The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
1 While Ezra was down on his knees in front of God's temple, praying with tears in his eyes and confessing the sins of the people of Israel, a large number of men, women, and children gathered around him and cried bitterly.
2 Shecaniah son of Jehiel from the family of Elam said:
Ezra, we have disobeyed God by marrying these foreign women. But there is still hope for the people of Israel, 3 if we follow your advice and the advice of others who truly respect the laws of God. We must promise God that we will divorce our foreign wives and send them away, together with their children.
4 Ezra, it's up to you to do something! We will support whatever you do. So be brave!
5 Ezra stood up and made the chief priests, the Levites, and everyone else in Israel swear that they would follow the advice of Shecaniah. 6 Then Ezra left God's temple and went to spend the night in the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He felt sorry because of what the people had done, and he did not eat or drink a thing.
7-8 The officials and leaders sent a message to all who had returned from Babylonia and were now living in Jerusalem and Judah. This message told them to meet in Jerusalem within three days, or else they would lose everything they owned and would no longer be considered part of the people that had returned from Babylonia.
9 Three days later, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, everyone from Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and sat in the temple courtyard. It was a serious meeting, and they sat there, trembling in the rain.
10 Ezra the priest stood up and said:
You have broken God's Law by marrying foreign women, and you have made the whole nation guilty! 11 Now you must confess your sins to the Lord God of your ancestors and obey him. Divorce your foreign wives and don't have anything to do with the rest of the foreigners who live around here.
12 Everyone in the crowd shouted:
You're right! We will do what you say. 13 But there are so many of us, and we can't just stay out here in this downpour. A lot of us have sinned by marrying foreign women, and the matter can't be settled in only a day or two.
14 Why can't our officials stay on in Jerusalem and take care of this for us? Let everyone who has sinned in this way meet here at a certain time with leaders and judges from their own towns. If we take care of this problem, God will surely stop being so terribly angry with us.
15 Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah were the only ones who objected, except for the two Levites, Meshullam and Shabbethai.
16 Everyone else who had returned from exile agreed with the plan. So Ezra the priest chose men who were heads of the families, and he listed their names. They started looking into the matter on the first day of the tenth month, 17 and they did not finish until the first day of the first month of the next year.
The Men Who Had Foreign Wives
18-19 Here is a list of the priests who had agreed to divorce their foreign wives and to sacrifice a ram as a sin offering:
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah from the family of Joshua son of Jozadak and his brothers; 20 Hanani and Zebadiah from the family of Immer; 21 Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah from the family of Harim; 22 Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah from the family of Pashhur.
23 Those Levites who had foreign wives were: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also known as Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Eliashib, the musician, had a foreign wife.
These temple guards had foreign wives:
Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Here is a list of the others from Israel who had foreign wives:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah from the family of Parosh;
26 Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah from the family of Elam;
27 Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza from the family of Zattu;
28 Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai from the family of Bebai;
29 Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth from the family of Bani;
30 Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh from the family of Pahath Moab;
31-32 Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah from the family of Harim;
33 Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei from the family of Hashum;
34-37 Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu from the family of Bani;
38-42 Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph from the family of Binnui;
43 Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah from the family of Nebo.
44 These men divorced their foreign wives, then sent them and their children away.
ǃHao taradi ge ra sîbēhe
1 Esrab Tempeli aiǃâ ǃhonǁgoa tsî ǀgores ǃnâ ā rase nē ǁorena ra ǁguiǁnâ, hîan ge ǂgui Israelǁî aogu, taradi tsî ǀgôan tsîna ǁîb ǂnamipe hā mâ tsûsase ge ā. 2 Ob ge Elamǁîb Jehieli ôab Sekanjaba Esrab ǃoa ge mî: “Sige ge Eloba a ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ, ǃhao tarade ge ge ǃgames ǀkha, xaweb ge Israela noxopa ǃâubasensa ūhâ. 3 A ge nēsi sada Eloba mîmâiba, nē taradi tsî ǀgôan tsîna ge nî sîbē ǃkhaisa. Sige ge sats tsî ǁnāgu Elob mîmāde ǁnâuǀnam hâgu go ǀapemā ge khami nî dī. Sige ge Elob ǂhanub ǃoa nî dī. 4 Nē ǃkhais di ǃereams ge sa ǃomǁae hâ. ǂKhâǃnâ tsi ge ra, xuige sa sîsenna dīs ǀkha aiǃgû re.”
5 Ob ge Esraba khâimâ tsî pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsî ǁaes tsîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge nū kai, Sekanjab go mî khamin nî dīsa, on ge ge nū. 6 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Tempeli aiǃâba xu Eljasib ôab Johananni ǃnā-oms ǁga ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa ge hâǂkhai, xū-i xare-e ǂû tsî ā tamase, ǃkhōsisa xu ge oaǀkhī khoen di ǃûǂams xab ge ǃoa hâ i xui-ao.
7 Tsî i ge ǂanǂan-e Jerusalems tsî Judab tsîra ǃnâ ge sîǂuihe, în ǃkhōsisa xu ge oaǀkhī khoen hoana Jerusalems ǃnâ ǀhao. 8 Tsî ǂamkhoegu tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge ge mîǀgui, ǁîgu mîmās ai ga ǃnona tsēdi ǁaeb ǃnâ hā tama i khoe-i hoa-i ǁî-i xūna ūǀhanahe tsî ǀhûhâsiba xu nî ǃhaeǂuihesa. 9 O gu ge ǃnona tsēdi ǁaeb ǃnâ, Judab tsî Benjaminni aogu hoaga, ǀgamdisiǁî tsēs khoeseǁî ǁkhâb dis ai Jerusalems ǃnâ ge ǀhao. Hoaraga khoen ge Tempelǂgāb ai ge ǀhao hâ i. Kaise i ge gere ǀapi tsîn ge khoena ǀapib tsî nē ǂnûs di ǁkhamasa mâsib tsîn xa gere ǀkhū.
