this case it
was commanded by the Lord. So these men divorced their wives and the
children of those marriages and took Jewish wives. This would enable
the inheritance of the seed to continue. Some say that they never
married again yet this is inconceivable. Marriage was always
desirable and the LORD was clear it is not good for man to be alone.
(There are a number of texts in the English Bible which are an
unfortunate rendering. That appear to give the impression that
divorce was impossible but that is not correct. Christ never banned
divorce. He was banning the divorcing of a young wife on superfluous
grounds because the husband wants to fulfil his lust in taking
another wife. So Christ restricted the divorce of these evil men to
only those cases in which the wife was accused of adultery. These
lust filled men made their innocent wives appear to be adulterers
when in fact they were innocent and it made the men who married them
appear to be adulterers when they were in fact honourable.)
- What was wrong with Israelites having Foreign wives?
- How could this huge problem be solved?
- What did happen?
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