9. So within three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the people were sitting in the open place in front of the Temple. They were upset because of the meeting and because it was raining.
10. Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful. You have married non-Jewish women. You have made Israel more guilty.
11. Now, confess it to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Do the Lord’s will. Separate yourselves from the people living around you and from your non-Jewish wives.”
12. Then the whole group answered Ezra. They shouted, “Ezra, you’re right! We must do what you say.
13. But there are many people here. It’s the rainy season. We can’t stand outside. Also, this problem can’t be solved in a day or two. We have sinned badly.
14. Let our officers make a decision for the whole group. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a non-Jewish woman meet with the elders and judges of each town. Let them meet at a planned time. Then the hot anger of our God will turn away from us.”
15. Only these men were against the plan: Jonathan son of Asahel, Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite.
16. So the returned captives did what was suggested. Ezra the priest chose men who were leaders of the family groups. He named one from each family division. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to study each case.
17. By the first day of the first month, they had finished. They had dealt with all the men who had married non-Jewish women.
18. These are the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women:From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and Jeshua’s brothers, there were Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.
19. (They all promised to divorce their wives. Then each one brought a male sheep from the flock as a penalty offering.)