10 Ob ge prister Esraba khâimâ tsî ǁîna ge mîba: “Sago ge ǃhao tarade ǃgames ǀkha ǃûǂam tsî ǁnās ǀkha Israela ge ǀhapixa kai. 11 Nēsi ǁnâi ǃKhūb, sadu aboxan Elob aiǃâ sago ǁorena ǁguiǁnâ, î ǁîb ra ǂgao khami dī. Sada ǃhūb ǃnâ hâ ǃhao ǁaedi tsî ǃhao taradi tsîna xu ǀgora.”
12 On ge hoaraga khoena ǃgarise ge ǃeream: “Sats go mî xūn hoana da ge nî dī, 13 xawe da ge kaise a ǂgui tsî i ge ǀgaisase ra ǀapi. Sida ge nēti ǃauga a mâ ǁoa. Nē sîsenni ge ǀgui tamas ka io ǀgam tsēra ǃnâ nî dīhese ī tama hâ, ǂguida âda ge nē ǁoreba dī amaga. 14 A gu sida ǂamkhoega Jerusalems ǃnâ hâ tsî nē ǁhōb ǀkha aiǃgû. A gu ǃhao taradi ǀkha ge ǃgame aogu hoaga mîmâisa ǁaeb ai ǁîgu ǃās di ǂamkhoegu tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tawa sī. ǁNā ǀgaub aib ge Elob di ǁaib nē ǁhōb ǂama hâba sada xu nî toa.” 15 Asaheli ôab Jonatanni tsî Tikwab ôab Jasejab tsîkha ǀguikha ge nē ǃkhaisa ge mâǃoa, Mesulammi tsî Leviǁîb Sabetaib tsîkha xa ra ǂkhâǃnâhese.
16 ǃKhōsisa xu ge oaǀkhī khoen ge nē ǀapes xa ge ǃgâibahe. Ob ge prister Esraba ǃhaoǃnādi danakhoega ǀondi âgu ai ge ǂgaiǂui. ǁÎgu ge ǂguro tsēs disiǁî ǁkhâb dis ai, nē ǃkhaisa ôaǃnâs ǀkha tsoatsoa 17 tsî ǃhao taradi ǀkha ge ǃgame aogu di ǁhōga ǃnona ǁkhâgu ǁaeb ǃnâ ge dītoa.
ǃHao tarade ge ūhâ i aogu
18 Nēb ge ǃhao tarade ge ūhâ i aogu di ǃgôakhâiba:
Pristergu xasa:
Jesuab tsî ǁîb ǃgâsagu, Josadaki ôagu di ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Maasejab, Elieseri, Jarib tsî Gedaljab tsîgu. 19 ǁÎgu ge taradi âga xu gu nî ǀgorasa mîmâi tsî baiba ǁoreǁguibase ge ǁguiba.
20 Imeri ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Hananni tsî Sebadjab tsîkha.
21 Harimmi ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Maasejab, Eliab, Semajab, Jehieli tsî Usiab tsîgu.
22 Pashuri ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Eljoenaib, Maasejab, Ismaeli, Netaneli, Josabadi tsî Elasab tsîgu.
23 Leviǁîgu xasa:
Josabadi, Simeib, Kelajab (Kelita tis tsîna ra ǀonǂgaiheb), Petahiab, Judab tsî Elieser hâgu.
24 ǁNae-aogu xasa:
Eljasib.
Tempelǃûi-aogu xasa:
Salummi, Telemmi tsî Uri hâgu.
25 Nau Israelǁîgu xasa:
Parosi ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Ramjab, Isiab, Malkijab, Mijaminni, Eleasari, Makijab tsî Benajab tsîgu.
26 Elammi ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Matanjab, Saxariab, Jehieli, Abdib, Jeremoti tsî Eliab tsîgu.
27 Satub ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Eljoenaib, Eljasib, Matanjab, Jeremoti, Sabadi tsî Asisab tsîgu.
28 Bebaib ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Johananni, Hananjab, Sabaib tsî Atlaib tsîgu.
29 Banib ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Mesulammi, Maluki, Adajab, Jasub, Seali tsî Jeremoti tsîgu.
30 Pahat-Moab ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Adnab, Kelali, Benajab, Maasejab, Matanjab, Besaleli, Binuib tsî Manaseb tsîgu.
31-32 Harimmi ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Elieseri, Isiab, Malkijab, Semajab, Simeonni, Benjaminni, Maluki tsî Semarjab tsîgu.
33 Hasummi ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Matenaib, Matatab, Sabadi, Elifeleti, Jeremaib, Manaseb tsî Simeib tsîgu.
34-37 Banib ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Madaib, Amrammi, Ueli, Benajab, Bedejab, Keluhib, Vanjab, Meremoti, Eljasib, Matanjab, Matenaib tsî Jasub tsîgu.
38-42 Binuib ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Simeib, Selemjab, Natanni, Adajab, Maknadebaib, Sasaib, Saraib, Asareli, Selemjab, Semarjab, Salummi, Amariab tsî Josefi tsîgu.
43 Nebob ǃhaoǃnāsa xu Jeieli, Matitiab, Sabadi, Sebinab, Jadaib, Joeli tsî Benajab tsîgu.
44 Nē aogu hoagu ge ǃhao tarade ge ūhâ i. Tsî gu ge ǁîde ǀgoraxū tsî ǁîdi tsî ǀgôan âdi tsîna ge sîbē.
